Implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategy at a Local Level

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Implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategy at a
Local Level

• STANDING CONFERENCE
• OF TOWNS AND MUNICIPALITIES
• Bela Crkva, 20 September 2006

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STANDING CONFERENCE OF TOWNS AND MUNICIPALITIES

• National Association of Local Governments an
  association of all towns and municipalities based
  on membership and voluntariness
• Bodies of SKGO
• - Assembly
• - Presidency
• - President
• - Secretary General
• - Ten boards
• - Monitoring board

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PRS Roles and duties of local governments

• Responsibility of local governments for better
  living conditions of their citizens
• Implementation of strategic documents at local
  level
• Strengthening of the role of local governments in
  the process of EU Integration
• Towns and municipalities - the key partners in
  implementation of PRS

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Challenges of the PRS implementation at the local
level

• Insufficiently developed capacities for strategic
  and operational planning
• Lack of resources for implementation of
  plans/strategies
• Differing approaches of donors and institutions
  lacking coordination
• Creation of parallel mechanisms (donors)
• Bodies stipulated by the Law (e.g. local
  employment councils) are inoperative
• Insufficient exchange of best practices
• Donors tend to bypass small and underdeveloped
  municipalities
• Cities and municipalities do not have ownership
  of property

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PRS implementation at local level

• Strategy of Local Sustainable Development adopted
  by SKGO (towns and municipalities), incorporating
  the recommendations from PRS
• Some 10 municipalities initiated drafting of a
  Strategy of Sustainable development
• Network of small and insufficiently developed
  municipalities (at SKGO, in cooperation with
  CLDS, PRS Implementation Focal Point)
• An initiative Joint Support to Local
  Governments initiated

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Joint Support to Local Governments aims of the
program

• Capacity building of local governments for
  impending fiscal decentralization
• Improved processes of budget planning and
  execution
• Harmonization of approaches, mechanisms and
  resources at a local level
• Strategic and operational planning towards a
  sustainable socio-economic development in each
  municipality
• and, planning and implementation of projects

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What does the Joint Support to Local Governments
provide for?

• The Project provides for consolidation of donor
  and national resources for PRS implementation at
  a local level
• For a start EAR, SDC, Ministry of Foreign
  Affairs of Norway
• The resources will be allocated to the process of
  drafting strategic plans and implementation
  thereof
• Funding of projects on the basis of operational
  planning at a local level
• Project submitted to the Ministry of Finance
  (proposal submitted for the National Investment
  Plan -NIP)
• Cooperation of local governments and partners at
  a local level key factor of PRS implementation
  success in the period ahead

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Initiators of the Joint Support to Local
Governments

• Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities
• PRS Implementation Focal Point
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry for Foreign Economic Relations
• European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR)
• Switzerland through SDC
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of
  Norway

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International partners align their activities
with PRS

• PRS and the process of EU Integration are a
  framework for harmonization of donor assistance
  at a local level
• Ongoing implementation of several programs funded
  by international donors (EU, USA, Norway, Great
  Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Sweden, UN
  agencies, etc) towards poverty reduction. Total
  value of programs exceeding EUR 40 million
• Continuous harmonization of donor approach at a
  local level is essential

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Topics for discussion

• Capacity building for planning at municipal level
• Securing resources for implementation of
  plans/strategies
• Joint activities of the Government and SKGO in
  promotion of a unified approach of donors and
  institutions to initiatives at a local level
• Avoid creating parallel mechanisms and bodies
• Establish bodies for implementation of strategic
  documents (development, social policy...) at a
  local level
• Stimulate exchange of best practices
• Give additional support to small and
  underdeveloped municipalities
• Give property back to towns and municipalities

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• www.skgo.org
• Makedonska 22/VIII
• Tel [phone]
• Faks 011/3221-215