USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER
FINAL REPORT
July 17, 2017
This report was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by USAID Advancing Kosovo Together implemented by prime contractor Chemonics International, with input from subcontractors Development Professionals Inc., Business Support Center Kosovo, and the Berman Group.
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER
FINAL REPORT
Contract No.AID-167-C-14-00003
The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT ii ACRONYMS
AKM Association of Kosovo Municipalities AKT Advancing Kosovo Together Program AKT-LS Advancing Kosovo Together Local Solutions Program AUK American University in Kosovo B2B business to business BSCK Business Support Centre Kosovo BSO business service organization CAT computer-assisted translation CDF Community Development Fund CDKD Center za Depolitizaciju Kosovskog Društva CDP Capacity Development Plan CF Community Forum CFF Crimson Finance Fund CLE USAID Contract Law Enforcement project CPT Center for Peace and Tolerance CoDe Community Development Institute CSD Communications for Social Development CSO civil society organization DEMOS EU Decentralization and Municipal Support project DPI Development Professionals Inc. FY fiscal year G2G government to government GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit IADK Partner Initiative for Agricultural Development of Kosovo JWG Joint Working Group KAIS Kosovo Agency for Information Society KCC Kosovo Chamber of Commerce KIPA Kosovo Institute for Public Administration KRD Kosovo Relief and Development LUL Law on Use of Languages MACC Municipal Assembly Communities Committee MCF Municipal Community Forum MDAF Management Development Associates Foundation MF Ministry of Finance
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT iii MLGA Ministry of Local Government Administration MNWE Multi-Ethnic Network of Women Entrepreneurs MOCR Municipal Offices for Communities and Returns MPA Ministry of Public Administration MSME micro, small, and medium enterprises NDI National Democratic Institute NGO nongovernmental organization OCA organizational capacity assessment OLC Office of the Language Commissioner OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe PIR project intermediate result PMCG Policy Management Consulting Group PPRC Public Procurement Regulatory Commission RCT Regional Technology Center SSI Small-Scale Infrastructure SIAP Service Improvement Action Plan QI Quick Impact QPM Qendra e Performances se Mire UNDP United Nations Development Programme USAID United States Agency for International Development WRA Workforce Readiness Assessment
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT iv CONTENTS
ACRONYMS ...... iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 1 OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES ...... 1 Project Intermediate Result (PIR) 1: Improve autonomous, horizontal communication between: (a) majority and non-majority communities; and (b) the GOK and non-majority communities ...... 1 1.1 Support the Government of Kosovo in implementation of laws that protect minority rights ...... 1 1.2 Improved government communications, responsiveness, and engagement with non-majority communities ...... 5 1.3 Build skills of minorities and women to obtain public sector positions ...... 7 1.4 Facilitate community-led initiatives among majority and minority communities to address common issues ...... 9 1.6 Provide constructive engagement through small-scale infrastructure projects ...... 12 PIR 2: Improve economic opportunities in target municipalities ... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.1 Assess and facilitate market linkages between majority and non-majority businesses ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.2 Promote SME competitiveness and access to finance and support youth entrepreneurship and employability, including returnees ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.3 Support youth employability ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.4 Support women-owned enterprises ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. PIR 3: Increase the efficiency and capacity of target municipal administrations to respond to the needs of all the citizens ...... 23 3.1 Enhance capacity of municipal administrations for strategic planning and to deliver and oversee quality service ...... 24 3.2 Support municipalities to increase own-source revenue (OSR) for municipal services and capital projects ...... 28 3.3 Build Capacity of target Municipalities’ Offices of Communities and Returns (MOCR) ...... 28 3.4 Strengthen mechanisms to promote transparency and community engagement ...... 29 3.5 Strengthen municipal capacity to manage government-to-government (G2G) awards ...... 31 PIR 4: Build the capacity of host-country organizations by leveraging local, cross- ethnic leadership to implement program objectives ...... 32 4.1 Enhancing technical capacity and aligning the local consortium’s work plan, sub-awards, and operational capacity with overall AKT objectives ...... 32 4.2 Enhancing operational and management capacity ...... 33 4.3 Creating a forum for sub-awardees to network to share information and highlight integration successes to wider audiences ...... 35
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT v 4.4 Increasing ability to handle USAID reporting requirements and procedures . 36 4.5 Strengthening financial management capacity ...... 37 4.6 Increased ability to establish professional linkages with a variety of stakeholders ...... 37 CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED ...... 38 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE INTERVENTIONS ...... 40 ANNEX I: MONITORING AND EVALUATION ANNEX II: EVALUATION OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONS
ANNEX III: INDEX OF TECHNICAL REPORTS ANNEX IV: OBJECTIVE 1 AND 3 BENEFICIARIES AND COST INFORMATION
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report presents results of project impact surveys conducted by the Advancing Kosovo Together program, Contract No.AID-167-C-14-00003, funded by USAID and implemented by Chemonics International Inc. from April 2014 to April 2017.
USAID Advancing Kosovo Together (AKT) program’s goal is to foster positive, constructive interethnic cooperation between minority and majority populations in addressing common problems of unemployment, social needs, and municipal services in 16 target municipalities throughout Kosovo. It achieved this through the following project intermediate results: 1. Improve autonomous, horizontal communications between: (a) majority and non-majority communities; and (b) the Government of Kosovo and non-majority communities. 2. Improve economic opportunities in target municipalities. 3. Increase the efficiency and capacity of targeted municipal administrations to respond to the needs of all the citizens. 4. Build capacity of host-country organizations to leverage cross-ethnic leadership to achieve program objectives and implement USAID Kosovo funded activities.
AKT’s approach to improving communications between majority and non-majority communities and with the Government of Kosovo focused on supporting implementation of the Law on Use of Languages (LUL); community mobilization and participation in public decision making; building skills to improve the participation of women and non-majority citizens in public sector positions; community-led initiatives, including infrastructure and procurement; and civil society organizations. AKT worked with majority and non-majority- owned businesses and associations to improve economic development in target municipalities. It facilitated interethnic market linkages, competitiveness of businesses (including women-, youth-, and non-majority-owned), access to finance, and youth employability. As AKT worked with communities to demand improved services and participate in decision-making and initiatives, it worked with municipalities to improve their responsiveness. Capacity building activities focused on strategic planning and delivery of quality services, collection and management of own-source revenue, effectiveness of Municipal Offices for Communities and Returns (MOCR), transparency and communication, and procurement and project cycle management. Finally, AKT worked with the Community Development Foundation (CDF) and its subawardees, implementers of the AKT Local Solution project, to bolster their technical, operational, financial, and reporting capacity. OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES
Project Intermediate Result (PIR) 1: Improve autonomous, horizontal communication between: (a) majority and non-majority communities; and (b) the Government of Kosovo and non-majority communities
1.1 Support the Government of Kosovo in implementation of laws that protect minority rights
Among the many challenges to cooperation in Kosovo, the language barrier is fundamental. Though the Law on Use of Languages (LUL) ensures that Kosovo’s public institutions must use the official languages and that Albanian and Serbian have equal status as official languages, this law is often disregarded. In Kosovo Albanian-majority municipalities, official
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 1 written materials are often unavailable in Serbian, and in Key Achievements Kosovo Serb-majority municipalities, Albanian-language materials are not consistently available. AKT worked with the 94 percent of community members in partner Office of the Language Commissioner (OLC) to increase its municipalities would work capacity to engage with municipalities to improve again with members of other implementation of the LUL. ethnic communities to meet community needs, based on their AKT expserience. Roadmap for processing LUL complaints. AKT developed a 91 percent of community report to define the procedures for receiving and processing members report that working complaints related to alleged violations of the LUL and a with AKT strengthened their complaint process roadmap. Working with OLC staff, the relationships with others in their communities. Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA), and sample municipalities, the roadmap clearly outlined the 17 percent increase in public participation in budget challenges the OLC experienced in implementing the LUL, hearings in 2015-2016 the discrepancies between the existing law and regulations 24,276 beneficiaries directly and the OLC’s mandate, and opportunities for improved benefit from small-scale efficiency and effectiveness. The resulting recommendations infrastructure and focused on four key parts of the complaint processing system: procurement projects (1) the complaint intake function, including the screening, 255 advocacy initiatives led by nongovernmental sorting, and referral of complaints; (2) creation of different constituencies procedures for original complaints and appeals from decisions 72 complaints on the of other government offices; (3) initiation of ex officio implementation of the Law on investigations by the Office of the Commissioner; and (4) the Use of Languages addressed use of sanctions for violations of the law and regulations. The 269 events geared toward Language Commissioner welcomed the roadmap, because it strengthening understanding clearly presented each step that needed to be undertaken, from and mitigating conflict facilitated, with 4,189 the moment of receiving the complaint through processing by participants different departments and institutions, with all procedures to 824 members of minority be followed. groups, including women, trained in skills for obtaining The roadmap and recommendations above were key in the public sector positions OLC’s development of its Strategy on the Protection and 119 constituent groups Promotion of Language Rights (2016-2021). Although the working in partnership with Kosovo government has not yet adopted this strategy, the AKT document provides a foundation for advocacy to the Kosovo 271 community members involved in local development government, the EU, and others on implementation of OLC efforts activities. In fact, the most recent EU progress report recommends that the Kosovo government adopt this the strategy. Language Commissioner Slaviša Mladenović said that, “I hope that [strategy adoption] will happen this year, because pressure has accumulated.” The roadmap has also proved to be a useful tool in communicating with others exactly how the OLC operates.
AKT helped strengthen the connection between the OLC and municipalities and facilitated improved implementation of the LUL at the municipal level through the following activities:
Awareness-raising on the LUL. Via a local civil society organization (CSO), AKT facilitated a series of 12 discussions on the LUL, the role of the OLC and municipalities in its implementation, and the role of civil society monitoring. By the end of the first quarter of Project Year 2, AKT concluded the discussions. In total, 337 individuals (68 percent men, 32 percent women; 40 percent majority, 60 percent non-majority) from target communities,
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 2 municipalities, and the civil society sector participated. Many in attendance were unaware of the OLC’s existence or unfamiliar with its work and mandate. The OLC used the opportunity to distribute and discuss informational materials. All discussions yielded similar results, with participants identifying the following common challenges to accessing public services: lack of interpreters at public institutions, unavailability of documents in their language, lack of signage in their language; and lack of municipal capacity to speak both languages.
“Secret customer activity.” AKT implemented a “secret customer” activity in 12 of AKT’s partner (southern) municipalities to identify the quality and quantity of services that can be sought in municipal administrations in non-majority languages. The findings from this activity, which were presented to the OLC and municipal leadership, included the following: 83 percent of partner municipalities provide notifications in more than one official language. In 45 percent of municipalities, the first point of contact (person behind the information desk) could not speak a minority language, but a majority of the first points of contact sought out another official who could speak the language. When referred to someone who spoke the minority language, 67 percent of those officials spoke the minority language well. In 92 percent of cases, the documentation that the secret customer requested was available in the minority language. 83 percent of secret customers reported kind treatment and a positive experience.
These findings were warmly received by the Language Commissioner, who appreciated the third-party review of areas of strength and areas for improvement with respect to implementation of the LUL.
Guidebook on the Proper Implementation of the LUL in Local Self-Government Institutions. AKT supported a three-day seminar for 28 municipal and CSO representatives to review the “secret customer” findings per municipality and generate action items for improved implementation of the LUL. The resulting Guidebook on the Proper Implementation of the Law on Use of Languages in Local Self-Government Institutions reviews legislation, specifies the roles and responsibilities of various departments within the municipality, then delves into how, in the course of implementing its mandate, each department should apply the LUL. The OLC provided this document to the OSCE, which used it as a basis for a six-month assignment supporting the OLC to develop an annual monitoring tool. The OLC will use this tool to track compliance of municipalities with the LUL, visiting municipalities each year. Based on the results of the secret customer activity, in light of the roles and responsibilities reviewed in the Guidebook, AKT supported the OLC and municipalities to address many of the areas in which municipalities were not in compliance. Support included action planning, small procurement support, and installation of state-of-the-art translation software.
Municipal action planning. In collaboration with officials from 15 partner municipalities (only Zubin Potok did not participate), AKT facilitated the development of detailed action plans for each municipality to improve its compliance with the LUL. The plans proposed specific activities to address areas of noncompliance identified by the secret customer activity and according to the Guidebook. They included activities that would kick-start improved compliance in areas with the most impact. Although the action plans for each municipality differed, Communications for Social Development (CSD) provided support in resolving the following primary common areas of noncompliance: 1. Orientation signage in non-majority languages in municipal buildings
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 3
2. Translation capacity to improve the availability of official communications in non- majority languages
Small procurement support. Based on findings in the initial grant of missing multilingual signs, action plans included equipping municipal facilities with standardized door signs, orientation signs, and large table signs in all official languages, as needed in each partner municipality. Accordingly, via a local CSO, AKT supported the purchase and installation of 180 missing multilingual informative signs and door markings in 12 southern partner municipalities. The new signs, which were approved by municipal leadership and are designed to easily allow for replacing of names and positions as turnover or advancement occurs, provide a welcoming and easily navigable environment for non-majority language speakers in partner municipalities.
Translation software. The demand for translation exceeds the capacity of municipal translators. Therefore, each action plan included the purchase and installation of a state-of-the art translation software package. AKT facilitated installation and training of new translation software in 15 partner municipalities (only Zubin Potok did not participate). The new software, called SDL Trados Studio, is enabled with computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools, which break down the whole text into single sentences or “segments.” These are translated individually and stored in a central database, called Translation Memory (TM). With SDL Trados Studio software, translators can access central resources in which previously translated sentences and already approved terminology are stored. The terminology tools allow translators to build their own glossaries of terms or apply lists provided by the client. This allows each translator to create a personal database of sentences, and after an estimated six months, the company reports that it is possible to have 60-80 percent of new texts already translated. This will both improve the quality of translations and speed up the translation process. CSD facilitated training for all translators in 15 municipalities on the software.
Language Officer. AKT’s performance monitoring plan (PMP) envisioned use of the number of resolved complaints as a measure of AKT activity impact. The project quickly learned, however, that individuals did not lodge formal complaints to the OLC or municipalities despite areas of noncompliance. Because of the cumbersome process, how much time it took, and out of a general reluctance to make formal complaints, citizens were more apt to complain informally. The lack of formal complaints made it difficult for the project to measure progress; more important, it made it difficult for the OLC to assess compliance and appropriately apply resources to improving compliance. Therefore, AKT worked with the OLC and a local software developer to create a new Android and IOS mobile application called Language Officer. Language Officer improves the communications channel between the OLC and ordinary citizens on violations of the LUL. Using this application, a citizen can simply take a photo of the infraction and directly send a complaint to the OLC. The server is installed at the OLC, and a staff member has been hired to maintain the server and the application. AKT worked with the OLC to launch a public service announcement and a video on the application, promoting its use on local TV and radio networks.
Between January and April 2017, the application was downloaded by 528 people and hundreds of complaints were lodged, compiled into 25 new cases (such as medicine labeling, street signs, etc.) with government stakeholders. This was a 143 percent increase in new cases compared with 2016 and a 488 percent increase in new cases compared with 2015. The OLC is working with appropriate institutions to resolve the complaints. The OLC has fully adopted
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 4 the tool as its own. The next release will allow citizens to take photos as well as upload files. The OLC is compiling photos in a library to show “before” situations for its communications and social media, to compare with “after” photos once the complaint is resolved.
1.2 Improved government communications, responsiveness, and engagement with non- majority communities
AKT identified and worked closely with a large, multiethnic group of more than 900 private citizens as community leaders to identify and address common challenges facing communities and improve interethnic cooperation.
Community forums. In coordination with municipal representatives and community representatives, AKT organized 42 community open meetings to discuss needs, set priorities, select community leaders, and identify potential community programs and infrastructure projects. A total of 833 participants took part in these meetings. More than 200 priorities were identified; 43 Community Forums (CF) were established made up of self-selected community leaders; and 12 Municipal Community Forums (MCF) were established, which brought together multiple communities across each municipality. Over several months, AKT worked closely with CF members and municipal officials on program-related activities; municipal officials heard from citizens about their needs and challenges that they face in their daily lives and what can be done to improve communication between local government and citizens.
The needs and challenges identified were largely infrastructure-related. CF members learned how to prepare proposals for 24 small-scale infrastructure/large procurement projects and 28 quick impact/small procurement projects that were co-financed between municipalities and AKT. They learned about and participated as observers in the AKT procurement process and received training in project monitoring as they monitored implementation and maintenance of the projects. In total, these projects reached more than 24,000 citizens, 70 percent of whom come from Kosovo’s non-majority populations (Serb, Bosnian, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian, Turk). Non-infrastructure priorities focused on public participation in decision-making, waste management, and unemployment. Accordingly, AKT facilitated discussions among community, business, municipal, and central government stakeholders, CSOs, and subject- matter experts to share concerns, provide updated information, make commitments, and improve communication moving forward.
Joint Working Groups. AKT worked with CF members and CSOs to increase public participation in decision-making, including facilitating municipal public hearings in non- majority community areas and holding roundtable discussions between citizens and municipalities to identify hurdles to public participation, so that municipalities could alter their approaches and garner higher participation in the future. Based on recommendations from the roundtables and AKT’s own observations from the field, AKT engaged grantee Regional Technology Center (RTC) to form functional, voluntary Joint Working Groups (JWG) composed of community forums, CSOs, municipal community forums, Village Council members, and municipal officials. Each of these groups undertakes its own efforts to engage the public in decision-making, but AKT suggested that these efforts would be enhanced, more strategic, and more successful if they worked together. In addition to increasing public participation in decision-making, barriers to communication among the JWG actors would diminish as they began working together.
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 5
This activity was divided with AKT Local Solution (AKT-LS); AKT-LS performed a similar activity in northern Kosovo, and AKT implemented the JWG activity in southern partner municipalities. AKT facilitated separate open meetings with each stakeholder group in each municipality. At these meetings, RTC outlined the JWG activity and ballots were cast nominating participants from each stakeholder group. Municipal official participants were nominated by their mayors. Increasing the level of participation of women and youth was a priority in ultimate selection of participants. Of the 162 total JWG members across 12 municipalities, 54 percent came from non-majority communities. Roughly 30 percent were women and 6 percent were youth. JWGs included 73 private citizens as members. Through capacity building events and regular meetings, AKT supported JWGs to mobilize citizens in 24 public discussions and hearings, increasing participation in public budget hearings by 17 percent. Through their outreach and mobilization efforts, JWG members identified 525 community priorities and presented them to municipal leadership for budget consideration. In all, 231 (44 percent) were approved and included in municipal midterm budget frameworks, representing an average 18 percent of municipal capital investment budgets. Ranilug/Ranillug and Gjilan/Gnjilane led the way in the number of community-identified priorities included at around 90 percent, whereas Gračanica/Graçanicë and Ranilug/Ranillug had the highest percentage of capital investment budgets dedicated to community-identified priorities at around 56 percent. If municipalities fulfill their budgetary commitments and implement the projects, they will directly benefit more than 260,000 citizens.
The JWGs now have experience in successfully mobilizing communities and methodologies and tools for doing so; relationships with one another, communities, and municipal leadership; plans for continued mobilization and monitoring of municipal implementation of commitments; municipal monitoring tools; and proposals for financing expanded activities and operations in the future. The JWGs have presented their proposals for activities (costing between €2,000-4,000 per year) to municipal leadership (executive and assembly) and to AKT Local Solution (as a potential donor). Municipal leadership in 7 of the 12 municipalities have confirmed their willingness and intent and are pursuing next steps in the decision process for financing. The remaining five municipalities have expressed their goodwill and appreciate the value of the JWG, but cannot finance the activity at this time and suggested that the JWGs seek donor financing. AKT Local Solution has included continuation of activity with the JWGs at some level in its current work plan. The proposals are available in local languages and English.
Service Improvement Action Plan (SIAP) Working Groups. AKT supported the creation of SIAP working groups, which used a citizen-centered methodology to develop plans for more efficient municipal services that satisfy the needs of all communities. In cooperation with municipal officials, AKT launched development of SIAPs in all 16 AKT partner municipalities. Each SIAP working group consisted of 5 to 16 people. In all, private citizens, including some Community Forum members, made up 33 percent (46 individuals) of these groups. SIAP working groups were tasked with coming up with three-year plans with clear steps on what municipalities need to do to improve priority services, including indicators against which progress will be measured. Working group members participated in a series of 19 training and coaching sessions, in which AKT supported each working group to identify its priority municipal service for improvement, conduct a situational analysis, determine performance indicators, collect data, identify objectives, draft a plan, and assign supervision and reporting responsibilities. SIAP services focused on such services as public lighting, education, traffic mobility, e-services, energy efficiency, culture, and healthcare. The SIAP working group shares responsibility for monitoring implementation of the plan. Additional
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 6 information on SIAPs may be found under Project Intermediate Result 3.
1.3 Build skills of minorities and women to obtain public sector positions
Limited availability of public sector positions and pressure on municipal governments to streamline their structures to reduce staff and stay within budget made increasing the number of women and minorities in public sector positions a challenge. AKT refined its strategy and approach to focus not only on women and minorities entering the public sector, but also advancing women and minorities currently employed there.
