For the past decade, Southeastern Europe has been a focal point of ethnic rivalries and tensions, and when combined with government authoritarianism and abuse of power, the region has exploded in widespread violence. Several wars later, Balkan states are now looking towards Europe in building their democratic institutions. Decentralization processes in many countries have resulted in local government institutions with greater responsibility, but they are often managed by inexperienced and under-resourced leaders who lack the skills to mobilize communities and work with constituents. Highly charged inter-group relations persist, but finally there is the stability required to begin to rebuild democratic institutions and culture.

In 2000, Partners launched an initiative, entitled the Southeastern Europe Municipal Development Program, to strengthen local governance throughout the region. The program utilizes a methodology in which trainers are trained in a skill set, then return to their home countries and tailor their new expertise to meet local needs, and then apply their skills through designing and implementing interventions (trainings, facilitations, negotiations, etc). The first year of the Municipal Development Program included training-for-trainers in four different areas: Local Government-NGO Cooperation in Times of Political Change, Cooperative Approaches to Inter-Group Issues, Public Services Management and Mediation Skills. Partners is currently initiating the second and third years of the program, which will include four new trainings.

The program has been designed to provide communities with the tools needed to work in an inclusive manner across diverse sectors and groups. The devastation wreaked by the Balkan wars has created somewhat of an oppositional mentality among groups; thus, Partners’ program works to combat years of violence through facilitating cooperation. Training sessions provide participants with an opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of democratic systems and training institutions outside the region, while building networks among their peers. Thus far, the program has yielded truly impressive results in strengthening local government and cooperation among diverse groups:

In Bosnia, teachers and educational specialists utilized their skills in working with adolescents to reintegrate them into the schools they had left when the Bosnian war broke out.

The Montenegrin team conducted trainings that increased understanding and acceptance of the differences among the majority and minority populations, acknowledging inter-group tension and violence and the lack of educational access or advancement among minorities. The Montenegrin team also organized public discussions on draft laws for local self-government, the results of which have included a minority Deputy Mayor from Rozaje Municipality regulating the status of minorities in-line with the European Convention for the Protection of Minorities.

The Serbian training team delivered a series of workshops on business cooperation, communication and management for women entrepreneurs and women in local government. Drago Divljak, a Parliament Member of the city of Novi Sad, said that in addition to producing a procedure booklet for initiating small businesses, he will support opening a special office in the city government dedicated to entrepreneurial support. Further, Teodora Vlahovic, a member of the Association of Businesswomen in Novi Sad, noted that since the trainings, the municipal regulations for founding small businesses were significantly simplified, and several procedures were expedited; as a result, communication between city officials and entrepreneurs has been much improved.

In Slovenia, sanitation contracting firms and city management have agreed to work together to improve the standard of service that the city provides. The team is planning further trainings for municipal officials on the management and decentralization of local government planning, which they will conduct with their own funding this year. Further, NGOs have proposed changes to Slovenia’s tax laws.

In all, local trainers have disseminated skills to some 800 municipal officials, NGO and other sector representatives, and systemic improvements in operating procedures for local governments have been observed in each country. Participants view the training program as a way to rebuild torn relationships in their communities, improve understanding among diverse groups, and break down stereotypes.

Partners’ multi-ethnic and cross-sector approach to addressing years of intolerance and violence has rebuilt strained minority-majority relationships and identified commonalities among peoples through cross-border learning. Further, the development of a formal transnational network that promotes inter-group cooperation has built linkages among former adversaries, strengthened participatory decision-making and supported Southeastern Europe’s ability to manage change in post-violent communities peaceably.

Additional Resources
Southeastern Europe Municipal Development Program Evaluation
(Microsoft Word Document)