Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

SERBIA CONTINGENCY PLANNING AND ECONOMIC SECURITY PROGRAM (SCOPES)

SEMI -ANNUAL REPORT #2

OCTOBER 1 ST 2006 – MARCH 31ST 2007

April 20, 2007

This report was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Development Alternatives, Inc.

SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program (SCOPES)

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT #2 OCTOBER 1ST 2006 – MARCH 31ST 2007

April 20, 2007

DISCLAIMER The author’s views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

Development Alternatives Inc. Humska 3 11000 Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro Phone: (381) 11 3690 757 Fax: (381) 11 2647 222 Under Contract: DFD-I-00-05-00250-00 Task Order #1

SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...... 4

SECTION 2: PREPAREDNESS AND PLANNING ACTIVITY ...... 8

SECTION 3: ECONOMIC SECURITY COMPONENT ...... 24

SECTION 4: SURGE CAPACITY ...... 36

ANNEX A: SUCCESS STORIES...... 39

ANNEX B: SUMMARY OF SCOPES MEDIA COVERAGE...... 44

ANNEX C: QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF MUNICIPAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CAPACITY...... 76

ANNEX D: PERFORMANCE MONITORING TABLES ...... 83

SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

SECTION 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction

Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) is pleased to submit this Semi-Annual Report for the Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Security program (SCOPES). This report covers program activity for the period of October 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007. This is the second semi-annual report submitted by DAI for SCOPES and covers activities, outputs and results realized during the reporting period. The report covers activities of SCOPES’ three program teams – Preparedness and Planning, Economic Security and Surge.

Preparedness and Planning

In October and November 2006, SCOPES provided basic three-day disaster management training for 13 municipalities (Preševo, Bujanovac, Medvedja, Vranje, Leskovac, Prokuplje, Novi Pazar, Kraljevo, Tutin, Raška, Kragujevac, Kruševac and Sjenica) to strengthen core Crisis Management Teams (CMTs). Ninety one crisis responders were trained in how to improve communication and coordination within municipal Crisis Management Teams and to prepare all-hazard municipal preparedness plans. Following the training, technical assistance was provided to all 13 municipalities in development of a general all-hazards preparedness plan. Though the 13 exceeded USAID requirements, SCOPES was unable to train or work with Kuršumlija, originally targeted for this first round, due to internal factors within the municipality, which prevented the municipality from sending representatives to the training.

Thirteen municipalities submitted crisis response plans on November 30, 2006 which, in turn, were submitted to USAID on December 1, 2006. The plans submitted during this reporting period reflect the many differences among the municipalities. Apart from topography, physical infrastructure, population size and density, the plans differed in terms of resource availability, technical capacity, political context, and openness of planning to new ideas and new participants.

Based on the trainings and the first set of plans received, the team revised and finalized the Municipal Emergency Management Capacity Index (MEMCI) from December to January. From then through March, the Preparedness and Planning team conducted in-depth MEMCI interviews in each of the original 14 municipalities. Some interviews were conducted with training participants, but most were with persons who view municipal crisis response from outside the CMT. The goal was to identify from inside and outside the CMT what additional training or technical assistance the municipalities may need. Suggested “advanced” courses include: (1) needs assessment; (2) risk assessment; (3) communications with media and the public in crisis situations; (4) improved knowledge of SPHERE/humanitarian principles; and, (5) selected technical areas, such as special courses on emergency medicine and handling of chemical substances.

Economic Security

Some 700 people attended news conferences announcing the launch of USAID/SCOPES Economic Security activities and follow up presentations on “Realizing Your Dream,” a

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business plan competition, in Economic Security’s first seven targeted municipalities,1 in February-March 2007. SCOPES used the announcement to generate interest in this component and to “jump start” its work. Response was significantly stronger than SCOPES’ most optimistic advance estimates. Resulting publicity was carried broadly by both print and broadcast media, ensuring that word about SCOPES Economic Security component and the business plan competition was widely spread in all regions covered by Component II.2 Because young people are a special interest to SCOPES, news conferences in Novi Pazar and Prijepolje included representatives of youth groups who spoke about the challenges that they personally face in trying to enter the job market.

Each news conference was followed by a presentation on business planning and the business plan competition. While news media, municipal leaders, and representatives of potential partner organizations, the business community and NGOs were invited to the news conference, business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs were invited to the presentations. These were originally envisioned as workshops, but the format was changed to a seminar as attendance at the presentations was, on average, nearly twice as high as originally anticipated. Winners of the business plan competition will be announced in late May or early June and will be eligible for a combination of investments, training, technical assistance and mentoring from SCOPES over six to 18 months.