AKT held a series of roundtables on participation of women and minority communities in employment and management in public institutions, which gathered municipal gender officers, human rights officers, and chiefs of personnel in AKT partner municipalities to identify challenges and develop recommendations for improved participation. The first part of each roundtable was dedicated to open discussion, and the second part consisted of group work. Challenges identified included that women hesitate to take on more responsibilities and lead and lack political readiness. Reluctance to nominate women for leadership positions, inadequate government outreach on job opportunities in the public sector, the low number of positions available, and the high proportion of political nominations also inhibit improved participation. Generally, participants agreed that women frequently lack support from their families and society, even when they have the education and professional background for the job. Accordingly, participants recommended increased awareness of higher level positions, support for improved leadership skills, a performance system that promotes individuals based on performance, improved social services like kindergartens and elderly care to reduce the social pressure on women for caregiving, enforcement of the Law on Gender Equality, and improved coordination among stakeholders to promote minorities and women.
Based on the roundtable outcomes and a review of literature from recent work by National Democratic Institute (NDI) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), AKT initiated two activities: Centered Leadership training for women and minorities to begin to positively affect leadership capacity and a labor force study to further inform AKT support.
AKT organized and held four two-day regional training courses on Centered Leadership attended by 81 women in mid-level public sector positions across AKT’s partner municipalities. Facilitated by a short-term consultant, the courses were organized in four cities with women from 15 partner municipalities participating. Centered Leadership is a leadership model developed by McKinsey and Company, distilled from its research and work with women leaders from across the globe. It comprises five interrelated dimensions: (1) meaning, or finding your strengths and putting them to work in the service of an inspiring purpose; (2) managing energy, or knowing where your energy comes from, where it goes, and what you can do to manage it; (3) positive framing, or adopting a more constructive way to view your world, expand your horizons, and gain the resilience to move ahead even when bad things happen; (4) connecting, or identifying who can help you grow, building stronger relationships, and increasing your sense of belonging; and (5) engaging, or finding your voice, becoming self-reliant and confident by accepting opportunities and the inherent risks they bring, and collaborating with others. Participants learned about each dimension and then engaged in individual and partner activities. Each participant in the training prepared her own professional development plan with their goals and activities to help them progress over the next two years. Participants took a deeper dive into the “engaging” dimension, and the public speaking and body language segments were particularly appreciated. All cohorts had active
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 7 discussions about public speaking and the challenges they face when talking to larger audiences, particularly when the audience is predominantly male. They learned about how body language can communicate power and status, psychological distance (feeling close or feeling remote), influence dynamics of relations and interaction, and what messages or intention it can provide. They practiced different types of body language through exercises, including a public speaking exercise.
The project initiated a labor force study to identify obstacles faced by women and minorities in obtaining public sector positions. AKT developed three survey instruments appropriate for the positions of Human Resources Director, Gender Officer, and municipal employees; instructions for interviewers; and an online survey via Survey Monkey to supplement in- person responses. The team received 135 total responses from in-person and online interviews from 72 women and 63 men. Key perceptions and experiences from participants included the following: Having someone of the same non-majority group or gender in a position with decision-making abilities who can support and/or mentor is the most effective mechanism for change. The primary inhibitor to women advancing in public sector positions is lack of familial or community support. Nearly half (42 percent) of respondents did not know the internal procedures for advancement.
As a result, AKT engaged the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Democracy Plus to promote public sector employment and advancement of youth, women, and minorities through training on mentorship skills, advancement procedures, and fostering an inclusive workplace. With buy-in from municipal leadership, Democracy Plus engaged staff from MOCRs, Offices for European Integration, Gender Equality, and Personnel/Human Resources in workshops focused on building cultural competence in the public sector workforce, behavioral tools to foster a more cohesive workplace, leveraging differences in the workforce to achieve results, creating an inclusive work environment that benefits the workforce, internal advancement procedures, active recruitment measures, and women’s participation in public sector leadership and decision-making positions. Democracy Plus delivered a second series of workshops to officials from public administration, budget and finance, and public services offices on such topics as effective recruitment outreach to women and non-majority populations, active recruitment measures, diversity recruitment and advancement strategies, building cultural competences in the public sector workforce, creating an inclusive work environment that benefits the workforce, and meeting non- majority and women quotas for employment in local government. A major finding from the training was that politics significantly affects the career advancement of women and non- majority communities in public administration, so strong advocacy should continue with mayors.
AKT also worked with Democracy Plus to enhance the percentage of minorities and women in AKT partner municipalities hired for new public sector positions, by providing them with relevant skills for public sector employment and placing them as interns in 16 AKT partner municipalities. Democracy Plus worked with municipal directors of administration to develop intern profiles and develop selection criteria for interns. A call for youth currently studying or recent graduates, fluent in the municipal minority language, with knowledge in basic computer skills and willingness to travel to the designated host municipality yielded more than 1,700 applications. In all, 48 candidates were selected for participation in training in soft
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 8 skills and local government employment orientations. AKT and municipalities interviewed up to three candidates for each municipality, and 24 were selected and placed based on their interview, alignment with the profile, and successful completion of the training. Ultimately, two interns received six-month contracts to continue working, one extended the internship, and two accepted offers to work as volunteers. For the remaining, municipalities were unable to provide longer term engagement due to budget constraints and lack of available positions in public sector, despite good intern performance.
1.4 Facilitate community-led initiatives among majority and minority communities to address common issues
Promoting tolerance; accepting ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity; and integrating ethnic minorities are all important for building a prosperous and stable society. AKT’s support for interethnic community-led initiatives included roundtable discussions on common issues of concern; joint activities in areas of sport, art, culture, and environment; and a portfolio of media initiatives showcasing interethnic cooperation in Kosovo. In all, nearly 2,000 individuals, including 76 percent non-majority and 29 percent women, participated in 52 joint events.
Roundtable discussions. Although most community concerns voiced in CF meetings, JWG meetings, and public discussions focused on infrastructure needs, citizens also raised priority concerns about the environment (including waste management) and unemployment. AKT hosted several roundtables to bring together community members, government officials, and experts to discuss these pressing problems and what joint action can be taken. Based on the successful launch of raspberry production activities in Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, AKT held a roundtable on raspberry production that brought together farmers engaged in AKT’s raspberry project, an agronomist, a lead buyer, and the head of AgroRedGold — the leading raspberry association in Strpce/Shterpce — to share their experiences and know-how with others in and around Novo Brdo/Novobërdë interested in starting raspberry production. Environmental remediation and illegal dumping of solid waste were also priority concerns raised by citizens across AKT’s partner municipalities. Accordingly, AKT (in partnership with DEMOS and GIZ) held three regional roundtables on waste management to increase citizen awareness of the legal framework for waste management, give citizens a forum for discussion with municipal public services departments and representatives of regional waste management operators, and inform citizens about waste reduction and composting. In all, 65 people recommended improvements in enforcement of laws, instruction on appropriate disposing of different types of waste, environmental awareness, inter-municipal cooperation, tariff-setting, recycling and composting opportunities.
Joint Activities — Art. AKT sponsored a “Beauty of Diversity” photograph exhibition and competition. Partner NGO Community Development Institute (CoDe), released a competitive call for photographs inspired by Kosovo’s diverse cultural heritage. Shortlisted photos were featured in a traveling exhibition in Gračanica/Graçanicë, Pejë/Peć, Klinë/a, Istog/k, Ranilug/Ranillug and Štrpce/Shtërpcë, and the public cast votes for the winning photograph via Facebook. The contest’s winner, Jozefina Kolić, described one of her photographs, a dove of peace, as one that “means a lot to me. We have responsibility to preserve our heritage so we could pass it on to our children.” Meanwhile, AKT partners Qendra e Performances se Mire (QPM) and CoDe engaged youth in art lessons, contests, and exhibitions on the theme of peace. Partners engaged youth in discussions on what peace means to them and brought in artists to work with youth on conveying messages of peace and artistic techniques. Municipal
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 9 buildings and schools displayed winning artwork and many public spaces are adorned with graffiti created by participants.
Joint Activities — Culture. AKT partner NGO CoDe organized a discussion on Kosovo’s diversity. Archaeologist Haluk Ҫetinkaya, journalist Predrag Radonjiċ, and psychologist and former UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) representative Evangelos Tsempelis presented their perspectives on the benefits of Kosovo embracing its diversity. In northern Kosovo, grantee Friendship provided forums for youth to discuss Kosovo’s rich cultural heritage and common values among its traditions and then conducted field trips to the archaeological sites in Municipium and Ulpiana to learn more about Kosovo’s unique history.
Joint Activities — Environmental Awareness and Protection. AKT sponsored 11 environmental events that brought together majority and non-majority citizens to address the common concern of environmental protection. In Kmetocë/Kmetovce (Gjilan/Gnjilane), citizen volunteers and municipal officials gathered to clean the riverbed, making it the first joint multiethnic effort in Kmetocë/Kmetovce since 1999. In Budriga/Budrigë (Parteš/Partesh), 20 inter-ethnic youth volunteered to clean up the center of the village, a sports field, playground, and the riverbed. NGO partners Friendship and CoDe engaged students, teachers, and municipal officials in Gračanica/Graçanicë, Istog/Istok, Leposaviċ/Leposaviq, Ranilug/Ranillug, Štrpce/Shtërpce Zubin Potok, and Zvečan/Zveçan to clean yards and plant trees, while learning about the trees and taking care of the environment. AKT supported CoDe to create new picnic areas and organize barbecues, where members of mixed communities gathered to enjoy music and each other’s company. The picnic areas feature park benches created by youth from these communities, as part of interethnic woodworking classes also supported by AKT.
Joint Activities — Sports. AKT organized two “Together in Sports” events in Zubin Potok and Pristina that brought 199 multiethnic municipal officials, CSOs, and community members from AKT partner municipalities together in friendly soccer, basketball, volleyball and ping pong matches. While off the field, CSOs, community members, and municipal representatives took the opportunity to network. Municipal officials met and discussed common challenges facing their municipalities, such as infrastructure and employment. In partnership with CoDe, AKT supported “You Can’t Play Tennis Alone – Join Us.” More than 260 children, ages 12 and younger, of different ethnicities partook in a series of eight tennis lessons and a tennis tournament in Gračanica/Graçanicë, Pejë/Peć, Klinë/a, and Istog/k.
“I have been playing tennis for two months now and I would like to win today. I met children from other parts of Kosovo and I am happy about it,” proudly explained eight-year-old Marija Crvenković from Gračanica/Graçanicë. Further, through local partners CoDe, Center za Depolitizaciju Kosovskog Društva (CDKD), Friendship, AKT hosted field days in AKT partner municipalities throughout the period of performance, bringing together adults and youth, including people with disabilities, to engage in a range of healthy sports competition.
Media initiatives. AKT worked with four of its grantees Srpsko Slovo, Future without Fear, Entermedia, and Radio Kontakt Plus to improve interethnic communication through human touch and inspirational stories, reaching an estimated 260,000 citizens across Kosovo via television, radio, and social media.
Srpsko Slovo produced 20 “Good News” shows (each 20-30 minutes in length) and broadcast them on RTK, RTV Kim, RTV Puls, RTV Mir, and RTV Herc every Monday from
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September 2015 to February 2016. The shows focused on positive stories that showcase a human element and contribute to improved interaction between majority and non-majority communities. The content covered current economic, social, and political developments in Kosovo discussed through a positive prism by journalists, local and central government representatives, civil society, artists, and other community stakeholders. Broadcast each Monday, the show’s format included interviews with people on the street on their perspective on a current issue and then discussion of that issue among guests in the studio.
AKT supported Future Without Fear to produce a documentary featuring interethnic groups of artists working together, respecting their diversity. The documentary features the multiethnic Rock School Mitrovica, the band Gypsy Groove, and “Daske koje suživot znače” (a cooperation between theaters from Gračanica/Graçanicë and Pristina). The segment on Rock School Mitrovica shares the story of how two rock schools, one Kosovo Serb and another Kosovo Albanian, struggled and came together to become Rock School Mitrovica and the school’s mission to restore the former glory of this divided town as a center of rock and roll in the region. Gipsy Groove band, whose members include a mix of regional nationalities, conveys their journey and how they encourage positive activism to dispel interethnic boundaries through music. “Daske koje suživot znače” (Boards that Mean Co- existence) is a story of cooperation between the Ghetto Theater from Gračanica/Graçanicë and Jeton Nerizaj, a famous screenwriter and director from Pristina. Together, they produced a play about missing persons. “When it comes to kidnapped and missing persons, the pain is the same, no matter the nationality,” reflects Mr. Nerizaj. AKT held screenings of the documentary in Gračanica/Graçanicë and Štrpce/Shtërpcë.
AKT supported Entermedia to deliver a series of activities under the theme of “See the World through My Eyes.” Entermedia posted billboards throughout Kosovo with compelling images and a simple and powerful message to encourage cultural understanding. Entermedia also produced and broadcast a hidden camera feature and behind-the-scenes video, in which interviewers approach strangers on the street and ask questions in their mother tongue to gauge reactions. Strangers were welcoming and offered their thoughts on everything from becoming Facebook friends with the interviewer and grabbing coffee to reflections on inter- ethnic relations in Kosovo. Through a targeted promotion in AKT’s partner municipalities as well as to the general public, AKT estimates that this campaign reached 150,000 people, including visitors to the Facebook page and 55,000 views of the videos.
Grantee Radio Kontakt Plus produced and broadcast a series of 24 stories called “These Are Our Stories” between January and May 2016. Stories showcased interviews with people of different ethnicities successfully working together, including youth, civil society organizations, businesses, neighbors, musicians, journalists, athletes, actors, educators, doctors, and officials.
1.5 Increase CSO capacity to preserve and advocate for non-majority rights
In line with the Joint Project Implementation Plan, in which AKT and AKT LS outlined their areas of focus in implementing the common AKT scope of work, AKT LS took a dominant role in building the capacity of CSOs. Still, AKT actively built the capacity of CSO leadership to support interethnic cooperation through training courses and workshops on mobilizing multiethnic citizens to identify priorities, developing strategic action plans, and advocating for protection of minority rights and improved municipal responsiveness to the needs of all citizens. Capacity building events included the following:
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Advocacy workshops for 30 NGOs working on campaigns promoting interethnic cooperation Workshops for four youth councils to develop and adopt action plans for activities to resolve challenges facing youth of all ethnicities in four municipalities, including volunteering, youth public sector participation, youth employment, non-formal education, healthcare, and security Training on proposal writing techniques for CSOs Trainings on updated regulations and related organizational development requirements for NGOs Workshops on financial operations for CSOs (bookkeeping, internal control systems, financial reporting, fraud detection, audit preparation, managing donations, and tax liabilities) Training (series) on SIAP development Training to 12 CSOs on protection of minority rights and cultural and ethnic diversity and to build the strategic planning and public relations capacities of those CSOs Trainings to JWGs on prioritization of community projects, development of municipal agendas, project management, monitoring and reporting tools, communication and writing skills, and preparation of concept notes for municipal (and other) funding (also described above)
1.6 Provide constructive engagement through small-scale infrastructure projects
In all, AKT mobilized nearly 800 individuals (29 percent majority, 71 percent non-majority) to jointly identify and implement 24 small-scale infrastructure (or alternative/large north procurement) projects and 28 “quick impact” (small procurement) projects with an overall cost-share from municipal budgets of 37 percent and positively affecting more than 24,000 people (30 percent majority, 70 percent non-majority).
In the south, the process of selecting and supporting 15 priority small-scale infrastructure projects involved several steps: 1. In each partner municipality, AKT identified three partner communities. Program staff organized open meetings to present the AKT program, openly discuss priority community needs, identify top priorities, and establish community forums (CFs) as the body with which the program coordinated activities throughout implementation. Community members at this meeting elected the members of their municipal community forums (MCF), which coordinated activities at the municipal level. 2. AKT facilitated community members’ preparation of project applications for the identified priorities suitable for AKT support, including an explanation of the problem, anticipated impact on an estimated number of beneficiaries, activities, available resources and commitments, the process for monitoring project implementation, and any additional relevant information. 3. AKT organized meetings with all three CFs in each municipality and their MCF. Each CF presented its project proposal and explained why it should be selected. Together, they ranked projects in a priority order by consensus. If no consensus could be reached, a vote was taken. 4. After prioritization at the municipal level, AKT reviewed project applications before
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sending the concept to USAID for review and final approval. After approval, based on final licensed drawings and specifications (as applicable), AKT competitively tendered the work and contracted a registered and licensed company, with the municipality and community participating in the evaluation process. AKT, the municipality, and firm entered into a three-party partnership agreement that outlined each party’s responsibilities for the fulfillment of the contract and monitoring, implementation, and maintenance of the work. The municipality ensured that the project was designed and implemented with proper permits and building standards.
In the north, the process of selecting and supporting nine priority large procurement projects involved the following steps: 1. AKT engaged the municipality in discussion of community-identified, procurement- related priorities to shortlist for project support. 2. AKT engaged the municipality and community representatives in joint discussions specific to the priority to identify a project for AKT support. 3. AKT reviewed project applications before sending the concept to USAID for review and final approval. After approval, based on final specifications, AKT competitively tendered the procurement and contracted the company. Where municipalities were able to provide cost share, AKT, the municipality, and firm engage in a three-party partnership agreement that outlined each party’s responsibilities for fulfillment of the contract and monitoring, implementation, and maintenance of the work.
Small-Scale Infrastructure (SSI)/Large Procurement Projects — Summary
Total Value Contributions SSI Projects Beneficiaries (USD) AKT Municipality 24 $958,863 $572,634 60% $386,229 40% 12,508 Types of Small-scale Infrastructure Projects No. Community center, Municipal building 2 Education 10 Playground 3 Public lighting 2 Road construction 4 Sidewalk construction 2 Water supply system 1 Total 24
Concurrently, AKT worked with CFs and MCFs to identify and implement “quick impact” projects. Smaller in scale at an average cost of $3,000, these projects served as a platform for establishing trust and confidence of each community and helped to actively engage communities to work together on a common purpose concurrent with longer term small-scale infrastructure project identification and implementation.
Quick Impact (QI) Projects — Summary
No. QI Total Value Contributions Beneficiaries Projects (USD) AKT Municipality 28 $86,103 $86,103 100% $0 0% 11,768 Types of Quick Impact Projects No. Community center equipment 6 IT and other learning materials and equipment for schools 17 IT equipment for healthcare center 1
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No. QI Total Value Contributions Beneficiaries Projects (USD) AKT Municipality Playground 4 Total 28
See Annex VI for a breakdown of all SSI and large procurement project and QI project beneficiaries and cost contributions.
PIR 2: Improve economic opportunities in target municipalities 2.1 Assess and facilitate market linkages between majority and non-majority businesses
AKT’s support has enabled majority-owned businesses to make new market linkages in non-majority communities and Key Achievements vice versa, improving interethnic communications and 99 percent of businesses overall economic growth opportunities in Kosovo. AKT report that, based on their experience working with mobilized 394 non-majority businesses and farmers to business persons from other participate in seven business-to-business (B2B) events, four ethnic communities on AKT, business trade fairs, and 12 exchange visits (of non-majority they would work with business persons from those farmers to more advanced majority businesses). ethnic communities again. 82 percent of businesses B2B events and trade fairs served to establish and enhance report that AKT strengthened business networks, inform businesses of market standards their business networks with and opportunities, and create new linkages between suppliers other ethnic communities. and buyers. On AKT, B2B events and trade fairs were 86 percent of businesses report that their work with targeted toward forging new networks and linkages between AKT has improved their different ethnic communities. AKT facilitated B2B perceptions of business discussions between lead firms (such as ABI and persons from other ethnic Agroproduct) and potential suppliers, hosted B2B meetings communities. between multiple selected buyers and potential suppliers, and 74 full-time and full-time equivalent jobs created, used B2B events to introduce businesses from the north to including 29 filled by youth. buyers in the south. Trade fairs provided a forum for AKT 26 new interethnic business partner businesses to display their products to visitors and linkages facilitated. pursue new buyers, while expanding their market knowledge 222 new and existing non- and business networks. majority-owned businesses assisted. AKT facilitated exchange visits by several small non- 44 new non-majority-owned majority-owned businesses to many of Kosovo’s leading businesses in associations. businesses. Non-majority-owned businesses learned ways to improve their business operations and production and could discuss challenges they face and get practical insights on how host businesses overcame similar challenges.
Visiting Hosting Business Activity Non-Majority Businesses Agro Product Aromatic plants and herbs 10 Agro Red Gold Raspberry plantations and collection 23 AgroVision Company Apple and pear plantations 10 Asparagus Plantations Asparagus 10 Association Novo Monte Rural tourism 13 Bio Buzmy Strawberry, raspberry 10 Euro Fruti Company Fruits and non-wood forest products 13
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Visiting Hosting Business Activity Non-Majority Businesses Frutomania Fruit juice producer 11 Natyra Center Herbs and non-wood forest products 11 Total 111
AKT partnered with leading fruit processor EuroFruti and the municipality of Novo Brdo/Novobërdë to increase employment and incomes among citizens in Novo Brdo/Novobërdë with the “Facilitating Business Linkages in Agribusiness” activity. AKT and the municipality supported farmers with the purchase of raspberry seedlings and a cooling collection point. Eurofruti contributed extension services for soil preparation and raspberry cultivation, transportation, and contracts at fair market price for five years. Farmers covered all other costs, including a 15 percent cost share for the raspberry seedlings purchase, soil analyses, irrigation system, basins, well, pump, and other costs. Finally, the USAID Agricultural Growth and Rural Opportunities (AGRO) program provided classroom- based training. In all, 17 majority and non-majority farmers were competitively selected and received 2,000-2,400 Class A Polka raspberry seedlings imported from the United Kingdom by Eurofruti. Farmers collected and sold 3,030 kg of raspberries to EuroFruti in the first year. By Year 3, this yield is expected to triple. In addition, 6,640 kg of raspberries were sold to EuroFruti from nine farmers newly linked to EuroFruti via the new collection point.
