About MDP Phase 1

MDP supported during its first phase (2001 – 2004) six municipalities in the Doboj region in their endeavours to develop local governance structures concerning their own administrative and governmental functioning as well as the participation of the local civil society (MZ and NGO’s) in the local decision making. As a long-term development goal, MDP shall contribute to the further development and consolidation of a coherent decentralization process in BiH. Focused on local governance, MDP contributes as well to the social cohesion and the economic recovery in BiH. Working in both entities and fostering inter-entity and inter-ethnic cooperation and partnerships, MDP also aims at contributing to the reconciliation process towards sustainable co-existence based on mutual tolerance.
MDP mainly worked together with six selected partner municipalities in the Doboj region (Doboj, Doboj Jug, Doboj Istok, Maglaj, Petrovo and Usora). The key partners and stakeholders have been municipal authorities, MZ and selected civil society groups/NGOs. The driving forces and “agents for municipal change” for all operational matters at municipal level have been the Municipal development teams (MDTs). The MAG (Municipal Advisory Group) has worked as the partner for participative project management as well as for issues at the inter-municipal level. OSF was the strategic partner organisation of MDP in BiH. The project is “governed” by a Steering Committee.
MDP followed three objectives and action lines with its project partners:

a. Policy instruments:
Basic policy instruments had to support a strategic orientation in the partner municipalities following principles of good governance. MDP supported the participative elaboration of strategic municipal documents like vision, mission and code of good governance, which were approved in all partner municipalities by the municipal assemblies / councils. Yet the sustainability of these governance instruments will only be achieved by the further development of strategic oriented planning instruments as it is foreseen for the second phase of MDP until 2007.

b. Participatory mechanisms
Viewed from the part of civil society, good governance had to be further developed supporting participatory conduct and engagement of citizens as well as participatory mechanisms in their relations to the local institutions and local decision-making. The participation of citizens and relevant stakeholders in defining and implementing municipal plans and projects could be improved, mainly through ad hoc groups like the MDTs and NGO-Forums, but also through existing organisms like MZ-Councils. MDP acted mainly in capacity building, civic education and organisational development of the civil society as well as facilitator for local governance processes bringing the civil society and the municipal authorities together.

c. Realisation of specific micro-projects
The rationale of this objective was the creation of common experiences of municipal authorities and civil society actors concerning the development of administrative and governmental policy instruments (objective 1) and of a participative culture at the level of the actors and participatory mechanisms in the relation between municipalities and civil society (objective 2). A range of concrete projects of municipalities, MZ and NGO’s were planned, developed and realized building the exchange and learning platform for good governance. MDP’s contribution was mainly planning and technical assistance as well as co-financing.
In addition, different projects and initiatives were carried out in close cooperation with OSF, the strategic local partner organisation of MDP (e.g. study tours, competition of best practices). These activities rather focused on exchanging and disseminating of experiences for common learning processes in the field of local governance and decentralization.