The kick-off events and surrounding publicity resulted in the submission of almost 600 concept papers, which were subsequently reviewed in the field by SCOPES program staff. Some 135 were accepted and will continue in the competition. These 135 that passed to the next stage will be invited to a three-part business plan training being provided in each municipality. Submission of full business plans will follow. In preparation for the training, a three-day training of trainers (TOT) was provided to 13 trainers who will conduct the business plan training. In preparation for the evaluation of the business plans, SCOPES has recruited a panel of independent professionals to help evaluate submissions.

Other team efforts during the past six months have laid the groundwork for the roll-out of additional Economic Security activities during the next reporting period. These efforts include:

• Helping individuals develop marketable skills. SCOPES identified targeted vulnerable groups in each municipality and began to identify supplier groups and their training needs. • Internships and apprenticeships. Through the concept papers submitted in the BPC as well as individual visits with existing companies, SCOPES has found opportunities for developing or improving apprenticeships and internships. • Develop public-private partnerships. SCOPES has already found a number of opportunities that will be explored in the next six months. • Improving local government response to community needs. The Economic Working Groups (fostered primarily by prior USAID programs) will be SCOPES’ primary vehicle for bringing the economic development needs of the community to the attention of local government. Work with the EWGs has recently begun.

1 Kraljevo, 13 Feb.; Medvedja, 16 Feb.; Presevo-Bujanovac combined, 22 Feb.; Novi Pazar, 28 Feb.; Prijepolje, 1 Mar.; and Kursumlija, 9 Mar. 2 For full details on media coverage, see Appendix B.

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Surge Capacity

Although the Surge Contract Option was not exercised during the reporting period, the SCOPES team put significant effort into increasing the project’s preparedness for responding to a Surge event. The table below presents a summary of Surge preparedness milestones during the reporting period.

Milestone Date Monthly coordination meetings with UNHCR(s) Serbia and Montenegro started November Revised SCOPES Surge Capacity Plan for Serbia submitted November Surge simulation exercise conducted with project staff December SCOPES Surge Capacity Plan for Montenegro submitted January Grants pre-qualification RfA for international NGOs released March Solicitation for food / non-food item price quotes released to local vendors March Grants pre-qualification RfA for local NGOs released March

Administrative Activities

SCOPES Staffing. During the first half of the reporting period, SCOPES completed the establishment of the field offices. While the staffing of the Belgrade office and the administrative side of the field offices is largely complete SCOPES has encountered difficulty in filling some of the field-based program officer positions and, consequently, has had to look to more aggressive means for identifying individuals (such as the engagement of recruiting firms) and recruiting from outside the immediate vicinity Novi Pazar and Vranje.

Memorandums of Understanding. MOUs were negotiated with program municipalities. In addition, MOUs are pending signature with the Coordination Body, Civil Defense and the Serbian Red Cross. Though the former two have been delayed due to the delay in the formation of a new Serbian government following January’s general elections, cooperation with both institutions remains excellent.

Delegations from Washington, D.C. SCOPES was asked by USAID to prepare and deliver a number of presentations and information on project progress and findings for the following delegations from Washington, D.C.:

Visitor(s) Date(s) John Boris, Director, SEED Division, Department of State September 25, 2006 David Atwood, Director, E&E/DGST November 8, 2006 Glenn Rogers, Sector Policy Economist, E&E/DGST November 28, 2006 - Judith Dunbar, Conflict Specialist, DCHA/CMM December 11, 2006 (field trip) Nancy Iris, Deputy Director, BPRM/ECA January 31, 2007 Rolf Olson, Refugee Officer, BPRM/ECA Marylin Schmidt, Director, E&E/ECA January 31, 2007 Thomas Fleetwood “Woody” Mefford, Deputy Assistant Administrator, AA/E&E

