Jordan takes Kosovo as an example for local government

The Minister of Municipal Affairs of the Kingdom of Jordan, Walid Al-Masri, during a study visit to Kosovo, became directly acquainted with the functioning of municipalities in our country, as the Jordanian state is in a process of reform and decentralisation. After meeting President Jahjaga, Minister Al-Masri, accompanied by the Executive Director of KLGI, Besnik Tahiri, visited several Kosovo municipalities.

Prishtina, 23 October – The Minister of Municipal Affairs of the Kingdom of Jordan, Walid Al-Masri, has completed a one-week study visit to the Republic of Kosovo. The aim of the visit was to learn first-hand about the functioning of municipalities in Kosovo and other aspects of local government, as Jordan is in a process of reform and decentralisation of local government.

During its stay in Kosovo, the Jordanian delegation headed by Minister Al-MAsri was also received by the country’s President, Atifete Jahjaga, with whom it discussed the reforms Kosovo is carrying out in the field of local governance.

At this meeting, Al Masri and Jahjaga stressed that the two countries have built excellent relations and that these relations should be deepened further at the concrete level of exchanging shared experiences. During this visit, Minister Al-Masri and his associates also held separate meetings with the Minister of Local Government Administration, Minister Ljubomir Mariq, and visited six municipalities: Prishtina, Prizren, Ferizaj, Graçanica, Hani i Elezit and Junik. This visit can be described as extremely important, not least because this delegation came to learn from the process of decentralisation and reform in the field of local governance.

The visit of the Jordanian Delegation was organised by the Kosovo Local Government Institute (KLGI), which is headed by Besnik Tahiri.

Tahiri accompanied Al-Masri to six municipalities

During his visit to Kosovo, the Minister of Municipal Affairs of the Kingdom of Jordan, Walid Al Masri, met the Mayor of Prizren, Ramadan Muja, the Chair of the Assembly, Kujtim Gashi, and the heads of the political groups in the assembly of this municipality. The Executive Director of KLGI, Besnik Tahiri, was also present at this meeting. First, Mayor Muja informed Minister Masri about Prizren’s achievements in education, culture, tourism, health, local economic development and other topics of interest. The focus of interest at this meeting was the modalities of local governance, the functioning of the municipal assembly and the ways in which local bodies are developed.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs of the Kingdom of Jordan, Wali Al Masri, said that the Municipality of Prizren has done a great deal to build administrative capacities and improve the quality of services, and therefore, in his view, it can also serve as a good example for local government in Jordan. Minister Walid Al Masri also met the Deputy Mayor of Prishtina, Dardan Sejdiu, who briefed him on the challenges and reforms in this municipality, particularly in the fields of urban planning, administration, social policy, primary healthcare, education and economic development.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs of Jordan, Walid Al-Masri, concluded his official visit to Kosovo with a stop in the Municipality of Hani i Elezit, where he was received by the mayor of this municipality, Rufki Suma, who informed his guest about the functioning of the municipal administration and the relationship between the executive and the legislature.