In all, AKT facilitation resulted in increased market awareness, expanded business networks, and 26 interethnic business linkages. The table below highlights the 26 new interethnic market linkages facilitated by AKT.
Majority Buyer Non-Majority Seller Products Las Palmas NTP Caci Seedlings, humus, seeds Hit Flores Scardus Raspberries, blackberries, mushrooms Fresh Sh.p.k NTP Nojkic Cabbage Kema Pack Milos i Marta Packaging Ask Foods NTP Caci Fruits and vegetables Las Palmas Green Garden Seedlings, humus, seeds Ask Foods NTP Nojkic Fruits and vegetables Vipa Chips Agrosera Toplik Potatoes Agroproduct Milic Bozovic Oregano Agroproduct Dejan Bozovic Black Hollyhock Frutomania Buying Center Leposavić Wild apples Interex Brendi Co Turkish delights Eurofruti Predrag Ristić Raspberries Eurofruti Slaviša Martinović Raspberries Eurofruti Nikola Simijonović Raspberries Eurofruti Miloš Djokić Raspberries Eurofruti Milorad Milenković Raspberries Eurofruti Ivan Kostić Raspberries Eurofruti Ivan Perić Raspberries Eurofruti Stefan Stojanović Raspberries Eurofruti Dejan Vulić Raspberries Eurofruti Goran Pavić Raspberries Fresh Sh.p.k Agrocentar Fruits and vegetables Las Palmas NTP Nojkic Seedlings, humus, seeds Trofta Pojata Fish
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Majority Buyer Non-Majority Seller Products Hit Flores AS Promet Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries AKT actively supported membership of minority businesses and minority and multi-ethnic associations in the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (KCC) as a means of continued support to business growth. AKT facilitated the membership of 39 minority-owned partner businesses and 5 minority business associations in the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (KCC), including businesses from Gračanica/Graçanicë, Klokot/Kllokot, Leposavić/ Leposaviq, North Mitrovica/Mitrovicë, Parteš/Partesh, Pejë/Peć, Štrpce/Shtërpcë, Vushtrri/Vučitrn, Zubin Potok, and Zvečan/Zveçan. All members have received certificates of membership. Through KCC membership, businesses will benefit from participation in KCC trade fairs, B2B meetings, trainings, seminars, networking, lobbying, and mediation.
AKT also supported minority business associations’ capacities to serve their members in the following ways:
Branding and marketing. As part of business linkage activities, AKT delivered a series of workshops to eight business associations from Štrpce/Shtërpcë, Klokot/ Kllokot, Parteš/Partesh, and Ranilug/Ranillug to develop their understanding of marketing and branding and improve the associations’ own marketing. Sector-specific expertise. AKT facilitated forums among stakeholders in milk production with the Association of Milk Producers of Kosovo, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency to discuss competition in the sector and opportunities for member farmers to receive grants and other subsidies. AKT Partner Initiative for Agricultural Development of Kosovo (IADK) delivered training to two multi-ethnic women’s associations from Štrpce/Shtërpcë on hygiene and standardization of products. AKT supported two other women’s associations, Mundësia and Sabor, to deliver training and support to more than 60 members and prospective members/women entrepreneurs on candy production, fruit and vegetable processing, beekeeping, dairy processing, and soap production, as well as branding, packaging, and marketing. Association organizational capacity. After successfully working together on the Mundësia activities, several participating women business owners expressed an interest in continuing to collaborate under a new association specifically dedicated to multi-ethnic cooperation of women business owners. With Mundësia’s and AKT’s support, 26 Kosovo Serb, Kosovo Albanian, and Kosovo Turk women from Zvečan/Zveçan, North Mitrovica/ë, Zubin Potok/Zubin Potok, Mitrovica/ë, and Vushtrri/Vučitrn created the Multi-Ethnic Network of Women Entrepreneurs (MNWE). AKT facilitated development of the network’s strategy and action plan, internal control mechanisms, marketing strategy and action plan, financial and operations management policies, and marketing materials like a Facebook page, a brand book, and flyers about MNWE. AKT supported MNWE to develop a strong network and helped secure its participation in the Kosovo Women’s Economic Forum (WEF), implemented by Riinvest Institute and financed by USAID through the Engagement for Equity project. In Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, AKT supported farmers participating in the EuroFruti activity to form an association to provide them with updated market information and help them negotiate favorable terms for inputs and new contracts. AKT helped the farmers draft and translate the association’s statute. Support to association service delivery to members. AKT supported associations to deliver improved services to theirs members with training and coaching on negotiation, marketing and branding, social media marketing, and operations. For
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example, AKT facilitated a new connection between Vegetable Producers’ Association from Klokot/Kllokot and large processor ABI Progress from Prizren. With AKT support, the association described its members’ unique qualifications and capacities to produce high-quality product for ABI. Both parties discussed varieties, price and payment issues, and cooperation between producers and the processing company. Fresh champignons (mushrooms) were identified as a starting point of collaboration, and ABI was prepared to buy all second- and third-class vegetable varieties for processing. ABI agreed to buy 1,000 kilograms of mushrooms and peppers from the association. After the test purchase, ABI agreed to sign a contract with the association for purchasing up to 10,000 kg of mushrooms per month. AKT facilitated a similar meeting between the association and processor JEGE. AKT supported MNWE to deliver social media marketing training to its members.
2.2 Promote SME competitiveness and access to finance and support youth entrepreneurship and employability, including returnees
SME competitiveness. AKT worked via business services organizations to deliver training courses to partner micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), entrepreneurs (including youth, minorities, and women), and farmers in such topics as entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, and product development to potential partnerships, business opportunities, and client relations in the following specific areas: Introduction to Entrepreneurship Advanced Entrepreneurship and Business Training Business Plan Training Marketing and Branding Put it On Paper, with USAID Contract Law Enforcement (CLE) Program, on using written contracts when doing business. Food Safety, with the Public Health Department of Food and Veterinary Agency Branding, Social Media Marketing, Investment Attraction, and Business Legal Structures Operations and Supply Chain Management Sector-Specific Skills Training (including milk production and milk quality, beekeeping, baked-goods production, soap production, farm management, medicinal aromatic plants, raspberry production Access to Finance Applying for Government Grants Financial Management Public Speaking Kosovo Law for Entrepreneurs
AKT selected 16 businesses from nine partner municipalities to receive small, in-kind grants of up to €6,000. These businesses operate in the agricultural production and processing, packaging, wood processing and furniture, water, services (printing and tourism), and light manufacturing sectors. All grants were combined with training and onsite technical assistance based on needs assessments, as well as B2B meetings and access-to-finance forums. Training. AKT delivered workshops on entrepreneurship, business and finance, agriculture, food processing and production, business environment and accounting,
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standards, contracting and mediation, and branding and promotion of businesses. Training was delivered to business grantees and tailored to their specific needs. Onsite business consulting services. Business grantees received technical assistance in business expansion, marketing and promotion, financial management, and business administration. Consulting services focused on business sustainability and competitiveness in general in addition to specific training for each business to reach its target customer. AKT also provided specialized branding consulting and social media marketing to select businesses. B2B meetings. AKT facilitated B2B meetings, forums, and fair participation. Among business grantees, business-to-business meetings resulted in five new linkages. Access-to-finance forums. AKT facilitated open discussions with financial institutions and Kosovo governmental funding entities with its partner businesses.
A description of each grantee and key achievements can be found below.
Grantee Name Business Grant Key Achievements Began selling to shops, Agrosera schools, and restaurants with Potato production Tractor Toplika new, smaller packaging Hired one additional employee Introduced new products to its furniture line Wood processing, A-Stil CNC Graver Hired two employees furniture production Reached new clients in new areas of Kosovo Hired three new employees Dini Vegetable production Greenhouse Nearly doubled annual sales Cardboard printing Hired two new employees Food Pack Packaging machine Nearly doubled annual sales Wood processing, Miter saw, compressor, Hired two new employees Lazić Stil furniture production tools Nearly doubled annual sales Reached 16,500 people via its new Facebook page and Lulishtja Horticulture Greenhouse marketing campaign Agonisi Hired three new employees 400 percent increase in sales Hired two new employees Started bee breeding and queen bee rearing and entered Natyra-M Honey production 35 beehives, tools into a new long-term contract with an agricultural pharmacy for queen bees Expanded customer base to Nderi-R Vegetable production Greenhouse new areas of Kosovo Hired three new employees Hired a new employee Pac Process Light manufacturing Plasma cutter Nearly doubled annual sales Reached 27,000 people through its new Facebook page and marketing campaign, Sani including a new customer in Water production 10-liter bottling machine (AquaBreza) Gračanica/Graçanicë that ordered 1,000 10-liter bottles Hired four new staff 59 percent increase in sales Vegetable and ajvar Hired two new employees Šijak Machine, tools for ajvar production 40 percent increase in sales Sito Print Printing services Digital printer, tools Began offering 15 new products Design
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Grantee Name Business Grant Key Achievements Increased number of customers by 30 percent Hired a new employee Nearly tripled sales Sewing machine and Hired two new employees Tapetarija Stil Upholstery overlock Improved production time Reached 19,000 people and attracted new orders from additional regions in Kosovo via Furniture production Drill and machine for Valoni its new Facebook page and and repair banding wood marketing campaign Hired five new employees 53 percent increase in sales Signed a five-year contract with Villa Kalaja a regional firm to house its Guesthouse Boiler and furnishings Oksigjeni employees Hired two new employees Reached 27,000 people through its new Facebook page Zogu Agricultural production 1,000 turkeys and expanded its client base to (Agroelita) new regions of Kosovo. Hired two new employees
The small business expansion grants and additional support provided to the 16 majority and non-majority businesses of partner municipalities were concluded successfully. The AKT support to these businesses led to a significant increase in the total number of new jobs created and the increase in value of sales. The 16 business grantees hired 22 full-time and 15 part-time/seasonal workers as a result of AKT support. The value of sales increased by €429,451, a total of 113 percent.
Access to finance. Kosovo’s private sector is based almost entirely on MSMEs, which provide job growth in an economy that otherwise suffers from high unemployment and depends on external funding. Although small and medium enterprises can obtain sufficient bank loans at increasingly falling rates, microenterprises are underserved. High collateral requirements are a major barrier to access to finance, and the emergence of guarantee funds provides a timely solution to this problem. Equity finance and leasing are essentially unavailable, creating a gap in financing for riskier investments. The financing gap is even larger among non-majority micro businesses.
To address this problem and equip businesses with information on the financial products and services that are available, AKT organized six access-to-finance workshops for its high- performing non-majority business partners. In Gračanica/Graçanicë, AKT facilitated an access-to-finance session with Crimson Finance Fund (CFF) to guide to businesses on what lending institutions look for in successful applications and about the types of loans CFF offers. As a result, one business from Gračanica/Graçanicë applied for a business expansion loan from CFF, but was declined because of poor credit history experienced shortly after the conflict. AKT gathered representatives from NLB Prishtina, CFF, TEB Bank, ProCredit Bank, Finca Kosovo, KEP Trust, and Agjensioni për Financim ne Kosovë to present their small business services and products to 24 AKT partner minority businesses. Several businesses organized follow-up meetings with individual institutions, but no loans were made. Partner businesses report that collateral requirements and specifically registration of collateral in other family members’ names prevented application.
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Jointly with USAID EMPOWER Credit Support (ECS), AKT organized two workshops for accessing finance for majority and non-majority partner businesses. ECS presented the opportunities to access finance for small businesses, financing sources and types, and introduced the Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund (KCGF). The fund signed agreements with major banks in Kosovo to enable banks to obtain additional collateral security for business loans issued to MSMEs registered in Kosovo, therefore, providing easier access to finance for Kosovar companies. The Fund’s agreements with banks were signed shortly before AKT close, so AKT has no information about whether any AKT partner businesses were successful in their applications.
Returnees. AKT targeted Kosovo’s returnee population for business development and entrepreneurship training. Working closely with MOCRs, AKT hosted returnees for a two- day event on market awareness and business planning. Some of the topics covered during this two-day training included the characteristics of high-performing entrepreneurs, generating business ideas, SWOT and SMART analysis, different business models, marketing, competition, and financial planning. A USAID AGRO representative gave a presentation on trends in agricultural production in Kosovo, opportunities in agriculture, and how new farmers can best poise themselves to take advantage of these opportunities.
2.3 Support youth employability
The approach of AKT’s workforce development component was to help students and youth in its partner municipalities attain the skills necessary to find a job, self-employ, and advance in the local workforce market through trainings in soft skills and entrepreneurship and work experience via internship placements in the private sector. AKT’s approach was informed by the findings included in the Workforce Readiness Assessment (WRA) funded by USAID/Kosovo, which identified a mismatch of technical skills with demands of labor market and an overall lack of transferable soft skills (such as communication, negotiation, analytical problem-solving, and client-oriented services).
AKT worked with grantee Management Development Associates Foundation (MDAF) deliver advanced entrepreneurship training. Out of 103 applications received, 42 majority and non-majority youth with the best business ideas were invited to participate. Youth were divided into two multi-ethnic cohorts and received training on business planning and market competition, quality management, marketing and promotion, customer service, access to finance, financial planning, risk management, and human resource management. After the training, AKT delivered business plan development support and individual coaching. Participants were given the opportunity to submit their business plans to AKT for consideration for a competitive award to help launch their business ideas. In all, 14 participants submitted their completed business plans, 10 were selected to deliver oral pitches, and two best business ideas were selected to receive support from the MDAF business incubator. The two winning business ideas selected by the committee: starting raspberry production in Štrpce/Shtërpcë and a marketing service that posts brief ads when a person signs into wi-fi at cafes (Vushtrri/Vučitrn).
In addition, MDAF provided internships to five successful participants from the entrepreneurship training. Based on performance during the training and a desire to gain employable skills through the internship program, five interns were selected for a two-month internship at MDAF or a MDAF partner organization. At the onset of their internships,
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 20 participants hoped to gain experience working at a professional organization, working on teams, and managing projects. As their internships drew to a close, they reflected on the skills they gained in professional communication with clients and within teams, performing research, managing their workload to tight deadlines, and event management. Three participants were extended as research assistants for various projects implemented by MDF’s parent organization MDA.
To enhance the participation of non-majority and returnee populations in occupational and industrial sectors with high demand for an increased labor force, AKT implemented a workforce readiness program that aimed at (a) improving inclusion of non-majority and returnee populations in workforce readiness programs. (b) addressing identified skills gaps that have historically inhibited their inclusion in the workforce, (c) implementing a technical, sectorial, or workforce training program to build competencies for at least five non-majority or returnee individuals, and (d) facilitating the direct hire of these individuals with employers of different ethnicities in line with the training provided. ViPrint (a private business in South Mitrovica that offers high-quality printing services) applied and was competitively selected to fill its labor force needs, with AKT support to build the capacity of new non-majority youth employees. Through a competitive, open, and public recruitment process, ViPrint recruited five non-majority youths to receive vocational, on-the-job training, co-financed by AKT. ViPrint engaged an international instructor for five months to train the new staff on working and operating its B1 technology line, production management, and other technical skills. After the training, three non-majority youths were offered long-term employment, and the other two received internships, with possibility of extending to long-term employment.
AKT improved transferable soft skills among youth and enabled youth to obtain work experience through an internship program. To better match skills of youth with potential employers and obtain commitment from employers to consider interns for long-term paid employment, MDAF conducted two promotion campaigns: one for businesses and another for participants. MDAF targeted businesses throughout the country that were interested in expanding their workforce. More than 30 majority and non-majority businesses applied and 30 were selected based on location (proximity to AKT partner municipalities), sectors, and commitment to hiring well-performing interns as full-time employees. Another campaign was conducted to recruit youth participants from partner municipalities, including recent graduates or students in their last year of studies. In all, 338 applications were received (257 majority, 81 non-majority), of which 78 (26 majority, 50 non-majority) were selected, based on employee profiles from businesses, to participate in a five-day soft-skills training. Training modules included communication and negotiation, analytical problem-solving, customer service, CV writing and interviewing, teamwork, professional workplace behavior, and career development. All participants were given at least one opportunity to interview with a business, and 25 majority and non-majority youths were offered three-month internships at private businesses throughout Kosovo. Although there was a high level of satisfaction from businesses with intern performance, one received a long-term position and two interns found employment in other businesses as a result of the experience acquired though the internship program. Another three interns were offered long-term employment, but declined due to other commitments or the benefits offered by the employer.
To begin to address the communication gap among workforce development stakeholders, AKT brought together representatives from the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Communities and Returns, vocational training centers, employment offices, MOCRs, private companies and the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, NGOs and
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 21 representatives of youth, women, returnees and non-majority groups. In total, 95 individuals participated in three workshops. Businesses from the USAID EMPOWER and AKT-LS projects were also present, as well as the EMPOWER-supported Vocational Training Council. Each workshop consisted of (1) discussions and presentations from stakeholders and (2) working groups on youth, women, non-majority community, and returnees, who at the end of workshops came up with conclusions and recommendations for inclusion of these groups into vocational and employment activities. The data collected from the key informant interviews and roundtables were analyzed and contributed to the identification of challenges and recommendations that exist for marginalized groups with respect to vocational training and employment in Kosovo. One of the most important lessons learned is that significant gaps exist between the principles and values expressed in national policies, which focus on vocational training and employment of marginalized populations, and the implementation of these policies. Many key informants stated that implementation of vocational training and employment-related service practices by vocational training centers and employment offices remains less than optimum and does not meet the needs of a large number of individuals from marginalized groups. Vocational training centers and employment offices need to strengthen their capacity and commitment to provide quality vocational training and employment services to marginalized populations. In addition, there is a need to introduce several critical support services for marginalized populations to make the vocational training and employment-related service delivery system more inclusive.
2.4 Support women-owned enterprises
AKT implemented several business support activities to majority and non-majority women- owned businesses to help them increase their competitiveness, including classroom and hands-on training as well as networking and promotion support. A total of 600 women from four northern municipalities and 198 majority and non-majority women from southern municipalities were engaged in activities provided though AKT.
Classroom and hands-on training. Classroom training focused on business skills development and theoretical knowledge. AKT invited business services organizations, independent experts, government representatives, and other USAID-funded project staff to assist in delivering the training to mixed groups (as indicated under 2.2 above) and to women-only cohorts, which covered the following: Entrepreneurship Business Plan Training Marketing and Branding Put it On Paper, with USAID Contract Law Enforcement (CLE) Program, on the using written contracts when doing business. Branding and Social Media Marketing, which was supplemented with distribution of designed labels and marketing materials Access to Finance Financial Management and Business Administration Public Speaking Kosovo Law for Entrepreneurs
Hands-on training. Hands-on training supplemented content delivered in the classroom training with practical exercises. AKT’s training courses targeting women in this area included the following:
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Fruit processing. In cooperation with IADK, AKT delivered a 10-part training series on fruit processing for women from Štrpce/Shtërpcë for members of two multi-ethnic women associations: “Ikebana” and “Borovnicë.” Vegetable processing. With grantee IADK, AKT engaged 14 women from Leposaviq/Leposavić in a 10-part training series on vegetable processing. Fruit and vegetable processing. AKT delivered a fruit and vegetable processing training series to 10 women from various ethnic groups in northern Kosovo. Baked goods production. With Mundësia, AKT organized a training series in Zvečan/Zveçan on the production of sweets and baked goods for 15 women from various ethnic groups from Zubin Potok, Zvečan/Zveçan, and North Mitrovica/ë. Soap-making. In partnership with Mundësia, AKT delivered an eight-part training series on decorative soap-making for Roma women in North Mitrovica/ë. Beekeeping. AKT grantee Mundësia delivered a series of eight sessions on beekeeping for 10 women in Lučka Reka, Banov Do, Zerovnica, Ceria, and Leposavić/q. Dairy processing. Grantee Mundësia delivered a series of 12 courses in Leposavić/ç, Srbovac, Veliko Rudare, and Zubin Potok. Eight women have expanded their skills in dairy production according to HACCP standards. Production. This four-part training, in which participants visited a small food processing facility to learn about the equipment used during food processing, including duplicators, food sterilizers, mixers, cutters, and blenders for homemade products, was delivered to 16 women.
Networking and promotion. AKT support to business-to-business meetings, forums, fair participation, and association memberships helped to expand the business networks of AKT’s women-owned business partners. AKT supported multi-ethnic women-owned businesses to promote their products and use their enhanced business skills in four KCC fairs, in which they approached potential customers and formed useful contacts with their marketplace peers. In partnership with Mundësia and Kosovo Cluster Business Support, AKT facilitated B2B discussions between its women-owned business partners and a multitude of selected buyers. Exchange trips among businesses particularly helped those from northern Kosovo identify practices to incorporate and established new relationships with peers. AKT supported women-owned enterprises to maintain their networks and through memberships in the newly created MNWE (described above) and KCC as well as participation in the Women’s Economic Forum.
PIR 3: Increase the efficiency and capacity of target municipal administrations to respond to the needs of all the citizens
In September 2014, AKT assisted municipal officials in conducting a self-assessment in the program’s 16 partner municipalities. The purpose of the self-assessments was to gather new information about capacity needs in the following areas of local governance: municipal leadership and management, municipal administration, citizen participation in the municipal decision-making process, and municipal service delivery. Municipalities rated themselves at an average of 2.04 on a four-point scale. The assessments’ results informed capacity development plans and all activities implemented under Intermediate Result 3. In 2017, AKT facilitated the municipal self-assessment again, to promote self-reflection, motivate next steps, and measure improvements in municipalities where our program staff implemented activities. In all, 122 officials representing 20 departments assessed their municipal capacity
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13 percent higher than in 2014. Particular improvements were noted in citizen participation (17 percent), service delivery (14 percent), and leadership and management (12 percent).