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SECTION 2: PREPAREDNESS AND PLANNING ACTIVITY

Summary of Accomplishments

In the period October 2006 through March 2007, the Impact in numbers Preparedness and Planning team trained 91 crisis responders to improve communication and coordination • 91 crisis responders trained to in municipal Crisis Management Teams and to prepare improve communication and all-hazard municipal preparedness plans. Thirteen coordination in municipal municipalities participated in the three-day training Crisis Management Teams sessions, sending 10 senior ranking government • 13 planning documents officials, who are legally responsible for directing submitted as a result of training municipal crisis response, as well as representatives of and technical assistance republic- and municipal-level responders. Despite the legal obligation, two of the 13 municipalities had not • 3 plans resulted in executive decisions being issued and 3 convened Crisis Management Teams until SCOPES resulted in draft ordinances engagement. With technical assistance provided by being submitted to local SCOPES, all 13 – eight more than targeted in the assemblies contract -- submitted municipal planning documents by November 30, 2006. A Training Plan for the first • 15 international organizations round of municipalities was submitted to USAID on join Disaster Management Working Group to advocate for September 29, 2006. Subsequently, curriculum for the national normative framework training was developed by the Preparedness and Planning team, based on international and domestic best practice models.

The team undertook complementary initiatives to address a central finding of the August 2006 Crisis Response Capacity Assessment Report that has been confirmed in all subsequent Preparedness and Planning encounters: actors at both national and municipal levels universally expressed the desire for a national normative or policy framework on disaster management. Insufficient legislation is raised at all levels as the single most important reason for breakdowns experienced in the current system. To address the policy vacuum at local level, the Component 1 team has provided technical assistance for grounding the municipal emergency planning and response process in local government decisions. So far, three municipal governments (Bujanovac, Krusevac and Prokuplje) have issued executive decisions on emergency preparedness and three others (Raska, Presevo and Vranje) have drafted ordinances for submission to their local assemblies. At the national level, the Preparedness and Planning team has fostered the creation of a Disaster Management Working Group, chaired by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator and composed of a broad spectrum of international actors that will advocate with the Serbian government for a national disaster management framework. The group of fifteen embassies and organizations are tentatively scheduled to meet in plenary in May 2007.

To derive lessons learned and further training needs, to identify strengths and weaknesses in municipal crisis response capacity, to build the base for a broad network of responders inside and outside government, and to identify potential "flashpoints" that could trigger crisis, the Preparedness and Planning team conducted 60 Municipal Emergency Management Capacity Index interviews with crisis responders in 14 municipalities. That formally structured data-gathering effort, undertaken in all municipalities that may be

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included in Component 1 activities, complements the team's regular early-warning monitoring of risks to social and political instability. The combined results of this deep -- and continuously deepening -- municipal profiling were reflected in the nine monthly reports and one special situation report submitted during this period, as well as in several presentations to USAID. This semiannual report comprehensively presents the cumulative findings of this first round of MEMCI data collection.

Workplan Activity Update

Tasks 1.1.1 and 1.1.2: Assess crisis planning, preparedness and response capacity at the national level and in target municipalities; develop an initial component work plan

Throughout this period, Component 1 activities have been planned and undertaken specifically to implement recommendations contained in the August 2006 Crisis Response Capacity Assessment Report (hereinafter referred to as the "Assessment"). Preparedness and planning activities are integrated so as to monitor conditions and adapt component programming accordingly. New information on potential hazards and concerns of crisis responders is continually gathered and processed for each municipality. As a result, fact- finding continues on an ongoing basis and informs each subsequent step in project implementation.

The approach to developing curriculum and course materials illustrates this interplay of fact-finding and adapting. For the initial disaster management training, the Preparedness and Planning team developed strategy and materials based on the following:

• Findings and conclusions from the Assessment; • Consultations on available resources with the University of Belgrade Center for Human Security, Ministry of Defense/Department for Civil Protection of Serbia (hereinafter referred to as "Civil Protection"), Ministry of Interior/Directorate for Protection and Rescue, members of the UN country team, Stability Pact Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative, International Committee of the Red Cross, and MEGA, as well as review of open-source resource materials in disaster management and municipal preparedness; • Lessons learned shared by the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and Serbian Red Cross from their initial municipal disaster preparedness training sessions; • Recommendations from Crisis Management Teams in Presevo, Bujanovac, and Prokuplje; • Findings from first test use in Presevo and Bujanovac of the draft Municipal Emergency Management Capacity Index ("MEMCI").

The result was a program designed (a) to support establishment of formal coordination procedures within municipal crisis management systems and (b) to improve communications and teamwork among municipal planners/responders, an issue that was emphasized as a pressing need by municipal actors, SCOPES assessment experts and the IFRC. On September 29, 2006, SCOPES submitted the "Crisis Prevention, Preparedness and Response Training Plan" and, on October 24, 2006, the Trainers' Manual and Participants' Manual which, combined, formed the basis of the subsequent training.

