Strengthening civil society mechanisms increases professional potential in the service of professional policies

The KLGI Institute, in cooperation with the organisation “Jakova Innovation Centre”, held the next regional meeting in Gjakova, which brought together civil society organisations at the local level to discuss ways of strengthening civil society mechanisms and increasing demands for effective accountability from local institutions.

The regional meeting aimed to address the challenges and problems that civil society organisations at the local level encounter in their functioning, and also to identify opportunities and exchange good practices for their advancement. Furthermore, this meeting contributes to increasing structured communication between local actors, which consists of drawing up joint agendas for cooperation and interaction.

Above all, effective, functional and sustainable cooperation mechanisms are considered a key precondition for creating an environment conducive to civil society participation in local policy-making. Among the key functions of civil society is the contribution it can make to the democratic development of local institutions by overseeing their activities in various forms, thereby having a positive impact on the transparency and accountability of institutions.

Increased demands for accountability, transparency and effective monitoring push municipalities to be more responsive to citizens, and interaction between decision-makers and citizens also increases beyond formal discussions, placing the focus on specific problems

Civil society should, however, be seen as a key mechanism and be invited into the public consultation process on legislative initiatives, as well as into the decision-making and policy-making process. Therefore, in order to strengthen this cooperation, civil society should be involved in drafting legislation and institutional strategic policies through participation in debates, meetings and public consultations.

In this way, civil society organisations should increase their influence sustainably and, as a result, become an integral part of policy-making at the local level for the benefit of citizens. At the same time, this would improve civil society's position in holding government accountable to citizens.

The regional meeting aimed to address the challenges and problems that civil society organisations at the local level encounter in their functioning, and also to identify opportunities and exchange good practices for their advancement.

This joint meeting will also be a good opportunity to create networking and possible cooperation across the activities of civil society organisations operating at the local level.

The regional meeting was organised within the programme ‘Support for Stronger and More Sustainable Municipalities (SSSM)’, which aims to address the challenges and problems that civil society organisations at the local level encounter in their functioning, and also to identify opportunities and exchange good practices for their advancement.