Deadline: 28-Feb-23
UNDP has announced the “Empowerment of Municipal Councils – Phase 2” project to advance the support of the system for the development of local government, mainly by strengthening municipal councils which will be able to effectively fulfill their certain roles of representation, supervision, and municipal decision-making through the involvement of citizens actively.
The project is financed by the Government of Switzerland and the Ministry of Local Self-Government, while it is implemented and co-financed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Other partners in the implementation of the project are the Ministry of Finance, the Union of Local Self-Government Units (LSU), the Association of Financial Workers (AFO), UN Women, NALAS, civil society organizations, as well as local self-government units in North Macedonia.
In addition, the project also aims to improve the system of local self-government, decentralization and improvement of living conditions in local communities, improving development policies and the legal framework for local development and decentralization, digitization of municipal services, increasing transparency and citizen participation at the local level, as well as the fight against corruption.
Components
In order to achieve the expected results of the project, the activities will be implemented in three separate components, namely:
- Component 1 – Systematic and sustainable improvement of the work of municipal councils and advancement of the local self-government system;
- Component 2 – Increasing citizen participation for sustainable local democracy and improving the lives of all citizens (women and men); AND
- Component 3 – Improving municipal services through the implementation of technology and innovation.
Funding Information
As part of the financial benefits, the municipalities will benefit from financial means in the total amount of 50,000 to 70,000 USD , depending on the implementation agreements, namely:
- USD 10,000 to 12,000 to establish at least one innovative initiative or mechanism to increase transparency, accountability and citizen participation, and
- 40,000 to 60,000 USD in the form of project grants (depending on the type and size of the municipalities, respectively: from 40,000 USD to 50,000 USD for rural municipalities and urban municipalities with up to 25,000 inhabitants; and up to 60,000 USD for urban municipalities with over 25,000 inhabitants) for the realization of 1 to 3 priority projects of citizens selected through the participatory approach – the methodology for the implementation of Forums in the community. When determining the number of resident population in municipalities, the official data of the Entity for statistics from the census of the year will be used.
Benefits
- The municipalities that will be selected to participate in the project will have certain non-financial and financial benefits.
- In terms of non-financial benefits, council members from selected municipalities will have the opportunity to participate in trainings, councilor networking events , seminars and conferences, and study visits. At the same time, municipal councils and municipalities will have the opportunity to participate in activities to increase the level of transparency, accountability and citizen participation. The above benefits will help counselors increase their capacities to more successfully carry out their responsibilities and duties.
- Also, from the 10 selected municipalities, on an annual basis, the project will support:
- two to three municipalities in the preparation or revision of existing local development plans and strategies, and
- a municipality for establishing at least one form of inter-municipal cooperation (BNK can be established by a municipality that is directly involved in the project with other municipalities that are or are not directly involved in the project).
Main Prerequisites
The main prerequisites for the participation of municipalities and the use of financial and non-financial benefits from the project are:
- Active participation in all project components and activities;
- readiness and availability /express commitment of the members of the municipal councils and the municipal administration to participate in the implementation of the Capacity Development Program (training) with the participation of at least 60% of the total number of members of the municipal council (one third women, representation of different political and ethnic groups, etc. );
- Implementation of the methodology for Community Forums and the adoption of this tool for citizen participation in the municipal charter (if it is not included);
- Providing adequate financial means to cover the commitment of the licensed moderator of the forums and other expenses related to the process of implementing the Forums in the community;
- Implementation of the selected / priority projects of citizens, including the preparation of the necessary design-technical documentation, the implementation of public procurement procedures and the supervision of the implementation of the project/s;
- Installation of the electronic table (e – dashboard ) for the publication of financial statements for the implementation of the budget on the website of the municipality and the regular publication of quarterly reports (K1, K2, K3);
- Regular updating of the website of the municipality with information related to the work of the Municipal Council (agendas, minutes, decisions and other relevant documents) as well as data for the members of the municipal council (official phone number, e-mail address) email , etc.).
- Provision of financial means within the municipal budget to support activities for the promotion and advancement of equal opportunities for women and men.
Eligibility Criteria
In this call , all the municipalities in the Republic of North Macedonia that were not directly involved in the first phase of the project in the period 2016-2021, as well as the municipalities that were elected in 2022, can submit their interest .
For more information, visit UNDP.