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Training was conducted in October and November 2006 (see Task 1.1.3). In their evaluation reports, participants rated their satisfaction with the experience as 3.34/4, with 3 being "satisfied" and 4 being "very satisfied." Comments reflected participants' different backgrounds, varying skills and prior exposure to disaster management concepts. They were generally positive, reflecting appreciation for USAID/SCOPES' attention to a long- neglected issue, but – other than requesting a standard glossary on disaster management terminology -- did not indicate clear directions for improving the course. In their reports, however, trainers observed a need for additional tools to aid the municipal planning process. In early November, technical assistants, working on site with municipal Crisis Management Teams ("CMTs"), collaborated with the Preparedness and Planning team to create a worksheet based on CMT input. The new worksheet was used to help several CMTs think through the emergency planning process from the perspective of local administration, instead of from the perspective of the old Ministry of Defense-driven system. Thirteen municipalities submitted their planning documents on November 30 2006 (see Task 1.1.4).

From December 2006 through March 2007, the Preparedness and Planning team conducted in-depth MEMCI interviews in each of the original 14 municipalities. Some interviews were conducted with training participants, but most were with persons who view municipal crisis response from outside the CMT. The goal was to identify from inside and outside the CMT what additional training or technical assistance the municipalities may need. Suggested “advanced” courses are: (1) needs assessment; (2) risk assessment; (3) communications with media and the public in crisis situations; (4) improved knowledge of SPHERE/humanitarian principles; and, (5) selected technical areas, such as special courses on emergency medicine and handling of chemical substances.

In order to adapt to these needs in Year 2, the Preparedness and Planning team is working with representatives of the University of Belgrade Center for Human Security, Ministry of Defense/Department for Civil Protection, Ministry of Interior/Directorate for Protection and Rescue, the UN country team, World Bank, Stability Pact Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative, International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of the Red Cross, Serbian Red Cross and others to develop new courses. A special course on water system management in crisis situations, Plan reagovanja komunalnog preduzeća u kriznoj situaciji sa planom komunikacije/Crisis response plan for a public utilities company and communications plan, was developed by the SLGRP program for technical experts and is being adapted for CMT use in flood-prone municipalities. Technical assistance will continue to be offered on-site to municipalities in taking their planning documents to more detailed levels, i.e., adding and updating hazard-specific operational annexes.

Task 1.1.3: Build capacity in target municipalities to monitor and plan for emergencies

Original target municipalities

First-round target municipalities for Preparedness and Planning activities were selected by USAID on June 22, 2006. Of the eleven original municipalities (Preševo, Bujanovac, Medvedja, Vranje, Leskovac, Prokuplje, Novi Pazar, Kraljevo, Tutin, Kuršumlija and Raška), five were to have completed crisis response plans by December 1, 2006. On

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September 29, 2006, in response to a request from SCOPES, USAID approved adding three more municipalities – Kragujevac and Kruševac because of their status as likely IDP destinations and Sjenica because of its proximity to Novi Pazar – to the initial set of municipalities in which Component 1 training could take place during 2006.

In October and November 2006, SCOPES provided basic disaster management training to 13 municipalities to strengthen core CMTs. According to prevailing Serbian law, mayors/ presidents of municipal assemblies chair CMTs. For this initial training, participants were invited by mayors. Participants represented a spectrum of republic- and local-level crisis responders physically present in municipalities:

Republic, municipal and civil society representatives, by sector, in training

Business Republic Municipal 3 and civil TOTAL government government society Public health 6 6 Emergency medicine/first aid 6 3 9 Rescue and firefighting 3 3 Civil defense 28 28 Shelter / demolition / construction 5 2 7 Public utilities 5 5 Urban planning 6 6 Senior ranking municipal officials4 10 10 Municipal exec and budget admin 8 8 Environmental protection 3 3 Agriculture, forestry and water 2 2 Culture, sport and information 2 2 Education 1 1 Social welfare 1 1 TOTAL 43 43 5 91

Following the training, technical assistance was provided to all 13 municipalities in development of a general all-hazards preparedness plan that was designed to serve as a framework for coordination among the various members/institutions represented in the municipality's CMT. SCOPES technical assistants worked on site in each municipality with the CMT. In several municipalities, additional persons (sector experts, representatives of public utilities, firefighters, or part-time/retired Civil Protection representatives) joined those who had attended SCOPES training in preparing the municipality's planning submission. Within the first round of municipalities approved for Preparedness and Planning activities, only Kuršumlija was unable to send representatives to training; the municipality expressed willingness to participate in SCOPES training, but could not attend because of scheduling conflicts. Technical assistance will be provided to Kuršumlija to help it develop its crisis response plan during the next reporting period.

