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Open Call: Regional Programme for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 3 (ReLOaD3) – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Deadline: 11-Apr-25

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched a public call for Local Self-Government Units in Bosnia and Herzegovina for submitting applications for participation in the implementation of the Regional Programme for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 3 (ReLOaD3).

The Regional Programme for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 3 (ReLOaD3) is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Western Balkans in: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia. ReLOaD started its third phase of implementation on 1 February 2025 and over the next four years the programme will aim to strengthen participatory democracy and Euro-Atlantic integration in the Western Balkans, by empowering civil society and citizens to actively participate in decision-making, as well as improving the legal and financial environment conducive to civil society organisations (CSOs). 

Local self-government units (LSG) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which have not participated in the previous phases of the ReLOaD programme and the Strengthening Local Democracy project (LOD project), are invited to express their interest in participating in ReLOaD3 (Group 2). At least six LGUs will be selected from Group 2 through this public call, while at least seven partner LGUs that have already participated in the above-mentioned projects will be selected through a direct call (Group 1). 

Objective  
  • The aim of the public call is to extend the methodology for transparent financing of civil society organizations to new local self-government units in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  
  • It is planned to include at least six partner LGUs (Group 2) that have not had the opportunity to participate in previous projects so far. This LGUs will provide support in improving the project approach to financing CSOs, as well as in strengthening the participation of citizens in the creation, implementation and monitoring of public policies. 
Funding Information 
  • The total value of the ReLOaD3 project is 13.38 million US dollars, financed by the European Union from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, while the value of the project component related to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is 4 million US dollars. 
Who can apply? 
  • Participation in this call is open to all local self-government units in Bosnia and Herzegovina that have not yet participated in any of the projects: Strengthening Local Democracy – LOOD (I-IV) or Regional Program for Strengthening Local Democracy in the Western Balkans (ReLOaD 1-2). The project will include at least 13 partner LGUs, of which:  
    • Six LGUs through this public call (Group 2),  
    • 7 LGUs through direct call (Group 1). 
Elimination Criteria   
  • These criteria are applied as eliminatory in the selection of partner units of local self-government, and imply that:  
    • Previously, LGUs did not participate in any of the two projects: Strengthening Local Democracy – LOD (I-IV) or Regional Programme for Strengthening Local Democracy in the Western Balkans ReLOaD (1-2).  
    • LGUs will adopt the LOD methodology for allocating funds to civil society organizations and apply it to independent public calls during 2026, 2027 and 2028; The local self-government unit expresses its readiness to increase the involvement of CSOs in policy-making and their implementation;  
    • The local self-government unit expresses its readiness to establish/strengthen and institutionalize mechanisms for the involvement of citizens;  
    • LGUs undertake to co-finance CSO projects in the amount of at least 35% of the total funds placed in that local community within the ReLOaD3 project. 
Selection Criteria 
  • In order for the process of selecting partner local self-government units to be comprehensive and transparent, the following three types of criteria will be applied:   
    • Eliminatory criteria – meeting these criteria is considered a prerequisite for participation in the project. Local self-government units that apply should meet all elimination criteria. Applications from local self-government units that do not meet these criteria will not be considered further.   
    • Basic criteria – by applying these criteria, local self-government units that have met the elimination criteria will be evaluated. The allocation of points will be in accordance with the scoring matrix, which is an integral part of this document.  
    • Compliance criteria – represent additional aspects that will not be scored, but will be taken into account by the Partnership Committee of the project in the final selection of partner LGUs. 

For more information, visit UNDP.