3.1 Enhance capacity of municipal administrations for strategic planning and to deliver and oversee quality service
AKT worked to improve target municipalities’ abilities to set Key Achievements development priorities through development of strategic 79 percent of community plans, taking into account non-majority community needs, members report that their and empowering municipal staff to deliver and oversee involvement with AKT has improved their perception of improved services. local government.
88 percent of community Municipal capacity development planning. AKT assisted members report that based partner municipalities in performing comprehensive on work with AKT, they would municipal self-assessments. Mayors, municipal assembly work again with local government to address their chairpersons, directors of municipal departments, and other needs. relevant municipal authorities answered a series of 50 1,863 municipal official questions on such topics as municipal leadership and participants in AKT-supported management, municipal administration, citizen participation training in the municipal decision making process, and municipal 30,267 people receiving service delivery. In all, 12 southern municipalities fully improved services derived completed the self-assessment. For northern partner from AKT-supported SIAP municipalities, in view of the status of their transitioning to projects. Kosovo’s administrative regulations and procedures at the 24 SIAP projects implemented with USAID, time, AKT engaged municipal leaders in a facilitated municipality, and other donor discussion. support. 96 percent of municipal acts AKT used the self-assessments and data from MLGA’s posted on municipal Report on Functioning of Kosovo Municipalities, General websites. Audit Report, Municipal Performance, and the General 41 percent increase in Municipal Information Form to prepare customized Capacity property tax collection in targeted municipalities. Development Plans (CDPs) for the 16 partner municipalities. The CDPs were vetted with municipal leadership, finalized by the end of Project Year 1, and served as a guide for AKT activities thereafter.
Municipalities’ CDPs informed AKT’s skills-building activities, including training, workshops, exchange visits, and on-the-job assistance for the duration of the project. AKT supported 39 capacity building training classes, workshops, and exchanges, with a total of 1,169 participants, out of which 29.77 percent were women and 46.45 percent were from non-majority communities. In addition to these events, AKT also facilitated 12 events to provide on-the-job capacity building support, which brought together 1,114 participants, 24.78 percent of whom were women, and 40.22 percent of whom were members of non- majority communities. Capacity building activities, many of which are further elaborated throughout this report, include the following: Trainings and workshops on the following topics: intermunicipal cooperation, project cycle management; EU integration; fiscal management; socioeconomic development strategic planning; monitoring of decisions; law on public debt forgiveness; own- source revenue; publication of municipal acts online; public internal financial control system; SIAP planning; citizen engagement; advocacy before the Municipal Offices for Communities and Returns (MOCR) and the Municipal Assembly Committee for
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Communities (MACC); lobbying, action planning, and communication; human resource management information system; public procurement; and transparency. Exchange visits to cadaster, urbanism, administration, and public service departments; municipal assemblies; MOCRs; and MACCs. On-the-job assistance and coaching: mid-term budget framework (northern Kosovo); public internal financial control system (northern Kosovo); human resource management information system (northern Kosovo); and property tax system, as well as procurement related to government-to-government awards.
AKT was instrumental in providing assistance to the four northern municipalities as they align with government of Kosovo requirements. This included on-the-job coaching on budget preparation, facilitation of communication between northern municipalities and line ministries in the government of Kosovo, and training, workshops, and exchanges.
The AKT team supported the four northern municipalities to draft and finalize their Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 and 2016 budgets, based on instructions that each municipality received from the government of Kosovo and which met the northern municipalities’ own expectations for support. Under AKT mentorship, northern municipalities developed two versions of their budget for FY 2015: the first version took into consideration budget ceilings and instructions from the Ministry of Finance (Budget Circular 1 and 2); the second reflected accurate needs in terms of staffing and allowed transition of all public employees from the Serbian to Kosovo system, in the spirit of the Brussels accord. In 2016, AKT concurrently provided guidance on the MLGA’s Performance Management System for Municipal Services. The north requested no support for FY 2017. The Zubin Potok, Leposavić/Leposaviq, North Mitrovica/Mitrovicë and Zvečan/Zveçan municipalities submitted their budgets by the deadline of September 30. This was the first ever municipal budget proposed and approved in compliance with the Kosovo Ministry of Finance instructions and within the legal timeframe required by applicable legislation.
AKT facilitated installation of the Public Internal Financial Control System (PIFCS) or “Free Balance System” used by local governments across Kosovo in Zvečan/Zveçan and Zubin Potok. The project held a joint coordination meeting with the MLGA, the Kosovo Agency for Information Society (KAIS) and the Kosovo Treasury. KAIS assessed the infrastructure for installation and determined to proceed with installing the system in Zvečan/Zveçan, and AKT accompanied representatives of the Treasury and KAIS to Zvečan/Zveçan to successfully install and test the software. The three other northern municipalities were hooked up to the system with support of the government of Kosovo and USAID advisors. Then, together with MLGA and the Treasury, AKT supported certification training that enabled municipal officials from Leposavić/Leposaviq, Zvečan/Zveçan and Zubin Potok to operate the PIFCS.
AKT facilitated job systemization and classification of positions in northern Kosovo, working closely with municipal leadership and Ministry of Public Administration (MPA). AKT supported a workshop for MPA and municipal officials, in which MPA delivered guidance and officials asked practical questions about transitioning existing staff from the Serbian system to the Kosovo system and engaging new staff and next steps. MPA and KAIS delivered further guidance to all AKT partner municipalities on the new Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), an online system developed to standardize and automate personnel functions.
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After the workshops, AKT delivered on-the-job assistance in coordination with a USAID advisor as Zvečan/Zveçan undertook next steps. AKT provided legal counsel and guidance to the mayor, acting chief of personnel, finance officer, and mayor’s advisor on the legal framework for staff recruitment, job description, and classification in the municipal civil service; internal municipal organization and job classification in Kosovo's municipalities; and specific job descriptions within the municipal administration’s Budget and Finance Department. AKT staff shared a full package of supporting documents that included relevant laws, model job descriptions for requested positions from three different municipalities (Štrpce/Shtërpcë, Klokot/Kllokot, and Shtime/Štimlje), and a model municipal ordinance on the internal organization of municipal administration. As result of this assistance, and based on previous legal counsel and model municipal regulations provided by AKT, Zvečan/Zveçan developed a draft Regulation on Internal Organization of the Municipal Administration, which created a legal foundation for the municipality to announce job vacancies and employ municipal staff. AKT facilitated HRMIS troubleshooting between Zvečan/Zveçan and KAIS.
AKT also provided ad hoc technical assistance to northern municipalities, including guidance on procedures for allocating subsidies to citizens, organizations, and associations (Leposavić/Leposaviq) and guidance and advice on social housing and duties and responsibilities of local governments (operating under the Kosovo legal framework) related to housing financing programs (Leposavić/Leposaviq).
Service improvement action planning. AKT introduced partner municipalities to a citizen- centered methodology and strategic framework that allows local governments to provide more efficient municipal services that satisfy the needs of all communities they serve. In cooperation with the partner municipalities, AKT launched development of SIAPs in all 16 partner municipalities. A SIAP provides clear steps on what municipalities need to do over a three-year period to improve selected services, including indicators against which progress could be measured.
The first step was to establish SIAP working groups, a group of municipal officials and citizens, appointed by the mayor in each partner municipality. In all, 139 individuals appointed to SIAP working groups, of which 67 percent were civil servants and 33 percent were community members, 57 percent were non-majority, and 22 percent were women. Through a series of 19 training and coaching sessions with 269 participants, AKT supported each working group to identify its priority municipal service for improvement, conduct a situational analysis, determine performance indicators, collect data, identify objectives, draft a plan, and assign supervision and reporting responsibilities. The SIAP working group shared responsibility for monitoring implementation of the plan.
See Annex VI for the list of municipalities, the priority municipal service included in each municipality’s SIAP, the number of projects or initiatives included in each SIAP, the project to which USAID AKT provided implementation assistance, and beneficiary and cost information for each project supported.
Municipal development agendas. As part of the joint working group (JWG) activity, JWGs, made up of municipal officials, community members, Village Council members, and CSO representatives from 12 AKT partner municipalities presented their proposed municipal development agendas to municipal leadership. Each agenda is intended to give actionable information for municipal decision-making, informed by the priorities put forward by communities in public discussions and JWG community mobilization activities. In total, 525
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 26 priorities were included across all 12 municipalities, with details on the nature of the project, such as location, number of citizens affected, and the expected impact. Each agenda included information on the methodology used in developing the priorities.
Small procurement support to municipal governments (CDP projects). AKT undertook small procurements derived from the capacity needs assessments, where such a procurement would push innovation in tackling a particular identified need. The CDP projects aimed to bring municipal services closer to citizens. In six cases, AKT supplemented such technical support with small procurements. AKT supported Partes/Partesh, Pejë/Peć, Ranilug/Ranillug, Štrpce/Shtërpcë, Vushtrri/Vučitrn and Klinë/Klina with CDP procurements that directly improved municipal service delivery.
Beneficiaries Cost Municipality Project Non- USAID Total Majority Total Municip. majority AKT Klinë/Klina E-kiosk (1) 38,496 37,216 1,280 $8,342 $1,081 $7,261 Attendance and Parteš/Partesh access control 58 0 58 $3,882 $0 $3,882 device Pejë/Peć E-kiosks (2) 9,5988 87,975 8,013 $18,471 $11,370 $7,101 GPS devices for Urbanism, Ranilug/Ranillug Cadaster, Public 6 1 5 $4,863 $0 $4,863 Service and Inspectorate Štrpce/Shtërpcë E-kiosk (1) 6,929 3,757 3,172 $8,693 $2,159 $6,534 Vushtrri/Vučitrn E-kiosks (2) 69,747 68,840 907 $18,471 $11,370 $7,101 211,224 197,789 13,435 $62,722 $25,980 $36,742 Total 100% 94% 6% 100% 41% 59%
Several partner municipalities selected E-kiosks as an innovative way to make frequently requested documents available to all citizens, around the clock. With AKT support, the e- kiosk machines were designed by municipal IT specialists and a private vendor, in coordination with the Kosovo IT Agency and informed by the experiences of Pristina and Gjilan/Gnjilane. Citizens of Klinë/Klina, Pejë/Peć, Štrpce/Shtërpcë, and Vushtrri/Vučitrn can now obtain the following at a cost of 1 euro each: birth certificate, birth extract, marriage certificate, citizenship certificate, certificate of residence, the aforementioned certificates for members of their immediate family, and property tax bill. In addition, citizens can use these machines to submit general requests and complaints to the municipality. On average, 400 documents are issued by the e-kiosks per month in each municipality.
Finally, AKT provided comments to Draft Regulation No. 02/2016 on the Municipal Performance Management System and participated as a regular working group member providing input to revised municipal performance indicators with MLGA. MLGA’s considerations for improving how municipalities measure their performance were informed and complemented by AKT’s work with municipalities to improve their capacity to plan, budget, and deliver needed services.
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3.2 Support municipalities to increase own-source revenue (OSR) for municipal services and capital projects
Like other municipalities throughout the world, Kosovo’s municipalities strive to rely on their own-source revenue (OSR). Partner municipalities faced challenges when it came to adequate OSR analysis and use of such analysis to achieve improvements in collecting municipal revenue. The four municipalities in the north were hesitant to impose taxations on citizens. Even though all of Kosovo’s municipalities are obliged to develop their general OSR plans, effective planning of municipal revenues and concrete action plans for increased collection of municipal revenues remained a challenge for most municipalities. To address these challenges and strengthen the capacities of partner municipalities to increase OSR, AKT staff delivered individual coaching, mentorship, and workshops in coordination with the Ministry of Local Governance and Administration (MLGA), Ministry of Finance (MF), Ministry of Public Administration (MPA), and the Kosovo Treasury. The program staff held the following training courses, workshops, and roundtable discussions: Draft Law on Property Tax in Kosovo OSR Trends: Challenges and Opportunities for Improvement Law on Public Debt Forgiveness OSR Analysis in Kosovo’s Municipalities Municipal OSR collection and reporting Capital Investment Analysis in the Municipalities in Kosovo Public Loans for Municipal Development OSR and the Establishment of Public Utilities Enterprises in the North of Kosovo OSR Trends: 2013-2016
AKT supported Klinë/Klina, Leposavic/Leposaviq, Obiliq/Obilic, North Mitrovica/Mitrovicë, Zvecan/Zveçan, and Zubin Potok to develop municipal OSR plans. The project conducted field research on the strengths and weaknesses of OSR policies and collection in each of the six partner municipalities, facilitated an action plan for each municipality to introduce or improve OSR policy and data collection to improve the analytical base for policy making and worked with each local government to begin implementing their action plans.
AKT analyzed property tax collection in its 12 southern partner municipalities each year. In 2015, property tax collection was up 19.06 percent over the 2013 baseline. In 2016, collection was up 41.36 percent compared with the 2013 baseline.
3.3 Build Capacity of Target Municipalities’ Offices of Communities and Returns (MOCR)
MOCR is an institutional mechanism at the municipal level of governance in Kosovo introduced in 2010 and mandated to protect communities' rights, ensure equal access to services and create conditions for sustainable return. The MOCR is mandatory municipal body for all municipalities; its size and number of posts is determined by the percentage of communities residing in the municipality and their needs and the number of planned or expected returnees or repatriated persons. The Municipal Assembly Communities Committees (MACCs) serve a similar function in the municipal assemblies – ensuring that every local community shall receive equal treatment by the municipal authority.
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AKT held many activities with MOCRs and MACCs to support improved community engagement and representation of the needs of all communities in municipal decision- making. AKT staff and grantees Network of Peace Movement (NOPM) and ASD Group engaged 493 participants (25 percent women, 75 percent men; 49 percent majority, 51 percent non-majority) in 33 workshops, exchange visits, and roundtable discussions designed to strengthen the role and capacities of MOCRs and MACCs. AKT staff delivered ad hoc assistance and promoted application of new skills by involving MOCRs and MACCs in 76 of AKT’s community engagement activities and projects, such as promotion of AKT activities to the communities, identification of businesses to participate in activities, identification of candidates for internships, participation in working groups, and implementation of infrastructure and quick impact projects. Capacity building events included the following: Training on lobbying and advocacy for MOCR and MACC staff Workshops on development of municipal budget and revenues for MOCR and MACC Workshops on drafting action plans for MACCs and MOCRs in Klokot/Kllokot, Parteš/Partesh, Ranilug/Ranillug, and Novo Brdo/Novobërdë Training on transparency, communication and citizens’ outreach at the municipal level Workshops on project cycle management for MOCRs Workshops on project writing and advocacy Workshops on community rights, legal framework, and responsible institutions Workshops on communication, citizens’ participation and the role of civil society Workshops on outreach activities in the field for MOCR, MACC and Public Information Office (PIO) in Klokot/Kllokot, Parteš/Partesh, Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, and Ranilug/Ranillug Exchange visits for MOCR and MACC in partner municipalities Conference on the effective representation of communities’ interests at the local and central level of governance Workshops on the role of the Municipal Assembly in monitoring of implementation of municipal decisions and regulations Roundtables on role of MOCR in promotion and protection of minority rights Training on the legal framework on local self-government in Kosovo and the European Charter on Local Self Government Training (series) on SIAP development Training on prioritization of community projects; development of municipal agendas; project management, monitoring, and reporting tools; and communication and writing skills.
The program supported MOCR and MACC to implement the skills and knowledge gained through the training, workshops, and exchange visits. MOCR and MACC representatives participated routinely as stakeholders in AKT activities, such as promotion of AKT activities to the communities, identification of businesses for participation in activities, identification of candidates for internships, participation in working groups, and implementation of infrastructure and quick impact projects.
3.4 Strengthen mechanisms to promote transparency and community engagement
For majority and non-majority communities, the sources of municipal information are separate, and in many cases, differ for reasons of language and geography. In addition,
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 29 municipal officials cite low citizen participation, a lack of translators, and a lack of qualified web and IT specialists, equipment (scanner, laptops, printer, digital camera, etc.), and funds for multilingual informational material (municipal bulletin, municipal handbooks, brochures and leaflets, etc.) as factors that inhibit quality communication and transparency.
Engaging non-majority populations in public discussions and decision-making. In 2014, the average rate of public participation in municipal budget hearings was 0.34 percent, based on municipal attendance data and 2011 census data, and participation of non-majority populations was low. Increasing citizen participation was one of the biggest challenges for local government and citizens. AKT brought together 120 community representatives, municipal officials, community members, and CSO representatives in a series of four regional roundtables to identify some of the root causes for low participation (particularly of women, youth, and minorities) and generate recommendations for how to improve participation. Together, they identified significant challenges to improving civic participation: lack of information, lack of officials’ attention to initiatives that matter, politicization of community interventions, and culture. Participants generated some recommendations that would increase participation: improved and increased forums for information-sharing, development of municipal public outreach plans, and implementation of strategies for increased civic participation of women, minorities, and youth.
These findings informed AKT activities, and particularly the creation of JWGs described above. In addition to the municipality-community discussions that AKT facilitated through CF and JWG activities, AKT directly supported municipalities to hold 11 public hearings in rural, mixed and non-majority villages in Sinaj/Sinaje (Istog/Istok), Ponesh/Poneš (Gjilan/Gnjilane), Plemetine/a (Obiliq/Obilić), Priluzje/Prilluzhe (Vushtrri/Vucitrn), Donja Bitinja/ Biti e Poshtme (Štrpce/Shtërpcë), Viča/Viq (Štrpce/Shtërpce), Koretište/Koretishtë and Kusce/Kufcë (Novo Brdo/Novobërdë), Radevo/Radevë (Gračanica/Graçanicë), Donja Budriga/ Budrikë e Poshtme (Parteš/Partesh), and Vrbovac/Vrbofc (Klokot/Kllokot). In all, 24 municipal officials and 340 community members participated.
Community forum and SIAP project initiatives provided opportunities for municipal officials to repeatedly and constructively engage with community members. Successful implementation required regular, productive communication and problem-solving as projects transitioned from conception and planning to realization and maintenance. The table below lists the jointly implemented projects, each stakeholder’s level of involvement, and the average duration.
Municipal Community No. No. Avg. Project Projects Official Member Projects Municipalities Duration Participation Participation Small-scale Infrastructure 23 16 44 266 1.9 mos. (and alternative for north) SIAP 10 10 90 40 2.3 mos. Small procurements 28 16 12 234 1.8 mos.
Publication of municipal acts. In collaboration with MLGA, with the involvement of municipal public information officers and assembly members, AKT delivered six workshops and training courses to 60 participants aimed at improving publication of municipal acts on municipal portals, to inform citizens of the actions of the local government and opportunities to get involved. At these events, AKT facilitated a broader discussion with MPA on the need for improvements to municipal websites. Concurrently, AKT coordinated with the
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USAID/Kosovo Partnerships for Development (PFD) project to introduce municipalities to publishing municipal acts on the Official Gazette.
Translation. As described above, AKT’s support for compliance with the LUL included the purchase and installation of a state-of-the art translation software package. The new software, enabled with CAT tools, will improve quality and speed of translations, enabling municipalities to generate more timely informational materials in all official languages. To improve inclusiveness of non-majority communities in municipal affairs and to enable fulfillment of municipal assemblies’ legal obligations on the use of languages, AKT supported the municipality of Zubin Potok to furnish and equip its municipal assembly hall with simultaneous translation equipment. Previously, assembly sessions were held with consecutive interpretation, which inhibited timely information sharing and deterred detailed discussion.
Informational materials. AKT supported PIO staff and municipal leadership in Klinë/Klina and Obiliq/Obiliċ to launch biannual municipal bulletins to inform citizens of municipal activities. The AKT team provided guidance to PIO staff on different types of written communication, photography, and layout and coaching during content creation. The bulletins were published online and in print (Obiliq/Obiliċ).
3.5 Strengthen municipal capacity to manage government-to-government (G2G) awards
Public procurement certification. AKT cooperated with the Public Procurement Regulatory Commission (PPRC), Kosovo Institute for Public Administration (KIPA), and the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) to deliver training on public procurement at the municipal level to public procurement officials from all of Kosovo’s municipalities. The 10-module training series lasted 15 days, and each municipality participated with two public procurement officials. This type of training was the first of its kind for northern Kosovo municipalities. Following training, the procurement officers undertook a certification exam: All 86 municipal procurement officers from Kosovo’s 38 municipalities successfully passed the exam and received certificates from KIPA. They are certified to perform their duties and responsibilities concerning public procurement from 2017 to 2020.
After completion of the training, participants expressed an interest in learning more about the new e-procurement system that rolled out in 2017. Accordingly, AKT supported a practical, two-day, computer-based training with guided use of the new e-procurement system. In all, 101 procurement officers from 38 municipalities and regional and municipal publicly owned enterprises participated.
Project cycle management certification. In close coordination with KIPA and MLGA, AKT designed and successfully completed a Project Cycle and Public Contract Management Training and Certification program for municipal project and procurement officers in Kosovo’s 25 participating municipalities at the American University in Kosovo (AUK). In total, 63 municipal project officers and municipal procurement officers took part in this training program, of which 44 received certification. With this training, AKT improved the integrity, quality, and effectiveness of project management capacities at the municipal level of government. In the training, municipal officials had the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the entire project management cycle, including discussions on daily project and contract management obstacles faced on daily basis during their work at municipalities. Participants covered the entire project management cycle from initiation, planning, and
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 31 execution to performance monitoring and project completion. The training also covered the process of identifying projects, analysis and sustainability of projects, local government experience in managing projects, preparation of the budget, human resource management, project risks and effective communication, and public procurement contracts management.