3 Many key functions at local level are within the legal jurisdiction of local representatives of republic organs. Duplication within a sector, e.g., particularly in small municipalities, is rare. 4 These include president/mayor of municipalities, deputy mayor, president or deputy president of municipal assembly,

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Additional target municipalities: Identification and selection

In selecting additional target municipalities, the Preparedness and Planning team looks to provide training or technical assistance that (a) reaches municipalities in greatest need of capacity-building, (b) can be implemented expeditiously, (c) can function within the limitations and possibilities of current political conditions in Serbia, and (d) offer substantive and, where possible, innovative, content not supplied elsewhere. Several factors are considered in the selection process:

• whether the municipality hosts relocated administrative offices from Kosovo municipalities or has, based on UNHCR statistics, significant refugee and IDP populations; • potential threats to the municipality, including concentration and type of industry, location of waste disposal sites, condition of water management, etc.; • history of coping with natural and manmade crises, including involvement of media and civil society actors in response to crisis; • whether the municipality has been trained (or targeted for training) in the IFRC/Serbian Red Cross local disaster management program; • experience with USAID-, UN- or EU-funded development and governance programming; • recommendations from technical experts in the Department for Civil Protection, Center for Human Security, Serbian Red Cross, Ministry of Agriculture or others; and • Baseline MEMCI scores and interviews.

Based on the above, the Preparedness and Planning team requested USAID approval on March 6, 2007, to work in all five municipalities that make up the city of Nis, one of which is headed by a non-reform mayor. Approval was granted on April 4, 2007. (See Task 1.1.9.) In late March, MEMCI interviews began in Vojvodina and are being cross- referenced against other data gathered on potential target municipalities. SCOPES aims to submit a recommended list of second round municipalities to USAID in May 2007.

Task 1.1.4: Complete municipal-level CPPRs with initial target municipalities

TECHNICAL CAPACITY

• Availability of technical personnel. Municipalities with a larger population generally have a larger administration on which to draw and tend to assign more sector experts to the CMT (Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Vranje). • Capacity of technical Ministry of Interior (MUP) and Ministry of Defense civilian personnel. All municipalities have MUP firefighters and Civil Protection officials. Only firefighters have received regular professional development training; their contributions were consistent and strong in each municipal team. Civil Protection officials have not received regular professional development training, and their contributions ranged from "old school’/military control of crisis response (Leskovac,

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Medvedja) to inclusive/cross-sector/advising municipal authority (Kragujevac, Novi Pazar, Kruševac). • Capacity of elected/appointed personnel serving in local administration. In Vranje and Novi Pazar, both currently-serving mayors have Civil Protection expertise. In Raška and Preševo, mayors acknowledged lack of available capacity in local administration and requested assistance from Civil Protection.

RESOURCE AVAILABILITY

• Access to material resources, including computers, dedicated office space, vehicles and machinery used in emergency response. Although "wealthier" municipalities generally did a better job in preparing planning document submissions, municipalities with fewer resources took serious stock of their lack of resources (Bujanovac, Prokuplje, Tutin) in putting together planning documents that reflect needs (for more time, knowledge, updating of hazard information) in the municipality. In several municipalities with material shortfalls, participation in the SCOPES training led the municipal administration to increase its request in its 2007 budget for emergency preparedness and response funds.

POLITICAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

• Political circumstances within the municipality. Where municipal government is controlled by a stable majority and where that majority is affiliated with the current republic-level ruling coalition, CMTs operate on a hierarchical command-and-control model that reflects confidence of local responders that resources, including political resources, will be available to them to deal with emergencies. In Sjenica, however, the effort to recall the mayor so undermined current local administration that the mayor requested that crisis planning in that municipality be driven by Civil Protection. In Leskovac, the deep divisions within the city body politic are reflected in municipal crisis planning as evidenced by the lack of municipal representation. In contrast, Bujanovac, where political and ethnic divisions create tensions within local government, the CMT is a multiethnic body working across political lines. • History of coping with different kinds of manmade crises and natural disasters. As a general rule, a serving administration that has coped with a crisis, even awkwardly, is better able than one that has not had the practice. • Recent history of working as a Crisis Management Team. Before SCOPES training began, Preševo, Bujanovac, Prokuplje and Medvedja did not have functional CMTs; Preševo and Bujanovac had not even formed teams.