In addition, AKT, AUK, MLGA, and KIPA developed a Handbook on Methodology for Project Cycle Management for municipalities in Kosovo. The handbook covers all the necessary steps and procedures related to project cycle and public contract management required by the applicable legislation in Kosovo, including best international practices on this matter as well. AKT printed 600 copies of the handbook in both official languages for use by the MLGA and project and procurement officials in all 38 of Kosovo’s municipalities.
Hands-on technical assistance to USAID G2G partner municipalities. USAID launched a government-to-government (G2G) program in Gjilan/Gnjilane municipality and requested support from AKT staff to implement this program. AKT staff provided support to the Mayor’s Office on technical preparations for the project and as result, Gjilan/Gnjilane finalized a project application for the construction of a kindergarten in the Dardania neighborhood and submitted it to USAID/Kosovo for funding. Once approved, AKT (with AKT-LS staff as noted below) met regularly with the Mayor of Gjilan/Gnjilane and his staff to assemble and implement the project. AKT facilitated preparation of the Environmental Report (ER) with Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Measures (EMMP) from USAID approval and municipal environmental permitting, helped the municipality develop a tender dossier and bill of quantities, supported the municipality to conduct a site visit with potential bidders and assemble an evaluation committee, which selected a qualified bidder, and initiate and manage implementation, mitigating issues as they arose.
Late in Project Year 2, USAID directed AKT to proceed with support to Pejë/Peć for a G2G award. AKT staff (with AKT-LS staff) met with the mayor and his staff in Pejë/Peć to introduce USAID’s G2G Program and inform them of USAID’s decision to include the municipality in this programming. AKT worked with AKT-LS to support the municipality in project identification and technical preparations, after which AKT LS assumed the lead.
PIR 4: Build the capacity of host-country organizations by leveraging local, cross-ethnic leadership to implement program objectives
4.1 Enhancing technical capacity and aligning the local consortium’s work plan, sub- awards, and operational capacity with overall AKT objectives
AKT provided technical capacity building to AKT-LS Key Achievements through formal training, on-the-job support, and joint 6.6 percent increase in CDF implementation. The Joint Project Implementation Plan OCA score 2016-2017. (JPIP) and regular coordination meetings throughout the 201 tools, training courses, AKT program provided insight on opportunities for AKT and advisory services support to AKT-LS, ensured complementarity, and prevented provided to CDF and its duplication. Participation of both programs in work planning consortium members. fostered productive technical discussion and coordination. 57 jointly implemented AKT activities. Formal training. AKT delivered several training courses to 52 linkages facilitated between AKT LS consortium AKT-LS staff on performance management systems for and stakeholders. municipal services, developing SIAPs, municipal capital
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 32 investment planning and the municipal budgeting process in Kosovo, and the Kosovo Municipal Legal Framework. The training provided a solid foundation for successful coordination and implementation of AKT LS PIR 3 activities.
On-the-job support. AKT staff provided as-needed technical consultation to AKT LS throughout implementation and served on technical evaluation committees for LS activities. Under PIR 1, AKT provided support to AKT-LS on community mobilization and project selection and implementation troubleshooting. AKT shared its community-identified priorities with LS for their consideration and shared ideas and conducted joint site visits for identifying projects in several partner municipalities. In the north, AKT helped LS counterparts to modify their approach to identifying community priorities, namely by identifying community needs that are priorities of the mayor and keeping the mayor engaged throughout the process of community stakeholder engagement. On Objective 2, AKT provided LS with support for grantee selection and activity designs for business consulting services to business grantees and engagement of lead firms. On Objective 3, AKT jointly reviewed with AKT-LS their planned Pristina Institute for Political Studies (PIPS) workshop modules for municipalities and provided technical input, shared USAID’s feedback on the CDP approach, provided guidance on the Performance Management System for municipal services to inform the LS competition criteria on municipal service performance, and provided tools and templates for support to municipalities with G2G awards.
Joint implementation. AKT and AKT-LS worked together to deliver several joint activities. For example, on PIR 1, AKT delivered the JWG activity in southern Kosovo, while AKT-LS delivered a similar public participation activity in northern Kosovo. AKT and AKT LS worked together with the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (KCC) to bring partner businesses to participate in KCC fairs and with the American Chamber of Commerce to host a business- to-business (B2B) event in Gračanica/Graçanicë. AKT’s PIR 3 team organized several joint meetings with central and municipal government stakeholders to deliver updates on AKT activities and plans. AKT and AKT-LS co-hosted several training courses and workshops on SIAPs and intermunicipal cooperation. AKT took the lead on working with the municipalities to draft SIAPs and project applications, including those for AKT-LS implementation support. In the north, AKT facilitated coordination meetings between the two AKT projects and USAID’s northern advisors and among USAID implementing partners in the north, so that both projects could keep abreast of activities. Finally, AKT took the lead on support to Gjilan/Gnjilane’s implementation of the G2G kindergarten construction project, with AKT- LS in a supporting role, while toward the end of the AKT project, AKT-LS assumed a leadership role in supporting Pejë/Peć.
4.2 Enhancing operational and management capacity
Organizational capacity. At the onset of AKT LS, USAID facilitated an organizational capacity assessment (OCA) with AKT-LS implementer Community Development Fund (CDF). The OCA is a self-assessment that helps nonprofit organizations identify strengths and challenges and establish capacity building goals to create a more sustainable organization. It is primarily a diagnostic and learning tool that should provide a framework for measuring growth in organizational capacity over time. It analyzes and assigns scores to seven interrelated organizational areas (or domains), each of which has more detailed sub- sections on mission, policies, procedures, and capacities needed to best assure and maintain organizational development. On a four-point scale, CDF received a score of 3.72.
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The initial OCA contained a performance solutions package to address CDF’s needs, including development of human resource functions and a salary scale in compliance with USAID, improved personnel performance evaluation, templates for communication and appropriate style guides, and policies and practices for improved oversight by senior management and quality assurance. Accordingly, AKT offered peer coaching in operations and financial management and provided CDF with samples, tools, and templates for CDF to review, adjust, and adopt. Two international consultants were engaged to assist CDF in implementation of the AKT-LS program in the areas of compliance and financial management (described below).
In 2016, AKT engaged its partner Policy Management Consulting Group (PMCG) to facilitate two subsequent, annual OCAs to measure the impact of AKT’s support to CDF’s organizational development. Before launching CDF’s second OCA, PMCG reviewed existing documents and reports and conducted interviews with all of CDF’s key staff members. The self-assessment sessions were conducted over two days, with all key managers and staff of the organization, including those from non-USAID funded programs, reflecting on the organization’s performance. The overall OCA score for CDF in 2016 was 3.47, a 7 percent decrease. External factors that may have affected the results include different facilitators; an improved understanding and experience with the tool; and timing, as CDF was in start-up for AKT-LS (its first USAID prime agreement) in February 2015 and may have neither had the time to critically self-assess nor the opportunity to focus on improving performance across 47 organizational development areas during AKT-LS implementation. Results in 2016 suggested that in addition to managing an increased portfolio and adapting to new donor requirements, CDF succeeded in maintaining many of its performance standards at 2015 levels.
PMCG worked with CDF to develop a performance solutions package to address the identified performance gaps and anticipate resourcing requirements. The performance solutions package recommended a performance improvement plan that included eight interventions. AKT and AKT LS agreed to adjust the organizational support from information-sharing to consulting and hands-on support. Accordingly, AKT provided CDF with operational capacity support from six short-term local and international experts:
2016 Capacity Development Action Plan Item Priority AKT Intervention 1. Facilitate participatory strategic planning process with communications strategy High incorporated Strategic Plan facilitation from short-term 2. Align organizational structure to identified High expert (June-August 2016) strategic goals 3. Reconsider the Board’s role in strategic High management and fundraising 4. Refine human resource management HR Policy creation facilitation from short- policies and procedures, introduce High term international and local experts succession planning system (August-October 2016) 5. Align CDF’s operation policies and manuals Finance, operations, and compliance to international quality management system Medium improvement support from international standards expert (May-June 2016) 6. Improve knowledge management & sharing Medium across the organization Communications assistance from 7. Improve the public relations function and international expert (February 2017) High internal communications 8. Institutionalize structured change Change management improvement plan Medium management process in CDF from international expert (March 2016)
PMCG facilitated CDF’s third OCA in 2017, and CDF scored 3.7. Compared to the 2016 assessment, the OCA score increased by 6.62 percent, with improvements in governance,
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 34 human resource management, organizational management, and performance management.
The 2017 OCA also includes a performance solutions package to guide CDF’s continued development next year. Organizational improvement activities include development of a manual to further elaborate and clarify the key functions of board members, travel policies and procedures, IT usage policy and procedures, improved internal control procedures, development of a master budget and organization-wide operation plan. allocation of resources for effective implementation of CDF’s public outreach strategy, a sub-grant management manual, and a quality management system.
Although CDF was the main focus of the OCAs, practical tools and assistance were provided to AKT-LS subawardees to accomplish their own OCAs and design measures to close urgent performance gaps. Subawardee staff participated in all consultant training and activities.
Grants capacity. AKT support to CDF to manage a multimillion-dollar grants program included formal training, on-the-job support, and consulting. At the onset of the LS award, AKT home-office staff delivered training to CDF and its subawardees on the specific rules and regulations concerning non-US NGOs, including Office of Management and Budget (OMB) circular A-122 and 2 CFR 200, sub-part E. AKT staff provided guidance, including regulations and Chemonics’ interpretations, templates (solicitation, approval request, grant agreement), and samples to inform CDF’s development of a grants manual. During implementation of the AKT-LS project, AKT staff reviewed CDF’s implementation of its grants program and, particularly during LS grants manager transition, provided feedback and suggestions for improved grants management practices. AKT participated in most of LS’ technical evaluation committees.
AKT fielded a short-term grants management specialist to assist CDF and subawardees in jump-starting the LS grants program at the end of Year 1, when staffing delays and turnover dampened CDF’s ability to issue solicitations and grants in a timely manner, consistent with USAID compliance standards. The consultant helped the new LS grants manager collect missing documentation, set-up a grants filing system, process numerous grants packages, refine templates and workflows, and establish a healthy forecast of grants for Year 2.
4.3 Creating a forum for sub-awardees to network to share information and highlight integration successes to wider audiences
AKT established an online, collaborative project management and information-sharing platform to (a) promote activity, outcome, and indicator discussions among the technical teams at AKT and AKT-LS; (b) promote openness, coordination, and information sharing between AKT and AKT-LS; and (c) allow USAID real-time insight into project progress and activities. AKT-LS and AKT component leads (including CDF and its subcontractor staff from Kosovo Relief and Development [KRD], ACTIV, and the Center for Peace and Tolerance [CPT]), chiefs of party, deputy chiefs of party, communications specialists, and M&E specialists contributed to the site, while all other staff and USAID had read-only access. AKT populated the site with initial AKT and LS information, which was later maintained by both projects and included a newsfeed on activities, meetings, events, and accomplishments; a document library with templates, tools, reports, municipal profiles, newsletters, grants and subcontract trackers, and technical documents; a calendar of AKT and LS events; work plans, with status updates; M&E plans; and infrastructure-related project updates. In all, the projects shared 1,869 newsfeed posts, 326 documents, and 1,220 events.
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At the close of AKT, CDF began to use Yammer, Microsoft online collaboration software similar to SharePoint, for coordination on LS between CDF and subawardees.
AKT supported AKT-LS’ networking and information-sharing through its media initiatives and reporting to stakeholders. LS activities and successes were presented on the “Improving Intercultural Communication” website (AKT grant activity with Entermedia) and the “These Are Our Stories” programs on Radio Kontakt Plus. In response to a need to convey more specific information on activities to northern municipalities, AKT led the creation and compilation of monthly northern municipalities briefings for both programs. AKT also led and then subsequently coordinated with AKT-LS at joint functions, such as presentations to USAID, other U.S. government officials, and other implementing partners; signing of memorandums, inaugurations, and other events with Kosovo government stakeholders.
4.4 Increasing ability to handle USAID reporting requirements and procedures
AKT provided CDF with tools and templates, on-the-job support, and consulting to enable CDF to handle USAID reporting requirements and procedures.
Environmental compliance. AKT gave LS templates and samples for environmental review requests for use by CDF and its partners on its infrastructure and grants activities. AKT also provided peer guidance and suggestions for fulfilling subsequent reporting requirements.
Monitoring and evaluation. The two projects’ M&E specialists worked together to gather data for the citizen satisfaction survey in July 2015 and 2016, scheduled because of a gap in MLGA reporting. LS also proceeded with recruiting an M&E assistant, and AKT was pleased to serve on the interview committee. When USAID directed both AKT projects to revise their PMPs, AKT’s M&E specialist worked diligently with LS’ M&E assistant to review and align common indicator names and definitions to reflect planned revisions to USAID’s PMP.
Communications and reporting. In capacity building for communications, AKT provided on- the-job coaching to the AKT-LS communications specialists, including sharing of USAID templates, joint development of communications products, and joint events management. AKT staff regularly exchanged technical reports via the online collaboration site, and AKT provided feedback and suggestions to early LS quarterly and annual reports.
AKT provided a short-term communications specialist to assist CDF with its knowledge management and sharing across the organization and improve internal and external communications overall. The consultant worked with CDF staff and LS subawardees to create a CDF communication strategy aligned to its mission and vision and strategic goals and attuned to delivery of improved internal and external communications for the USAID AKT-LS program. The internal communications section included information flow and sharing among CDF and its subawardees and teams that (a) enable integration of knowledge, lessons learned, and best practices across projects, (b) promote a strong corporate spirit and commitment among staff to CDF’s mission and objectives, and (c) enable strong external communications. The external communications section included detailed workflows for creation of two-way communication channels between CDF and its stakeholders, such as newsletters, websites, and success stories. Following development of the strategy, the consultant trained CDF’s new communications specialist on the action plan and USAID communications standards. Together, they developed one success story, a format and workflow that CDF will replicate moving forward. AKT also provided scopes of work,
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 36 templates, and samples for a brand book, translation services, website development, video production, and additional points of contact for mailing lists. Finally, the consultant delivered a joint, one-day training to CDF and subawardees on communications strategy development, tools, and implementation.
Close-out. AKT offered consultant support to a closeout assignment for AKT-LS to prepare a demobilization plan and compile all necessary forms and requirements for CDF. However, the extension of AKT LS made the assignment less critical, and instead, AKT’s own closeout specialist provided AKT-LS with briefings on closeout procedures and a guidance document on updated regulations and procedures. 4.5 Strengthening financial management capacity
AKT had several meetings with CDF’s management and finance department and discussed USAID financial reporting requirements, CDF cooperative agreement financial section requirements, reporting frequency, the advance request process, and indirect cost reporting. Reporting and forecasting templates were given to CDF for adaptation and use and AKT provided peer reviews to some of CDF’s initial financial reports.
In Years 2 and 3, AKT provided short-term consulting support to CDF and its subawardees. A finance and budget specialist delivered forecasting and reporting support, a budget monitoring tool, and training to CDF and subawardee staff. As a result of the assignment, LS implementers were empowered to a) monitor and manage staff and manage and monitor activity implementation to achieve spending milestones; b) report on expenditures and projections with increasing accuracy; c) recognize challenges from a budgetary perspective and foresee potential problems in spending to Cooperative Agreement line items in enough time to inform decision-making. Among the specialist’s recommendations was for CDF to transition its accounting system to Quick Books, which CDF has since completed.
AKT engaged an international consultant to review CDF’s operations manual; accounting, procurement, and grants management policies and implementation; and indirect cost rate calculations and application in support of financial sustainability. The consultant had no findings of concern on the part of CDF or USAID and was generally impressed with CDF’s operations. The consultant recommended the following, which CDF has implemented: append its current operations policy to include clauses on adequate price competition, conflict of interest, records retention, due diligence searches, and whistleblower policy; try to negotiate with USAID an indirect cost as a fixed price or opt for the 10 percent “de minimis” indirect cost rate, authorized under 2 CFR 200.414; and minor remedying of compliance gaps identified during the pre-audit exercise.
4.6 Increased ability to establish professional linkages with a variety of stakeholders
AKT and AKT-LS frequently engaged common stakeholders together. They often held meetings with municipal authorities and their advisors, central government officials, community stakeholders, and other projects together as a way to mitigate confusion and promote coordination with each other and with the stakeholder. Those meetings were organized by AKT. Examples include the following: Regular coordination meetings with municipal leadership and central government to provide updates on activities and achievements and garner buy-in for new activities. Meetings with municipal staff to troubleshoot issues (like G2G) and with the central government on specific initiatives (the OSR conference or socioeconomic plans).
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Meetings with other USAID projects and northern advisors to discuss coordination and opportunities for co-implementation. Meetings with other donor-funded projects to discuss coordination and opportunities for co-implementation. Awareness raising events with private sector, community groups, and CSOs to discuss opportunities for participation in LS activities. Presentations to stakeholders on activities of the two AKT projects.
CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED
AKT originally envisioned measuring improved compliance with the Law on Use of Languages (LUL) based on formal complaints submitted and resolved. But though citizens do encounter noncompliance with the law, they generally do not lodge official complaints. As a result, the program adapted its approach in two ways: to streamline the complaint process through a new GIS-enabled mobile application to encourage lodging of complaints, and to mobilize civil society to monitor compliance and assist municipalities in addressing compliance deficiencies (including through multilingual signage, informational materials and forms, and translation software). As a result, AKT was able to meet the PMP target for compliance with the LUL and establish practices and tools for continued improvement. AKT’s northern municipalities recently decided to partake in this important activity.
AKT had to cope with difficulties that municipalities face in financial management, expertise for project designs, and monitoring capacity, particularly among AKT’s small municipal partners. For example, in one partner municipality, the project design document was prepared incorrectly and resulted in improper implementation of some of the work by the subcontractor. AKT followed up with the municipality to correct the drawings and redo the work, but this caused a delay in implementation. In another case, the municipality assigned monitors for the infrastructure work, but the monitors were not present daily, which led to risk of inaccurate implementation of the work. Another municipality made a commitment in writing to providing cost share to an infrastructure, but did not have the needed funds for cost share for two years. When the program experienced delays, AKT overcame them through flexible timelines, vigilant monitoring, frequent meetings with municipal leadership and community members, and engineering expertise support.
AKT also faced difficulties in getting citizens, particularly women and youth, to participate more actively in public discussions and decision making. At first, the project engaged citizens to demand public discussions in smaller villages and worked with the municipality to respond, and indeed AKT held several public discussions in smaller, mixed community villages. Community forums mobilized people, but participation rates, particularly among women and youth, remained low. AKT held roundtables among community members, CSOs, and municipal officials to discuss the practical challenges of engaging more people, particularly women and youth. AKT supported all stakeholders to apply outputs from those discussions and initiated joint working groups made up of community forum members, Village Council members, CSO representatives, and municipal officials to continue to work together to mobilize citizens to advocate for their priorities and participate in decision- making. One impact of these cumulative efforts is an increase in participation in budget hearings in our partner municipalities of 55 percent over baseline and a 74 percent increase over baseline in participation of women and youth. The needs of major buyers in Kosovo are not easily met by Kosovo’s suppliers, particularly micro businesses because of problems with quality, quantity, and timeliness of delivery. In
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 38 addition, our partner businesses face additional hurdles: barriers to access to information, registration in Kosovo, and language. AKT worked successfully with partner minority-owned businesses to overcome these barriers and establish networks and contracts with majority associations and buyers directly, exceeding our target for linkages. We used three core approaches for the linkages: (1) market facilitation, (2) B2B meetings and fairs, and (3) onsite business consulting. We enabled lead firm EuroFruti to reach new raspberry suppliers by supporting seven newly contracted minority farmers to purchase berry seedlings and deliver their berry yields to a new cooling, sub-collection point. Onsite, tailored business consulting that strengthened marketing and promotion tools and more intensive facilitation of business- to-business discussions, proved more effective than larger B2B events in yielding real, sustainable new linkages for our other minority-majority business linkage activities.
USAID AKT level of support to municipalities for capacity building is low compared with previous programs. Moreover, the support is divided between two AKT mechanisms, with AKT-LS requiring capacity assistance from AKT in this component. Maintaining the engagement of municipal officials across 16 municipalities with each other and with a host of central institutions with two staff, while also coordinating and enabling Local Solution, has been an ongoing challenge on this component. AKT has succeeded in meeting its work plan and PMP targets because of the dedication of its staff; the improved understanding, adjusted expectations, and bolstered effort of municipal stakeholders based on the nature of AKT; and the ability of AKT staff to prioritize tasks, facilitate implementation, and manage agreements with partners to also provide needed technical services. With the departure of the northern advisors, there is an increased reliance on AKT to serve as independent, trusted facilitators between the municipal officials in the north and the central government. AKT is working with AKT-LS to try to meet this increased demand. This challenge of staff bandwidth has been ever-present on AKT, but was managed.
USAID AKT envisioned assisting CDF to obtain a final Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) score of 3.77, which is included in the PMP. CDF scored 3.47 on its assessment in February 2016. The OCA measures organizational capacity, not necessarily the capacity to implement USAID programs. For example, to get a high OCA score, CDF would have to have an organizational strategic plan, which is not a requirement to implement a USAID award. External factors that may have affected the results include different OCA facilitators, increased experience with the tool, and timing, given CDF was in start-up for AKT LS (its first USAID prime agreement) in February 2015 during its original OCA and may not have been able to dedicate time to the assessment. AKT submits that the 2016 results suggest that in addition to launching a new USAID-funded project and adapting to new donor requirements, CDF (which maintains a core staff of four individuals plus project staff) succeeded in maintaining many of its performance standards at its 2015 levels across 47 organizational development areas. Since the February 2016 OCA, AKT delivered additional consultancy assignments and the final OCA yielded a 6.6 percent increase in OCA score.
AKT and AKT-LS established a relationship of trust, and AKT LS partners readily sought AKT assistance, particularly in operational management, G2G award facilitation, and capacity building of municipalities. Both AKT projects experienced a slow first year of implementation, so activity levels on both projects during year two were significantly high. The opportunity for miscommunication and overlap were high, and yet were avoided due to close coordination and communication between the teams.
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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE INTERVENTIONS
Our recommendations for future interventions are based on the experience of implementing and include a mix of a continuation of activities and introduction of next generation activities.
PIR 1: LUL. Complaints concerning compliance with the LUL were lodged as much with the central government as the municipal government. We suggest that future support to implementation of the LUL focus equally on the central government. More can be done to consistently apply support for compliance across all USAID programs. Finally, once the OLC’s strategy is adopted, considerable support will be needed to encourage implementation. Government engagement with non-majority communities. A systemic approach that gathers stakeholders (Village Councils, JWGs, municipalities, consultative committees, and CSOs) to work both collectively and individually was successful on AKT and should continue. AKT’s JWG activity, which brought stakeholders together regularly, not only increased participation in public decision-making and ensured that community priorities were included in municipal budgets but also changed attitudes and perceptions among different actors as they had to work together. Minorities and women in public sector positions. Additional work should be done to encourage mayors to promote diversity and institute merit-based performance management. Currently, municipal staff are unclear on the criteria for promotion and understand that promotion is politically motivated and rarely based on performance. Community-led activities. Activities that bring communities together continue to be needed to break down cultural and language barriers and normalize relations. CSO capacity. CSO capacity continues to be weak and many CSOs receive funding despite this weakness, which causes capacity stretch and discourages investment in performance improvement. OCA-based assistance was warmly received. Constructive engagement through projects. Capacity for designs and monitoring is low and inconsistent across municipalities. There is an opportunity for USAID to provide additional capacity support that could include central-level training of trainers, training for municipal officials, and coaching. USAID may want to reconsider the level of visibility of USAID versus municipalities in implementation of projects, where a tendency to showcase USAID’s support can erode the municipality’s role. We recommend tying co-financing to specific performance improvements, rather than attempting equitable spending across all municipalities.
PIR 2: Market linkages. Access to information and general uncertainty among businesses in the north about legal requirements and the business network in southern Kosovo continue to inhibit growth for businesses in the north. Therefore, we recommend additional north-south business exchange, networking, and market linkages activities and training on compliance with Kosovo law. Facilitating the provision of tailored, onsite, and practical business consulting services from business service organizations (BSOs) was highly valued by partner businesses, encouraged full utilization of grants, and unleashed growth potential. Many partner businesses have continued to engage BSOs for ongoing services. We therefore recommend continuing to complement grants with BSO consulting services. KCC is well positioned to facilitate business growth, and we suggest that USAID continue to deliver needed business services
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through KCC as well. AKT provided the most successful and value-added B2B events after grants, consulting services, and training had occurred. Therefore, we recommend that future USAID programs facilitate the best positioning of the partner businesses before facilitating B2B events. SME competitiveness. AKT’s partner businesses were familiar with grants provided by USAID and other donors, and opportunities for small grants in Kosovo are plentiful. Therefore, most AKT partner businesses had little interest in applying for loans. Future USAID programs should consider the profiles of partner businesses and donor grant-making to confirm the business profiles and targets for access-to-finance activities. AKT worked with many business and farmers in northern Kosovo. Though businesses were required to register in Kosovo to receive grants, registration of farmers’ lands in Kosovo remains a challenge for farmers to access grants and loans. Youth employability. The market-facilitation approach was most successful. For workforce development, AKT’s engagement of employing firms for co-financing of new employee training worked much better than engaging a third party to provide matchmaking services or vocational training. We recommend that future workforce development programs engage employers directly and require that that they co- finance the training and begin paying salaries immediately, to establish commitment to sustainable employment after the project support is complete.
PIR 3: Municipal capacity for strategic planning and services — north. AKT’s support to facilitating communication between the central government and local governments in the north was critical and became a smooth process under AKT, in which initial facilitation on new topics to bring unfamiliar parties together evolved into established relationships among parties able to follow up independently. E-procurement in the north is not fully functional because of infrastructure challenges that will continue to inhibit its use (and may affect HRMIS and PIFCS). We recommend that USAID continue to play a third-party facilitative role as northern municipalities work with the central government to resolve issues. There is a continued need to assist northern municipalities in drafting municipal acts that comply with Kosovo legislation. Municipal capacity for strategic planning and services — entire Kosovo. Facilitating discussion and exchange visits among municipalities was a useful tool in establishing peer-to-peer relationships and learning and should continue. As municipalities measure their performance and use the municipal integrated reporting system for data, more support can be provided to analyze the data to determine priorities, create improvement plans, and make resourcing decisions. Similarly, municipal local economic development strategies and progress on them should inform systematic decision-making about capital projects. Work should continue to develop assembly capacity for monitoring implementation of capital investment projects. E-kiosks were an excellent innovation to bring services closer to the citizens. Additional analysis can be done on their use and the potential to expand the services that they offer (like parking and utilities), and e-kiosks could be rolled out to additional locations. AKT uncovered a gap between law, MLGA implementation preferences, and municipal perspective for project management. The Project Management Handbook that AKT created follows the legal requirements plus “good practices.” There is a continued need to bridge this gap to come to a streamlined, compliant, and responsive project management standard, and to then work with certifying body. On-the-job training, like that delivered on property tax, had a much greater impact than classroom-based training alone. We recommend that more training be delivered on the job.
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Own-source revenue. Although OSR action plans were developed in the north, there is an opportunity for a future project to provide support to their implementation.
PIR 4:
The absence of a requirement or incentive for the AKT-LS implementers to receive advisory services from AKT and implement improvements occasionally inhibited AKT’s ability to implement this PIR. We recommend that any future program with a local solution component include a requirement or performance incentive on the part of the local implementer. Further, co-implementation and coordination could have been improved if the timing for annual work planning had been the same for both projects. For future projects with this design, we recommend that work planning schedules coincide.
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ANNEX I: MONITORING AND EVALUATION LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 10,123 participants in USG-funded programs supporting participation and inclusion of traditionally marginalized ethnic minority groups
Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 991; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 926; Istog/Istok: 545; Klinë/Klina: 488; Kllokot/ Klokot: 545; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 323; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 761; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 341; Obiliq/Obilić: 781; Partesh/Parteš: 749; Pejë/Peć: 599; Ranillug/Ranilug: 517; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 596; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 411; Zubin Potok: 406; Zvečan/Zveçan: 318; Other: 826.
AKT Objectives: Objective 1 6,905 Objective 2 986 Objective 3 2,184 Participants in USG-funded Objective 4 48 programs supporting participation 1 0 10,406 10,123 and inclusion of traditionally Ethnicity: marginalized ethnic minority groups K-Albanian 4,404 K-Serb 5,186 K-Bosnian 191 K-RAE 236 K-Turk 40 Other 66
Gender: Male: 7,556 and Female 2,567
Age: 15-25 1,076 26-35 2,124 36-50 2,530 51 + 1,534 n/a 2,859 34 jointly implemented minority-majority activities. Changes in the exchange rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds enabled AKT Number of jointly implemented 1.1.1 0 12 34 to exceed the life-of-project target. minority-majority activities
Type of Activity:
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Art: 7, Culture: 12, Environment: 2, Sport: 13
Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 9; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 17; Istog/Istok: 6; Klinë/Klina: 5; Kllokot/ Klokot: 6; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 7; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 7; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 6; Obiliq/Obilić: 11; Partesh/ Parteš: 7; Pejë/Peć: 8; Ranillug/ Ranilug: 6; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 9; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 6; Zubin Potok: 2; Zvečan/Zveçan: 4. 60 minority-oriented priority issues addressed by targeted local governments.
Type of Activity: Improved public services: 55; compliance with LUL: 3; public participation in Number of minority-oriented priority decision-making: 1; advocacy general: 1. 1.1.2 issues addressed by targeted local 0 60 60
governments Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 6; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 6; Istog/Istok: 4; Klinë/Klina: 4; Kllokot/ Klokot: 4; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 3; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 6; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 3; Obiliq/Obilić: 5; Partesh/ Parteš: 6; Pejë/Peć: 3; Ranillug/ Ranilug: 5; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 5; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 4; Zubin Potok: 2; Zvečan/Zveçan: 4. 24,276 community members directly benefited from small-scale infrastructure and procurement projects. Changes in the exchange rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds enabled AKT to exceed the LOP target.
Ethnicity: K-Albanian 7,298 K-Serbian 15,073 Bosnian 224 Number of community members RAE 1,680 directly benefiting from small-scale 1.1.3 0 21,266 24,276 Other 1 infrastructure and procurement
projects Type of project: Small-scale infrastructure: o Community center, municipal building: 2 o Education: 10 o Playground: 3 o Public lighting: 2 o Road construction: 4 o Sidewalk construction: 2 o Water supply system: 1
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Quick impact: o Community center equipment: 6 o IT and other learning materials and equipment for schools: 17 o IT equipment for healthcare center: 1 o Playground: 4
Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 5; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 2; Istog/Istok: 3; Klinë/Klina: 2; Kllokot/ Klokot: 3; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 3; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 3; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 3; Obiliq/Obilić: 4; Partesh/ Parteš: 4; Pejë/Peć: 2; Ranillug/ Ranilug: 3; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 4; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 2; Zubin Potok: 3; Zvečan/Zveçan: 5. 255 advocacy initiatives led by non-governmental constituencies that protect minority rights, including cultural and historic rights of non-majority communities, with AKT assistance. The success of the JWG activity and JWG’s ability to successfully advocate for inclusion of 235 improvements to municipal services into municipal budgets enabled AKT to exceed this indicator.
Number of advocacy initiatives led Type of organization: by nongovernmental constituencies Registered CSO: 9 that protect minority rights, including 1.2.1 0 20 255 Informal groups: 12 cultural and historic rights of non- majority communities, with AKT Initiatives: assistance. Advocacy – general: 1 Law on Use of Languages: 2 Action planning: 1 Media initiatives: 4 Public participation in decision-making: 1 Improved municipal services: 235 Support to continued operation of joint working groups: 11 4 capacity building activities delivered to civic groups that protect the cultural and historic rights of non-majority communities Number of capacity building activities delivered to civic groups Type of Activity: 1.2.2 0 3 4 that protect the cultural and historic Organizational capacity building: 4 rights of non-majority communities
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Municipality: Gračanica/Graçanicë: 4; Klinë/Klina: 3; Kllokot/ Klokot: 4; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 3; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 3; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 3; Partesh/ Parteš: 3; Pejë/Peć: 3; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 3; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 2; Zvečan/Zveçan: 1.
69 complaints received municipalities with regard to implementation of the Law on Use of Languages:
Type: Number of complaints received by Written: 61 municipalities with regard to Spoken: 8 1.3.1 0 70 69 implementation of the Law on Use of Languages Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 18; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 6; Istog/Istok: 3; Klinë/Klina: 6; Kllokot/ Klokot: 6; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 3; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 1; Obiliq/Obilić: 7; Partesh/Parteš: 3; Pejë/Peć: 3; Ranillug/Ranilug: 6; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 1; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 4. 72 complaints addressed by municipalities with regard to implementation of the Law on Use of Languages. Learning and adapting to citizens’ tendency not to lodge formal complaints with a twofold approach (mobilizing CSOs to monitor and complain and rolling out a new mobile application to ease the complaint process) enabled AKT to exceed the LOP target.
Number of complaints addressed by Type: municipalities with regard to Written: 72 1.3.2 0 50 72 implementation of the Law on Use of Languages Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 14; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 13; Istog/Istok: 3; Klinë/Klina: 5; Kllokot/ Klokot: 4; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 2; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 3; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 3;Obiliq/Obilić: 4; Partesh/ Parteš: 4; Pejë/Peć: 4; Ranillug/ Ranilug: 4; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 3; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 4; Zvečan/Zveçan: 2.
269 USG-assisted facilitated events geared towards strengthening USG-assisted facilitated events understanding and mitigating conflict between groups. Changes in the geared towards strengthening exchange rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds enabled AKT 1.4.1 0 124 269 understanding and mitigating to exceed the LOP target. conflict between groups
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 13; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 13; Istog/Istok: 14; Klinë/Klina: 11; Kllokot/ Klokot: 13; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 1; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 14; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 2; Obiliq/Obilić: 12; Partesh/ Parteš: 11; Pejë/Peć: 10; Ranillug/ Ranilug: 14; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 11; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 14; Zubin Potok: 1; Zvečan/Zveçan: 3.
Type of event: Community meeting: 96; JWG: 110; roundtable: 9; LUL: 13; Other: 41.
4,189 people attended USG-assisted facilitated events geared toward strengthening understanding and mitigating conflict between groups. Changes in the exchange rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds for activities with high levels of participation enabled AKT to exceed the LOP target.
Total number of participants 4,189 Gender: M: 3,381 F: 808 Number of people attending USG- assisted facilitated events geared Age: 1.4.2 toward strengthening understanding 0 1,240 4,189 15-25: 418 and mitigating conflict between 26-35: 838 groups 36-50: 1,098 51+ : 658 n/a: 1,075
Ethnicity: K-Albanian: 1,825 K-Serb: 2,194 K-Bosnian: 52 K-RAE: 88 K-Turk: 6 Other: 24 Percent of citizens in AKT's partner Based on results from survey organized by USAID AKT and AKT LS in municipalities satisfied or highly July- August 2017, 31.19% of citizens in targeted municipalities satisfied or 1.4.3 52.9% 55.9% 31.19% satisfied with the work of local highly satisfied with select services. AKT set the target to include those authorities citizens that answered “somewhat satisfied”, however that response was
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 ultimately omitted, resulting in the appearance of missing the life-of-project target.
Percent by municipality: Istog/Istok 20.82%, Severna Mitrovica/Mitrovica Veriore 8.92%, Ranilug/Ranillug 40.87%, Kllokot/Klokot 27.91%, Parteš/Partesh 17.21%, Gjilan/Gnjilane 49.20%, Štrpce/Shtërpcë 29.85%, Klinë/Klina 36.69% Zvečan/Zveçan 18.95%, Zubin Potok 29.36% Leposavić/Leposaviq 14.17%, Vushtrri/Vučitrn 13.40%, Pejë/Peć 15.50%, Obiliq/Obilić 25.02%, Gračanica/Graçanicë 33.02% and Novo Brdo/Novobërdë 20.85%. 824 minorities, including women, trained in skills for obtaining public sector positions. Changes in the exchange rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds enabled AKT to exceed the LOP target.
Ethnicity: K-Serbian: 718 Bosnian: 45 RAE: 33 Turk: 21 Other: 7
Municipality: Number of minorities, including Gjilan/Gnjilane: 31; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 63; Istog/Istok: 5; Klinë/Klina: 15; 1.5.1 women, trained in skills for 0 610 824 Kllokot/ Klokot: 59; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 36; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 67; obtaining public sector positions North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 58; Obiliq/Obilić: 26; Partesh/ Parteš: 105; Pejë/Peć: 16; Ranillug/ Ranilug: 65; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 48; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 6; Zubin Potok: 105; Zvečan/Zveçan: 56; Other: 161.
Type of trainings: MOCR and representation of communities’ interests: 20 OSR/property tax and municipal budget: 12 Strategic planning: 16 Transparency and communication: 6 Leadership and advancement of women and minorities: 8 HR, job systemization: 2 Project management and public procurement: 6 Other: 11
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 119 constituent groups worked in partnership with AKT to deliver AKT activities
Constituent group: Number of constituent groups Municipal governments: 16 1.6.1 working in partnership with AKT to 0 110 119 Community Forums: 43 deliver AKT activities Municipal Community Forums: 12 Joint Working Groups: 12 SIAP Working Groups: 12 CSOs and Local Youth Action Councils: 24 1,631 minorities, including women, participated in local government activities with USAID AKT assistance. Changes in the exchange rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds enabled AKT to exceed the LOP target.
Ethnicity: K-Serbian: 1,538 Number of minorities, including Bosnian: 22 women, participating in local RAE: 66 1.7.1 0 1,216 1,631 government activities with USAID Turk: 5 AKT assistance Other: 0
Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 61; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 317; Istog/Istok: 26; Klinë/Klina: 23; Kllokot/ Klokot: 120; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 9; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 208; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 4; Obiliq/Obilić: 71; Partesh/Parteš: 326; Pejë/Peć: 65; Ranillug/Ranilug: 195; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 80; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 67; Zubin Potok: 4; Zvečan/Zveçan: 2; Other: 62. 271 community members involved in local development efforts
Ethnicity: K-Albanian: 99 K-Serbian: 165 Number of community members Bosnian: 5 1.8.1 involved in local development 0 277 271 RAE: 2 efforts Turk: 0 Other: 0
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 54; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 9; Istog/Istok: 13; Klinë/Klina: 10; Kllokot/ Klokot: 13; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 9; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 60; Obiliq/Obilić: 16; Partesh/ Parteš: 37; Pejë/Peć: 10; Ranillug/ Ranilug: 19; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 8; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 16; Zvečan/Zveçan: 6. 81.4% of community-based small-scale infrastructure and procurement projects with impact evaluated above average or higher by community members. The original target was set low.
Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane 74.19%; Gračanica/Graçanicë 68.00%; Istog/Istok 90.24%; Klinë/Klina 73.68%; Kllokot/Klokot 79.41%; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë 93.94%; Obiliq/Obilić 74.42%; Partes/Partesh 90.32%; Pejë/Peć 80.00%; Ranilug/Raniluk 97.37%; Štrpce/Shtërpcë 83.33%; Vushtrri/Vučitrn 72.00%
Percentage of community-based Type of project: small-scale infrastructure and Small-scale infrastructure: 1.9.1 procurement projects with impact 0 60.0% 81.4% Community center, municipal building: 2 evaluated above average or higher o Education: 10 by community members o o Playground: 3 o Public lighting: 2 o Road construction: 4 o Sidewalk construction: 2 o Water supply system: 1 Quick impact: o Community center equipment: 6 o IT and other learning materials and equipment for schools: 17 o IT equipment for healthcare center: 1 o Playground: 4
Value of sales of 16 business grantees: $1,725,097
Value of sales of minority-owned Municipality: 2.1.1 SMEs that are assisted with USG 0 $1,873,932 $1,725,095 Graçanicë/ Gračanica 1, Istog/ Istok 2, Kllokot/Klokot 1, Novobërdë/Novo funds Brdo 3, Partesh/Parteš 2, Pejë/Peć 3, Štrpce/Shtërpcë 1, Vushtrri/Vučitrn 1 and Zvečan/Zveçan 2
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 74 Full time and full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs created as a result of USAID assistance. The LOP target was set based on assumptions from work with grantees, but AKT’s technical assistance and training to other business partners also yielded additional employment.
Full time and full-time equivalent Ethnicity: K-Albanian: 28; K-Serb: 43, K-Bosnian: 2, K-RAE 1. 2.2.1 (FTE) jobs created as a result of 0 60 74 Age USAID assistance N/A: 10 15-25: 32 26-35: 14 36-50: 10 51+: 8 29 Full time and full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs created and filled by youth as a result of USAID assistance. The life-of-project target was set based on Full time and full-time equivalent assumptions from work with grantees, but AKT’s technical assistance and (FTE) jobs created and filled by training to other business partners also yielded additional employment. 2.3.1 0 10 29 youth as a result of USAID assistance Ethnicity: K-Albanian: 15; K-Serb: 13, K-Bosnian: 1
Age: 15-25: 29 38 New non-majority youth-owned businesses assisted. Changes in the exchange rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds for activities enabled AKT to exceed the life-of-project target.
Gender: Male 24, Female 14. New and existing non-majority Age: 15-25: 38 2.4.1 0 30 38 youth-owned businesses assisted Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane 2, Graçanicë/ Gračanica 10, Kllokot/Klokot 2, Leposavić/Leposaviq 2, Mitrovicë Veriore/ Severna Mitrovica 5, Novobërdë/ Novo Brdo 2, Parteš/Partesh 2, Pejë/Peć 1, Ranillug/Ranilug 2, Štrpce/Shtërpcë 3, Zubin Potok 3 and Zvečan/Zveçan 5. 84 New and existing non-majority women-owned businesses assisted. Changes in the exchange rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds for activities enabled AKT to exceed the LOP target. New and existing non-majority 2.4.2 0 77 84 women-owned businesses assisted Gender: 84 women business owners. Age: N/A: 10 15-25: 84
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 26-35: 20 36-50: 26 51+: 21
Ethnicity: K-Serb: 82, K-Bosnian: 1, and K-Turk: 1. 26 minority‐owned MSMEs linked to majority markets and larger scale firms as a result of USG assistance to the value chain. Changes in the exchange Number of minority‐owned MSMEs rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds for activities enabled linked to majority markets and AKT to exceed the life-of-project target. 2.5.1 larger‐scale firms as a result 0 12 26
of USG assistance to the value Sector: Agricultural production: 25; Packaging: 1. chain
Ethnicity: 23 K-Albanian and 17 K-Serb 222 new and existing non-majority-owned businesses assisted with AKT support. Changes in the exchange rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds for activities enabled AKT to exceed the life-of-project target.
Gender: 93 Male and 129 Female
New and existing non-majority- Sector: 2.6.1 owned businesses assisted with 0 183 222 Agricultural production and processing: 157; light manufacturing: 3; AKT support handicrafts: 4; horticulture: 2; packaging: 1; services: 31; wood processing: 6.