OPEN OR CLOSED POWER STRUCTURE

• "Militarized" or "local government" model. Some municipalities are more responsive than others to changing from the "old" Civil Protection – even as far back as Teritorijalna odbrana/Territorial Defense --system to new models that involve information-sharing, oversight and control by elected officials, the need for gathering information from non-state sources (especially private businesses), transparency in dealings within the CMT, environmental assessment, apolitical appointment of technical experts, including media and nongovernmental actors in planning. • Willingness to "Wait for national policy" or "Act locally." In the absence of a national normative framework, some municipal governments are more willing than

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others to draft or pass ordinances that empower local government, even though such ordinances are well within their authority under the Law on Local Self-Government. • Willingness to include civil society actors. Strained relations between municipal governments and civil society actors, who tend to be critical or outright in opposition, are common. In Leskovac, Presevo, Bujanovac, Vranje and Medvedja, a network of nongovernmental organizations organized to respond to potential IDP crisis has good- to-excellent working relationships with representatives of republic organs, but weak or even poor relations with municipal actors. • Willingness to include business representatives. The climate for including business representatives in planning is not so far especially favorable, except in Kruševac. Generally, the reasons given for this reluctance by municipal officials revolve around unresolved national policy issues, such as eminent domain, pending privatization of communal enterprises, and liability, compensation and access to information in times of crisis.

Based on combinations and nuances in the above, in a subjective assessment so far in Preparedness and Planning activities, the municipalities best able to cope at this time with a complex crisis are Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Kruševac, Novi Pazar and Vranje. Given the cooperation between civil society responders and Civil Protection in Leskovac, those actors are also likely to be able to function well, despite municipal government turmoil.5

Tasks 1.1.5 and 1.1.6: Build networks and create linkages for crisis prevention, mitigation and response

With the goal of improving communication and coordination among crisis responders, five initiatives that build networks and create linkages have so far been undertaken. All have achieved results in Year 1.

• Initiative: Consultations within 14 municipalities to encourage the convening of crisis management teams.

Result: Core teams have been convened and formed in all municipalities, many for the first time in years. In two municipalities, SCOPES precipitated formation of the team.

• Initiative: Bringing CMTs together from 13 municipalities for disaster management basic training, held in October and November 2006.

Result: According to participant and trainer evaluations, communication within teams has improved. Cooperation between republic and municipal responders has been encouraged inside and across municipal boundaries, as the table below quantifies. All training participants observe, nevertheless, that their personal relationships, even

5 Announced by the Ministry of Local Self-Government on April 9, Interim Administration was imposed on Leskovac by the Serbian Government on April 12, 2007. It was preceded by months of citizen protests demanding an end to the Democratic Party-Democratic Party of Serbia deadlock that had impeded formation of local government. The republic government did not act until local residents threatened to block Corridor 10 over the Easter holiday. Political divisions within the municipality are likely to continue despite the appointment of an Interim Administration. In addition, it is reasonable to expect that, in a crisis, local representatives of republic organs (who participated in SCOPES training) and civil society will continue to take the lead role.

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improved institutional relationships, cannot substitute for a national disaster management framework. Since the training and technical assistance, six of the 13 municipalities have taken local government responsibility for disaster management planning, "demilitarizing" the process: three have issued executive orders and three have drafted resolutions for submission to the municipal assembly.

Republic and municipal organizations represented in training sessions, by municipality

Number of republic and local organizations Municipality represented in CMT at training Republic Municipal Other Vranje 3 3 1 Preševo 3 5 0 Bujanovac 2 3 0 Sjenica 3 3 0 Tutin 1 3 0 Raška 2 0 1 Kraljevo 2 3 0 Kragujevac 1 2 0 Novi Pazar 3 2 1 Leskovac 2 3 1 Medveđa 2 3 0 Prokuplje 1 2 1 Kruševac 1 2 0 Kuršumlija - - -

• Initiative: Negotiations brokered by SCOPES among Serbian experts in emergency preparedness to develop a mutually-agreed standard disaster management curriculum, with course content contributed by all.