Age: 15-25: 19 26-35: 48 36-50: 71 51+: 43 226 MSMEs received business development services as a result of USG assistance. Changes in the exchange rate and unforeseen availability of additional funds for activities enabled AKT to exceed the life-of-project Number of MSMEs receiving target. 2.7.1 business development services as a 0 155 226 result of USG assistance Sector: Agriculture: 121; food production/processing: 50; handicrafts and textiles: 7; horticulture: 2; construction: 1; light manufacturing: 1; packaging: 1; services: 36; wood processing: 7.
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 5; Graçanicë/ Gračanica: 11; Istog/ Istok: 5; Klinë/Klina: 6; Kllokot/Klokot: 8; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 11; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 37; Novobërdë/ Novo Brdo: 35; Parteš/Partesh: 3; Pejë/Peć: 6; Ranillug/Ranilug: 3; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 27; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 6; Zubin Potok: 17; Zvečan/Zveçan: 38; Other: 8.
Gender: 131 Male and 95 Female
Ethnicity: K-Albanian 64, K –Serb 158, K-Bosnian 2, K-Roma 1, and K- Turk 1.
Age of business owner: N/A: 15 15-25: 28 26-35: 54 36-50: 83 51+: 46 Number of MSMEs receiving loans 2.7.2 0 1 0 Despite 119 participants in 6 activities in this area, no loans were issued. as a result of USG assistance 44 new non-majority-owned member firms in business associations as result of AKT assistance
Municipality: Gračanica/Graçanicë: 5; Klokot/Kllokot: 2; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 4; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 1; Parteš/Partesh: 3; Pejë/Peć: 1; North Number of new non-majority-owned Mitrovica/Mitrovicë: 7; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: 11; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 1; Zubin Potok: member firms in business 2.8.1 0 40 44 1; Zvečan/Zveçan: 8. associations as result of AKT
assistance Sector: Agriculture: 22; food processing: 14; wood processing: 8
Ethnicity: 44 K-Serb
18 individual returnees and displaced persons receiving AKT support to income generating activities. The target for this indicator was set low. Individual returnees and displaced
2.9.1 persons receiving AKT support to 0 3 18 Municipality: Novobërdë/Novo Brdo: 18 income generating activities
Gender: 15 Male and 3 Female
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017
Age: N/A: 1 15-25: 2 26-35: 7 36-50: 6 51+: 2
Ethnicity: 18 K-Serb 1,863 individuals received USG-assisted training, including management and fiscal management skills, to strengthen local government and/ or decentralization. Co-financing of activities with MLGA enabled more activities and participation by all Kosovo municipalities.
Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 139; Gračanica/Graçanicë: 75; Istog/Istok: 82; Klinë/Klina: 118; Kllokot/ Klokot: 104; Leposavić/Leposaviq: 43; Novo Brdo/Novobërdë: 114; North Mitrovica/ Mitrovicë: 70; Obiliq/Obilić: 144; Number of individuals who received Partesh/Parteš: 94; Pejë/Peć: 98; Ranillug/ Ranilug: 74; Štrpce/Shtërpcë: USG-assisted training, including 71; Vushtrri/Vučitrn: 94; Zubin Potok: 114; Zvečan/Zveçan: 81; Other: 348. management and fiscal 3.1.1 0 1,400 1,863 management skills, to strengthen Gender: Male 1363 and Female 500 local government and/ or decentralization Age: n/a 577: 15- 25: 72 26 -35: 419 36 -50: 487 50+ : 308
Ethnicity: K-Albanian: 1,109; K-Serb: 651; K-Bosnian: 45; K-RAE: 32; K- Turk: 22; Other: 6. Based on results from survey organized by USAID AKT and AKT LS in July-August 2017, 31.19% of citizens in targeted municipalities satisfied or highly satisfied with select services. AKT set the target to include those Average percent of citizens in citizens that answered “somewhat satisfied”, however that response was 3.1.2 targeted municipalities satisfied or 0% 60.0% 31.19% ultimately omitted, resulting in the appearance of missing the LOP target. highly satisfied with select services Percent by municipality: Istog/Istok 20.82%, Severna Mitrovica/Mitrovica Veriore 8.92%, Ranilug/Ranillug 40.87%, Kllokot/Klokot 27.91%, Parteš/Partesh 17.21%,
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Gjilan/Gnjilane 49.20%, Štrpce/Shtërpcë 29.85%, Klinë/Klina 36.69% Zvečan/Zveçan 18.95%, Zubin Potok 29.36% Leposavić/Leposaviq 14.17%, Vushtrri/Vučitrn 13.40%, Pejë/Peć 15.50%, Obiliq/Obilić 25.02%, Gračanica/Graçanicë 33.02% and Novo Brdo/Novobërdë 20.85%.
Disaggregation by municipal services: Local roads’ infrastructure 40.64%, Education 37.95%, Healthcare 31.78%, Sanitation 26.02%, Social care 21.19%, Administration services 50.66%, Culture, Youth and Sports 29.28%, Local emergency 35.08% Urban planning 22.84%, Parks and Squares 27.98%, Roads 26.54%, Public transport 17.27%, Public parking 17.91%, Public lighting 41.52%, Water supply 34.56% Sewage 29.23%, Waste collection 22.90% and Waste disposal 36.26%. 30,267 people received improved services derived from AKT-supported SIAP projects. An error in the calculation of the LOP target yielded a higher target than envisioned in the SIAP project support. However, an additional 11,000 citizens received improved services from other donor-supported SIAP projects. Gjilan/Gnjilane: 146 K-Serb: 23,965 K-Alb: 4,642 Graçanicë/ 3,470 K-B: 486 Gračanica K-RAE: 1,015 Istog\Istok 1040 K-T: 40 Number of people receiving (Sinaj/Sinaje) 3.1.3 improved services derived from 0 38,640 30,267 Other: 119 Klinë/Klina 1,200 AKT-supported SIAP projects Public lighting (5) Leposavic 1,879 Environment/ Waste mgmt. (1) North Mitrovica 1572 Energy efficiency (1) Novobërdë/ Novo University ed (1) 1500 Brdo Preschool ed (1) Primary health (1) Obiliq/Obilić 2,100 Zubin Potok 12000 Zvečan/Zveçan 5360
Number of targeted municipalities 16 AKT partner municipalities developed SIAPs with AKT support that develop Service Improvement 3.2.1 0 16 16 Action Plans (SIAPs) with AKT Municipality Name of SIAP support Klinë/Klina Public Lighting
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Obiliq/Obilić Public lighting Gračanica/Graçanicë Public Lighting Novo Brdo/Novobërdë Public lighting Klokot/Kllokot Primary Health Care Improvement of service delivery in the culture Ranillug/Ranilug sector Zvečan/Zveçan Municipal Plan for Energy Efficiency Zubin Potok Municipal Plan for Energy Efficiency Štrpce/Shtërpcë Municipal Plan for Energy Efficiency Partesh/Parteš Municipal Plan for Energy Efficiency Istog/Istok Public lighting Pejë/Pec E-services Vushtrri/Vucitrn Traffic mobility Gjilan/Gnjilane Preschool education Severna Mitrovica/Mitrovicë University education Veriore Leposavic/Leposaviq Primary health 24 projects implemented in SIAPs, by municipality with support of USAID AKT, AKT LS, and other donors. Municipality SIAPs Projects Implemented Rehabilitation of Ardhmëria 2 and Bozhur Gjilan/Gnjilane kindergarten playground areas Graçanicë/ Gračanica 12 projects in Public lighting (12 Projects) Installation of public lighting in the city Istog\Istok neighborhoods and village of Sinaj/Sinaje in the (Sinaj/Sinaje) municipality of Istog\Istok Number of projects implemented in 3.2.2 0 9 24 1 projects in Public Lighting and 1 projects in SIAPs Klinë/Klina Waste Bins Leposaviç/Leposavič Primary Health Improving university education through advanced North Mitrovice/a soil, water and air testing equipment Novobërdë/ Novo Public lighting Brdo Obiliq/Obilić 2 projects on Public Lighting
Ranilug/Ranillug Culture
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Heating system for the municipal building and Zubin Potok/Zubin Culture Center in Zubin Potok/Zubin Potok Potok municipality Zvečan/Zveçan Environmental protection and waste management Based on data collected from the municipalities, the number participating in these public hearings on budgets has increased to 73.89% compared with Percent increase in the number of baseline. Very high percentage of participation of women and youth in youth and women participating in Not 3.3.1 15.0% 73.89% budget public hearings is recorded in the following municipalities: Pejë/Peć, municipal budget hearings in target available Gjilan/Gnjilane, Vushtrri/Vučitrn, Klokot/Kllokot, Novo Brdo/Novobërdë. AKT municipalities attributes the high achievement to the success of the JWG activity, which targeted participation of youth and women. 41.4% increase compared with the baseline. Approval of the Law on Forgiveness of Public Debt
Increase in property tax collection in Municipality: Klokot/Kllokot 84.70%, Novo Brdo/ Novobërdë 133.28%, 3.4.1 19.0% 25.0% 41.4% targeted municipalities Parteš/ Partesh 128.26%, Gjilan/ Gnjilane 43.96%, Štrpce/Shtërpcë 104.26%, Vushtrri/ Vučitrn 50.63%, Istog/ Istok 20.33%, Ranilug/ Ranillug 28.80%, Klinë/ Klina 23.74%, Pejë/ Peć 37.84%, Gračanica/Graçanicë 42.27%, and Obiliq/ Obilic 29.00%. 24 actions taken as a result of meetings held between Municipal Offices of Number of actions taken as a result Communities and Returns (MOCR) and senior municipal leaders. of meetings held between Municipal
3.5.1 Offices of Communities and Returns 0 24 24 Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane: 8; Istog/ Istok: 1; Kllokot/Klokot: 2; (MOCR) and senior municipal Novobërdë/ Novo Brdo: 7; Obiliq/ Obilic: 1; Parteš/Partesh: 2; Pejë/Peć: 1; leaders Ranillug/Ranilug: 2. 91 AKT-supported initiatives involved MOCRs in local decision-making on policies and programs targeting local minorities and returnees.
Type of Initiatives: MOCR workshops, exchange visits, roundtable meetings: 14 Number of AKT-supported initiatives Law on Use of Languages: 1 involving MOCRs in local decision- JWG activities: 12 3.5.2 making on policies and programs 0 87 91 Skills development, internship placement project: 3 targeting local minorities and Successes and Challenges in Inclusive Vocational Training: 3 returnees Novobërdë—Business Training for returnee SIAPs
Municipality: Klinë/Klina, Obiliq/Obilić Gračanica/Graçanicë, Novo Brdo/Novobërdë
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Klokot/Kllokot, anillug/Ranilug, Zvečan/Zveçan, Zubin Potok, Štrpce/Shtërpcë, Partesh/Parteš, Istog/Istok , Pejë/Pec, Vushtrri/Vucitrn Gjilan/Gnjilane, Severna Mitrovica/Mitrovicë Veriore, Leposaviq/Leposavič According to data from Ministry of Local Government and Administration, 96.14% of municipal assembly acts posted on municipal websites. AKT attributes this to the hands-on workshops facilitated by AKT.
Percentage of municipal assembly Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane 100%, Gračanica/Graçanicë 100%, 3.6.1 34% 64% 96.14% acts posted on municipal websites Istog/Istok 100%, Klinë/Klina 100%, Klokot/Kllokot 100%, Leposavic/Leposavic 0%, North Mitrovica/e 0%, Novo Brdo/ Novobërdë 100%, Obiliq/Obilić 100%, Parteš/Partesh 100%, Pejë/Peć 100%, Ranilug/Ranillug 100%, Štrpce/Shtërpcë 100%, Vushtrri/Vučitrn 100%, Zubin Potok 0%, Zvecan/Zveçan 0%. 3837 citizens participated in municipal budget hearings in target municipalities in 2016. (Note: participation in 2016 was 3,837 – a 187% increase over baseline.) AKT attributes the achievement to the success of the JWG activity.
Municipality: Kllokot/Klokot 192, Ranilug/Ranillug 391, Klinë/Klina 301, Number of citizens participating in Vushtrri/Vučitrn 542, Novo Brdo/Novobërdë 558, Obiliq/Obilić 500, 3.7.1 municipal budget hearings in target 1339 4,355 5,176 Pejë/Peć 721, Istog/Istok 255, Gjilan/Gnjilane 540, Parteš/Partesh 292, municipalities Gračanica/Graçanicë 682, Štrpce/Shtërpcë 82, Mitrovica Veriore/Severna Mitrovica 90, Zvečan/Zveçan 30.
Gender: Male 4196, Female 980
Ethnicity: K-Albanian 2,950, K-Serb 2,161, K-Bosnian 19, K-RAE 43, K- Turk 3. 91 individuals who are not civil servants were involved in setting development priorities for municipal service delivery. The target was set based on the anticipated number of private citizens serving on SIAP working groups and did not account for the number of private citizens Number of individuals who are not serving on JWGs. civil servants and are involved in 3.8.1 0 42 91 setting development priorities for Municipality: Gjilan/Gnjilane 5, Graçanicë/Gračanica 5, Istog/Istok 7, municipal service delivery Klinë/Klina 9, Kllokot/Klokot 7, Leposavić/Leposaviq 1, Mitrovicë Veriore/ Severna Mitrovica 2, Novobërdë/ Novo Brdo 3, Obilic/Obilič 9, Parteš/Partesh 5, Pejë/Pec 6, Ranillug/Ranilug 8, Štrpce/Shtërpcë 6, Vushtrri/Vučitrn 7, Zubin Potok 8, Zvečan/Zveçan 3.
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017 Gender: Male 68, Female 23.
Ethnicity: K-Albanian 42, K-Serb 48, K-Bosnian 1.
100 tools, training courses, and advisory services were provided to CDF and sub-awardees to improve their technical capacity. AKT attributes the achievement to the highly collaborative relationship between the two projects. Number of tools, trainings, and
advisory services provided to CDF 4.1.1 0 75 100 PIR 1: 5 and sub-awardees to improve their PIR 2: 13 technical capacity PIR 3: 18 PIR 4: 42 All PIRs: 22
Average OCA score of CDF in human resource management, financial management, organizational management, and program management for Average OCA score of CDF in year 3 is 3.73. human resource management, 4.2.1 financial management, 3.67 3.77 3.73 Average Score by Area: organizational management, and HR: 4 program management FM: 3.8 OM:3.3 PM: 3.8 23 tools, training courses, and advisory services provided to CDF and sub- awardees to improve delivery of grants. Number of tools, trainings, and
advisory services provided to CDF 4.2.2 0 21 23 PIR 2: 5 and sub-awardees to improve PIR 4: 10 delivery of grants All PIRs: 8
Number of tools, trainings, and 29 tools, training courses, and advisory services provided to CDF and sub- advisory services provided to CDF awardees to improve other operational areas. AKT attributes the 4.2.3 0 11 29 and sub-awardees to improve other achievement to the highly collaborative relationship between the two operational areas projects.
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LOP LOP # Indicator Baseline Actual LOP Disaggregation Target Mar 2017
PIR 3: 6 PIR 4: 15 All PIRs: 8 57 jointly implemented AKT activities.
PIR 1: 10 Number of jointly implemented AKT 4.3.1 0 53 57 PIR 2: 9 activities PIR 3: 14 PIR 4: 23 All PIRs: 1 30 tools, training courses, and advisory services provided to CDF and sub- awardees to improve reporting capacity. AKT attributes the achievement to the highly collaborative relationship between the two projects.
CDF: 30 Number of tools, trainings, and CPT: 9 advisory services provided to CDF 4.4.1 0 17 30 KRD: 10 and sub-awardees to improve ACTIV: 7 reporting capacity
Fin. Mgmt.: 4 Org. Mgmt.: 4 Prog. Mgmt: 14 Perf. Mgmt: 6 19 tools trainings and advisory services provided to CDF and sub awardees to advance their financial capacities. AKT attributes the achievement to the Number of tools trainings and highly collaborative relationship between the two projects. advisory services provided to CDF 4.5.1 0 9 19 and sub awardees to advance their All PIRs: 19 financial capacities CDF: 19 CPT: 1 52 linkages facilitated between AKT Local Solution consortium and stakeholders Number of linkages facilitated 4.6.1 between AKT Local Solution 0 56 52 PIR 1: 17 consortium and stakeholders PIR 2: 5 PIR 3: 29 All PIRs: 1
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ANNEX II: EVALUATION OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONS Rating NGO Scope of Work Performed Strengths Weaknesses (1-10)
Strengthening Communities’ ASD recruits staff who meet basic requirements ASD had initial difficulty meeting basic reporting ASD Group Role in Municipalities (SCRIM), 6 and demonstrate a basic understanding of their requirements and requested more instructions and L.L.C capacity building for MOCR and positions, roles, and responsibilities. guidelines from AKT. CC AUK recruits highly qualified staff who are high performers and demonstrate a full AUK required AKT support in understanding inputs American understanding of their positions, roles, and from MLGA (a partner in this activity) concerning Project Management Cycle and University of 9 responsibilities. AUK delivered the activities in Handbook on Project Cycle Management and minor Public Contract Management Kosovo (AUK) the agreement, on time, on scope, and on support in finalization of the Handbook. No other budget to the achievement of the performance weaknesses observed. targets included in the agreement. The NGO was unable to prepare farmers and Business Center Zvecan recruited appropriate Women and Youth Support businesses for business linkages with majority staff and conducted intensive promotion Business Center Program for Agricultural buyers that would result in contracts signed. The 6 campaigns that resulted in a high number of Zvecan Entrepreneurship in Northern organization was also unable to identify appropriate businesses engaged in business linkage Kosovo larger scale majority business to be linked with activities. smaller non-majority businesses. Business Support Center Štrpce/Shtërpcë engaged staff that met basic requirements and Business Support Center Štrpce/Shtërpcë did not Business understood clearly the activities proposed to adequately manage the planned activities with AKT Enhancing cooperation and Support Center 6 AKT. External consultants hired were strong. that would result in desired numbers, and did not sales among communities Štrpce/Shtërpcë This NGO provided timely and good quality follow up fully with beneficiaries engaged in the reports and kept clean records of all activities for project the work accomplished for AKT. Centar za Depolitizaciju Together in Action for the NGO leadership brought a wealth of experience Organizational capacity rests with two leaders of the 6 Kosovskog Benefit of All to the activities. organization. Decision-making is centralized. Društva (CDKD) Engage CSO to facilitate realization of recommendations Communication from findings of previous LUL CSO leadership is flexible and communicative. Considerable follow-up was required by AKT staff in for Social activities and monitor 7 CSD demonstrates good systems and quality assurance in activity delivery and Development municipalities' overall progress procedures to meet donor requirements. deliverables. (CSD) on implementation of the LUL
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Rating NGO Scope of Work Performed Strengths Weaknesses (1-10) Introduction of the Language Commissioner’s Guidebook on the Implementation of the Law on the Use of Languages in 12 partner municipalities Strengthening interaction The project budget was realistic, clear, and well- among communities through documented. CoDe demonstrated complete CoDe capacity is highly centralized, and the NGO Community sport and culture knowledge of the budget and careful monitoring director and his inconsistent availability negatively Development 8 of expenditures to budget during the agreement affected the timing of delivery of activities and the Institute (CoDe) Community interaction in public period. CoDe demonstrated good two-way level of participation. spaces communication with AKT. Contact Plus demonstrated basic internal Active communication to AKT on the planning and Contact Plus Human touch story 7 standards for service delivery. status of activities could have been improved.
DataProgNet demonstrates good systems and DataProgNet leadership did not demonstrate an procedures to meet complex donor ability to actively engage external stakeholders to DataProgNet E-kiosks 9 requirements, a good understanding of USAID ensure quality beyond the actual machine regulations as applied to their agreement, and (placement, weather-protection, ease of access, consistently complied with requirements. etc.) in implementation of the activity.
D+ visibly drew on its experience and/or analytical capacity to inform good practices on Implementation of improved AKT-supported activities. The NGO actively human resources practices, participated in stakeholder discussions, sharing capacity building addressing practices, approaches, and lessons learned. D+ skills gaps in support of women consistently set realistic targets and meaningful and minorities in public sector performance indicators, monitored data that positions Democracy Plus were complete, reliable, and timely, and could 10 None. (D+) articulate differences between actual Soft skills training to women performance and the targets to identify and youth for public sector remediation measures and lessons learned. D+ positions, internships for women is a recently established NGO with highly and youth in public sector - qualified individuals on its team. With limited responsive to CDPs and AKT number of staff, they organized and succeeded priorities in implementing a complex, multi-phase process. Improving intercultural Entermedia brings considerable experience in Gaps in performance, communication, and quality Entermedia 5 communication video production. assurance led to delays, implementation of
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Rating NGO Scope of Work Performed Strengths Weaknesses (1-10) remedies, and a product that, while sufficient, is not of the quality expected considering the organization’s experience. The business has large processing capacity to The business had difficulties in fulfilling the terms of collect and process raspberries. It works with a the contract with AKT and there was a lack of EuroFruti Shpk Market linkages in raspberries 6 larger number of farmers; maintains good understanding of the instrument. It did not sustain connections with suppliers country-wide. It good relations with all engaged farmers. regularly exports to clients in Europe. Future Without FWF met the performance requirements of the Active communication to AKT on the planning and Fear-Center for agreement. Most activities were delivered on status of activities was poor. FWF had difficulty People Affected Two-sided postcard 5 time, on scope, and on budget and most understanding and complying with USAID by Conflict performance targets in the agreement were requirements. (FWF) achieved. Although GIOR demonstrated its versatility in GIOR demonstrated the ability to attract and undertaking this activity, it is not consistent with its GIOR Capacity building to NGOs 7 retain staff for key positions to deliver the organizational focus. The NGO should consider activity. where its organizational focus will be. HiTech recruits staff that meet basic Improvement of property tax requirements and demonstrate a basic HiTech had difficulty methodically managing its HiTech Shpk 7 collection understanding of their positions, roles, and agreement with AKT. responsibilities. IADK recruited highly skilled staff and produced Initiative for Strengthening Capacity and deliverables in a timely manner. It demonstrated Agricultural Collaboration of Local Farmers The level of planning and professionalism in its 9 complete knowledge of the budget and careful Development of from Northern and Southern communications with stakeholders can improve. monitoring of expenditures to budget during the Kosovo (IADK) Kosovo agreement period. Iron Consulting delivered quality deliverables, Support to Development of Care in planning and consistent robust technical Iron Consulting 8 responsive to the needs of project beneficiaries MNWE expertise at the activities can improve. and in accordance with its agreement. Good understanding of USAID regulations. Communication between KCBS and KCBS Support to Market Linkages 7 NGO has good connections with larger-scale donor/beneficiaries can improve. businesses and non-majority businesses. Provide soft-skills training to majority and minority youth for MDAF exhibited poor planning, commitment to MDAF sets realistic targets and used a system private sector positions, quality implementation, and communication of established policies and procedures for MDA Foundation internships for minorities, 7 between management and staff and staff and managing and supervising its agreement with women and youth for private project beneficiaries. It was receptive to and AKT. sector positions incorporated feedback in implementation.
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Rating NGO Scope of Work Performed Strengths Weaknesses (1-10) Increasing Employability of Young Kosovars
Exchange visits on good governance Mundesia demonstrated commitment and hard North Kosovo Women Quality of reporting and communication towards work, understands most donor requirements Mundesia Entrepreneurs Capacity 8 donors can improve. In some instances, no and provided excellent connections between Building appropriate staff was recruited. communities Enhancing capacity of Network of Communities Committees and Project budget was realistic, clear, and well- NOPM did not demonstrate complete knowledge of Peace Municipal Offices for documented. NOPM was receptive to AKT 7 the budget nor careful monitoring of expenditures to Movement Communities and Returns requests for improvements and activity budget during the agreement period. (NOPM) (MOCR) to advocate for non- guidance. majority communities' needs Friendship demonstrated basic internal NVO Prijateljstvo Community interaction activities standards for service delivery. Friendship 7 -- (Friendship) in north showed ability to easily link and partner with other organizations. QPM demonstrated professional engagement Youth and community activities Qendra e with stakeholders. QPM consistently to supplement small-scale Performancës së 7 incorporated stakeholder suggestions in -- infrastructure and quick impact Mirë (QPM) implementation and demonstrated quality two- activities way communication. Recura recruits highly qualified staff that are high performers and demonstrate a full Recura staff did not participate in stakeholder understanding of their positions, roles, and discussions or shared practices, approaches, or Recura OSR Action Plans 9 responsibilities. The NGO delivered the lessons learned with the four northern activities in the agreement, on time, on scope, municipalities, but was carried out with a hired and on budget to the achievement of the expert from the north. performance targets included in the agreement. RTC demonstrated good two-way RTC had difficulty paying an appropriate level of communication between management and staff care and attention to implementation of activities to Development of Municipal and within and across functions. RTC their intended potential. AKT staff as regularly Regional Capacity Development Plans demonstrated good systems and procedures to engaged in reviewing and providing assistance to Technology (CDPs) 5 meet complex donor requirements, a good RTC staff to bring activities and deliverables up to Center (RTC) understanding of USAID regulations as applied the expected quality standards. Inadequate planning Creation and support to JWGs to their agreement, and consistently complied and over-extension of the NGO during with requirements. implementation negatively affected performance.
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Rating NGO Scope of Work Performed Strengths Weaknesses (1-10) Business Promotion Program There is room for improved understanding USAID NGO demonstrated high commitment and hard SABOR for Female Entrepreneurs in 7 regulations, and contracts in general. Poorly work and achieved most targets Northern Kosovo qualified staff engaged in projects. Organization is experienced in organizing and implementing related to this specific SARA Chess Organizing of Multiethnic Chess 8 activity/sport. Their only goal is improving -- Club Tournament-Brezovica Open conditions in local chess clubs and supporting organizing chess tournaments. They were unable to fulfill the targets envisioned in The organization has strong pool of experts for design delivered in the proposal. They met only SPARK/IBCM Workforce readiness 4 activities with AKT. They demonstrated basic requirements and had difficulties in recruiting professional engagement with stakeholders. the right stakeholders for the project. They were unable to meet deadlines. Srpsko Slovo Good News (Dobrevesti) - Life Well structured, well organized, focused on the 9 (SS) stories that bring people closer media sector. The business demonstrated professionalism Technical report writing required assistance and ViPrint Workforce readiness 8 and ability to implement the project as planned. guidance from AKT. Struggled to recruit the right Professional staff engaged people for the project.
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ANNEX III: INDEX OF TECHNICAL REPORTS
PIR 1:
Action Plan with the Office of the Language Commissioner
Advancing Kosovo Together Consultant Report Ellen Seats
AKT Labor Survey Report July 2016
AKT Prime Deliverable 1-1 Small Scale Infrastructure Projects
AKT Prime Deliverable 1-2 Capacity for Interethnic Cooperation
AKT Prime Deliverable 1-3 Capacity of the OLC
AKT Prime Deliverable 1-4 Action Plan with the OLC
AKT Prime Deliverable 1-5 Stakeholder Analysis
AKT Prime Deliverable 1-6 Labor Survey Report
AKT Prime Deliverable 1-7 Calendar of Events
CSD Research Findings Report English
GIOR Final Report
JWG Activity Final Report
JWG Handbook
OCAT Assessment Results for CSOs Office of Language Commissioner Complaint Process Flow Chart Albanian Office of Language Commissioner Complaint Process Flow Chart Serbian
OLC Recommendations for Handling Complaints Jan 2015
OLC Recommended Changes to Statutes and Regulations_Jan_2015
PIR 2:
Advancing Kosovo Together Consultant Report Dusan Kulka AKT Prime Deliverable 2-1, Evidence on Increased Number of MSEs with Wider
Access to Markets and Sales and Employment Growth
AKT Prime Deliverable 2-2, Evidence on Linkages Created Between Associations AKT Prime Deliverable 2-3, Report on Market Opportunities to Link Majority and
Non-Majority Businesses AKT Prime Deliverable 2-4, Productivity Sales and Workforce of Targeted
Businesses AKT Prime Deliverable 2-5, Rapid Assessment of Workforce Skills Gaps for
Minority Groups and Related Action Plan
Assessment of Business Grantees Berman Group
Assessment Report by Berman Group
Business Center Zvecan Linkages Reports
Business Support Center Kosovo Business Advisory Services
Business Support Center Kosovo Business Needs Assessment Business Support Center Kosovo Queen Bee Rearing Report (Albanian)
Business Support Center Kosovo B2B Facilitator Report
Business Support Center Strpce Final Report
Consultant Report Tines Serhati - Inclusive Vocational Training.pdf
Consultant Report Vladimir Braun Consultant Report Driton Salihu
Eurofruti Final Report
Mundesia Final Report
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 66
IADK Linkages Activity Final Report 2015.odt MDAF Increasing Employability of Young Kosovars Final Report
MDAF Soft Skills Training and Internship Report
Sabor Business Promotion for Women Entrepreneurs Report
PIR 3:
AKT Prime Deliverable 3-1 Municipal Capacity Building
AKT Prime Deliverable 3-2 Enhanced Engagement AKT Prime Deliverable 3-3 Report on Priority Challenges in Partner Municipalities
Final AKT Prime Deliverable 3-4 Municipal Capacity Development Plans and
Implementation of Tools
AKT Prime Deliverable 3-5 Service Improvement Action Plans AUK Project Cycle Management Report
Gjilan Capacity Development Plan
Gjilan-Gjnilane SIAP Preschool Education
Gracanica-Gracanica Capacity Development Plan
Gracanica-Gracanica SIAP Public Lighting Hi-Tech_Report on Property Tax Activity
Istog-Istok Capacity Development Plan
Istog-Istok SIAP Public Lighting
Kline-Klina Capacity Development Plan
Kline-Klina SIAP Public Lighting
Kline-Klina SIAP Waste Management
Kllokot-Klokot Capacity Development Plan
Kllokot-Klokot SIAP Healthcare
Leposavic-Leposaviq Capacity Development Plan Leposavic-Leposaviq SIAP Healthcare MDAF Final Report on Exchange Visits Municipal Assessments Municipal Self-Assessment Report 2014-2017
North Mitrovica/e Capacity Development Plan North Mitrovica/e SIAP University Education NovoBrdo-Novoberde SIAP Public Lighting
NovoBrdo-Novoberde Capacity Development Plan
Obiliq-Obilic Capacity Development Plan Obiliq-Obilic SIAP Public Lighting Partes-Partesh Capacity Development Plan
Partes-Partesh SIAP Energy Efficiency
Peje-Pec Capacity Development Plan Peje-Pec SIAP E-Services Project Cycle Management Handbook Albanian
Project Cycle Management Handbook Serbian
Ranilug-Ranillug Capacity Development Plan Ranilug-Ranillug SIAP Culture
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 67
Recura Report on Development of OSR Action Plans
Shterpc-Shterpce Capacity Development Plan Shterpc-Shterpce SIAP Energy Efficiency
SIAP_Brochures
Vushtrri-Vucitrn Capacity Development Plan Vushtrri-Vucitrn SIAP Traffic Mobility
Zubin Potok Capacity Development Plan Zubin Potok SIAP Energy Efficiency
Zvecan-Zveqan Capacity Development Plan Zvecan-Zveqan SIAP Energy Efficiency
PIR 4:
AKT Consultant Report Jamie DeSalu
AKT Consultant Trip Report Irakly Chkhenkely
AKT Consultant Trip Report Alexandra Simonians AKT Consultant Report Zachary Hubbell
AKT Prime Deliverable 4-1 Joint Implementation Plan AKT Prime Deliverable 4-2 Local Consortium Organizational Capacity Assessments
and Plans
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 68
ANNEX IV: OBJECTIVE 1 AND 3 BENEFICIARIES AND COST INFORMATION
Individuals Mobilized in Beneficiaries Cost Identification Municipality Community Project Name Non- Non- USAID Total Majority Total Majority Total Municip. majority majority AKT Quick Impact Kmetoce/ IT equipment for Vuk Karadzic Gjilan/Gnjilane 1 0 1 30 0 30 $3,780 $0 $3,780 Kmetovce primary school Kmetoce/ IT equipment for Skenderbegu Gjilan/Gnjilane 1 1 0 100 100 0 $4,242 $0 $4,242 Kmetovce primary school Gjilan/Gnjilane Livoc/Livoce Playground 23 20 3 410 380 30 $2,615 $0 $2,615 Gjilan/ Gnjilane Ponesh/Pones Playground 61 47 14 80 40 40 $3,000 $0 $3,000 Dobrushe/ Istog/Istok Primary school IT equipment 12 0 12 180 0 180 $3,548 $0 $3,548 Dobrusa Community center furnishings Istog/Istok Sine/ Sinaje 7 3 4 1,150 1,100 50 $1,948 $0 $1,948 and equipment Krusheve e Klinë/Klina Madhe/Veliko Playground 18 15 3 190 120 70 $3,407 $0 $3,407 Krusevo Sound equipment for Klokot/Kllokot Klokot/Kllokot 31 5 26 1,650 150 1,500 $3,575 $0 $3,575 community center Klokot/Kllokot Mogila/Mogille Primary school IT equipment 36 29 7 249 195 54 $2,532 $0 $2,532 Purchasing equipment and North Mitrovica/ North Mitrovica/ inventory for primary school S. 4 0 4 930 0 930 $3,600 $0 $3,600 Mitrovica e Veriut Mitrovica e Veriut Sava Novo Brdo/ Koretiste/ Community center equipment 20 0 20 1,100 100 1,000 $2,205 $0 $2,205 Novobërdë Koretishte Babin Most/ Obiliq/Obilić Primary school equipment 21 0 21 110 0 110 $3,981 $0 $3,981 Babimost Crkvena Vodica/ Obiliq/Obilić Primary school IT equipment 16 2 14 110 60 50 $3,250 $0 $3,250 Caravodice Plemetine/ Obiliq/Obilić Community center equipment 31 10 21 3,350 840 2,510 $2,593 $0 $2,593 Plementina Parteš/Partesh Budriga/Budrige School equipment 34 0 34 105 0 105 $3,159 $0 $3,159 Parteš/Partesh Partes/Partesh Primary school IT equipment 21 0 21 350 0 350 $2,977 $0 $2,977 Furnishing and smart boards Parteš/Partesh Pasjane/Pasjan 1 0 1 180 0 180 $8,527 $0 $8,527 for primary school Belo Polje/ Pejë/Peć Community center equipment 13 3 10 60 30 30 $826 $0 $826 Bellopoje Donje Korminjane/ Ranilug/Ranillug Community center equipment 24 0 24 600 0 600 $1,690 $0 $1,690 Korminjane I Ulet Purchasing smart boards for Ranilug/Ranillug Ranilug/Raniluk 28 0 28 270 0 270 $3,054 $0 $3,054 primary school
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Individuals Mobilized in Beneficiaries Cost Identification Municipality Community Project Name Non- Non- USAID Total Majority Total Majority Total Municip. majority majority AKT Donja Bitinja/Biti e Štrpce/Shtërpcë IT equipment for school 10 4 6 142 65 77 $2,973 $0 $2,973 Poshtme Štrpce/Shtërpcë Vica/Viqe Playground 11 6 5 56 36 20 $3,329 $0 $3,329 Sports field equipment for Vushtrri/Vučitrn Gojbule/Gojbulja 11 1 10 30 6 24 $2,401 $0 $2,401 school IT equipment for family Vushtrri/Vučitrn Prilluzhe/Priluzje 16 4 12 160 0 160 $1,646 $0 $1,646 healthcare clinic Zubin Potok/ Primary school technical and Zubin Potok 1 1 0 120 120 0 $3,373 $0 $3,373 Zubin Potok sports equipment Zvečan/Zveçan Boletin Primary school IT equipment 2 2 0 18 18 0 $2,624 $0 $2,624 Zvečan/Zveçan Zas/Zazhe Primary school IT equipment 2 2 0 19 19 0 $2,624 $0 $2,624 Zvečan/Zveçan Lipa/Lipe Primary school IT equipment 1 1 0 19 19 0 $2,624 $0 $2,624 Small-Scale Infrastructure Gjilan/Gnjilane Livoc/Livoce Road Asphalting 27 23 4 2,500 2,370 130 $282,835 $233,333 $49,502 Gračanica/ Primary School Central Heating Radevo/Radeve 13 1 12 40 15 25 $14,996 $2,916 $12,080 Graçanicë System Primary School Central Heating Gračanica/ Susica/Sushice System and Schoolyard 13 6 7 18 0 18 $15,730 $3,199 $12,531 Graçanicë Fencing Dragolece/ Istog/Istok Road Asphalting 6 1 5 122 100 22 $66,489 $20,795 $45,694 Dragoljevac Klinë/Klina Rudice/Rudicë Road Asphalting 13 0 13 432 30 402 $82,864 $32,532 $50,332 Klokot/Kllokot Vrbovac/Vrboce Pedestrian Sidewalk 16 4 12 545 25 520 $60,009 $12,374 $47,635 Leposavić/ Leposovic/ Rëvatskë/Rvatska Chess Club 1 0 1 50 0 50 $5,545 $915 $4,630 Leposaviq Leposaviq Leposavić/ Leposovic/ Primary School IT and Heating 1 0 1 26 0 26 $3,698 $0 $3,698 Leposaviq Leposaviq Equipment Leposavić/ Leposovic/ Primary School IT, Heating, 3 0 3 30 0 30 $5,590 $0 $5,590 Leposaviq Leposaviq and Sports Equipment North Mitrovica/ North Mitrovica/ Kindergarten Furnishings 2 0 2 693 0 693 $10,437 $2,005 $8,432 Mitrovica e Veriut Mitrovica e Veriut North Mitrovica/ North Mitrovica/ Primary School IT and Sports 2 1 1 83 83 0 $6,752 $0 $6,752 Mitrovica e Veriut Mitrovica e Veriut Equipment, Learning Materials Novo Brdo/ Bostane Playground 19 0 19 70 0 70 $22,632 $5,666 $16,966 Novobërdë Novo Brdo/ Kusce/ Kufce Street Lighting 21 7 14 890 204 686 $22,422 $4,409 $18,013 Novobërdë Primary School Central Heating Crkvena Vodica/ Obiliq/Obilić System and Wheelchair 16 2 14 110 60 50 $37,822 $7,763 $30,059 Caravodice Accessible Entry Parteš/Partesh Budriga/ Budrige Pedestrian Sidewalk 34 0 34 1,250 0 1,250 $60,988 $12,062 $48,926 Gorazhdevce/ Pejë/Peć Street Lighting 6 0 6 950 0 950 $45,102 $9,002 $36,100 Gorazdevac USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 70
Individuals Mobilized in Beneficiaries Cost Identification Municipality Community Project Name Non- Non- USAID Total Majority Total Majority Total Municip. majority majority AKT Ropotovo/ Ranilug/Ranillug Sports Field Reconstruction 26 0 26 1,200 0 1,200 $60,474 $12,150 $48,324 Ropotove Donja Bitinja/Biti e Štrpce/Shtërpcë Sports Field Fencing 10 4 6 400 160 240 $15,673 $3,854 $11,819 Poshtme Water Supply System Štrpce/Shtërpcë Vica/Viqe 11 6 5 500 300 200 $24,848 $3,927 $20,921 Rehabilitation Storm Water Drainage and Vushtrri/Vučitrn Banjske/Banjska 13 4 9 600 500 100 $47,584 $8,745 $38,839 Road Rehabilitation Zubin Potok/ Primary School IT and Sports Zubin Potok 3 0 3 800 0 800 $6,051 $0 $6,051 Zubin Potok Equipment, Learning Materials Translation and E-voting Zubin Potok/ Zubin Potok Equipment for Municipal 17 3 14 369 53 316 $31,532 $5,730 $25,802 Zubin Potok Assembly Hall Zvečan/Zveçan Zvecan/Zvecan Primary school IT equipment 23 0 23 500 0 500 $13,381 $2,331 $11,050 Kindergarten Kitchen Zvečan/Zveçan Zvecan/Zvecan 2 0 2 330 0 330 $15,409 $2,521 $12,888 Equipment 755 218 537 24,276 7,298 16,978 $1,044,966 $386,229 $658,737 Total 100% 29% 71% 100% 30% 70% 100% 37% 63%
USAID ADVANCING KOSOVO TOGETHER: FINAL REPORT 71
No. Beneficiaries Cost USAID AKT Project Implementation Municipality SIAP Project Non- USAID Support Total Majority Total Municip. s majority AKT Pre-school Rehabilitation of Ardhmëria 2 and Bozhur Gjilan/Gnjilane 9 146 113 33 $52,672 $17,500 $35,172 Education kindergarten playgrounds Gračanica/ 5.9km public lighting in Gracanica/ Public Lighting 8 3,470 60 3,410 $53,493 $17,919 $35,574 Graçanicë Graçanicë 3.7km public lighting in Istog/Istok and Istog/Istok Public Lighting 6 1,040 825 215 $43,782 $7,889 $35,893 village Sinaj/Sinaje Public Lighting; Klinë/Klina Waste 8 3.4km public lighting in Klinë/Klina 1,200 1,000 200 $33,033 $8,994 $24,039 Management Primary Kllokot/Klokot 5 (AKT Local Solution support) Healthcare Leposavić/ Primary Medical equipment for health center in 14 1,879 67 1,812 $41,205 $7,200 $34,005 Leposaviq Healthcare Sočanica/Soçanicë North Mitrovica/ University 16 Thermoanalyzer machine for University 1,572 0 1,572 $57,766 $10,799 $46,967 Mitrovicë Education 6.6km public lighting Koretište/ Novobërdë/ Novo Public Lighting 28 Koretishtë, Stanišor/Stanishor, and 1,500 404 1,096 $48,943 $8,647 $40,296 Brdo Prekovce/Prekoc Obilic/Obilič Public Lighting 7 1.2km public lighting in Obilic/Obilič 2,100 1,890 210 $27,122 $6,510 $20,612 Partesh/Parteš Energy Efficiency 10 (AKT Local Solution support) Pejë/Peć E-services 4 (AKT Local Solution support) Ranilug/Ranillug Cultural Services 7 (AKT Local Solution support) Štrpce/Shtërpcë Energy Efficiency 15 (AKT Local Solution support) Vushtrri/Vučitrn Traffic Mobility 4 (AKT Local Solution support) 400kW to replace a non-operational Zubin Potok Energy Efficiency 4 boiler for community center and 12,000 3 11,997 $17,444 $2,918 $14,526 assembly hall 1,240 waste bins: Banjska/Banjskë, Energy Efficiency Zvečan/Zveçan 8 Veliko Rudare/Rudare e Madhe, 5,360 320 5,040 $44,908 $8,299 $36,609 and Environment Korilje/Korilë, Zvečan/Zveçan, and Lipa. 30,267 4,682 25,585 $420,368 $96,675 $323,693 Total 17 153 10 100% 15% 85% 100% 23% 77%
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