Result: IFRC agreed at the end of December 2006 to develop a joint standard curriculum with SCOPES, drawing in particular on the on-site simulations that are the centerpiece of IFRC disaster management training. The new basic training lesson plan will combine sections on modern disaster management from the Center for Human Security experts, interactive team-building and basic planning from the SCOPES first round, and an expanded section on SPHERE/humanitarian principles and simulation from IFRC. In February 2007, Civil Protection agreed to offer a risk assessment module.

• Initiative: Negotiations brokered by SCOPES since the start of project implementation to create a Disaster Management Working Group ("DMWG"), starting with international and expanding to national actors, in order to advocate for a national disaster management initiative. The DMWG will be chaired by the UN Resident Coordinator. SCOPES role will be, as it has been so far, to shape substance of the policy initiative, negotiate and maintain the advocacy coalition, research member interest and involvement and, together with the UN Resident Coordinator, coordinate input of other actors, including government representatives.

Result 1: The DMWG will convene in plenary in May 2007. In addition to UNDP and SCOPES, attendees will include representatives of the UN Serbia country team,

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US Embassy, ICRC, IFRC, OSCE, UK Embassy, Norwegian People’s Aid, Stability Pact Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative for Southeastern Europe, UN worldwide International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, World Bank, Delegation of the European Union and NATO/Partnership for Peace. The group is preparing a joint advocacy platform for a common message to/with the new Serbian government on support for the consolidation of a national disaster management system and legal framework.

Result 2: The Preparedness and Planning team has been working closely with Civil Protection.6 The experts in Civil Protection are technical specialists in crisis response, but their attitudes and approach – as described in the Assessment – are deeply rooted in the old, army-driven system. The team asked Civil Protection to prepare for SCOPES training and the DMWG national advocacy effort a case study on how, from its perspective, local administration has to cope with crisis events. (Looking at crisis management from a "bottom up," civilian perspective is a challenge for Civil Protection.) To support the effort further, the director of Civil Protection gave interviews to national print and broadcast media in which he stressed the importance of municipal involvement in crisis response.

• Initiative: MEMCI interviews that capture needs and explore relationships at the local level in all municipalities in which SCOPES considers undertaking Preparedness and Planning activities. Designed to elicit a picture of local preparedness for all types of crisis, the MEMCI process includes in-depth interviews with representatives of six groups in each municipality: Red Cross, local administration, utilities, health center, governmental environmental protection/quality, and either a nongovernmental expert/advocate on environmental protection or other organization involved locally in crisis response. The groups were chosen for two reasons: (a) extrapolating from SPHERE principles into practice, they are all likely to have a role in every type of humanitarian crisis, including population movement, and (b) with the exception of local administration, the other five representatives are less likely to "turn over" for political reasons and more likely to have a long view on municipal preparedness.

Results: The MEMCI process (a) derives lessons learned and further training needs, (b) identifies strengths and weaknesses in municipal crisis response capacity, (c) builds the base for a broad network of responders inside and outside government, and (d) identifies potential "flashpoints" that could trigger crisis. For this reporting period, the Preparedness and Planning team conducted 59 MEMCI interviews with crisis responders in 14 municipalities. The interview is formally structured, based on the index developed by the Preparedness and Planning team for the specific disaster management context in Serbia.7 Information gathered by "MEMCIing" complements the team's regular early-warning monitoring of risks to social and political instability. A qualitative presentation of key findings is presented in Annex C. Key quantitative results are discussed below in the text box “MEMCI Round 1, An Overview”.

6 Although the text is mutually-agreed, Civil Protection has not been able to sign an MOU with SCOPES because of ongoing changes within the Ministry of Defense on civil defense and protection issues that have been complicated further by the unclear mandate of the Minister of Defense since the dissolution of the State Union and, since January 2007, by the lack of a Serbian government. 7 A version of the MEMCI was submitted with the Performance Monitoring Plan on August 15, 2006. A revised MEMCI, incorporating a scoring system based on lessons learned from field experience with CMTs, was submitted on January 16, 2007.

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MEMCI Round 1, An Overview

The MEMCI consists of 43 questions, each of which is applied to six respondents inside and outside the CMT. Each municipality is scored on a scale of from one to 133.8 Realistically, it would be virtually impossible for any municipality to achieve a perfect score, nor is it the project’s goal. Rather, the goal is for each municipality to meet generally-accepted standards for general disaster preparedness, community representation in the planning process and effective internal and external communication. A target score range reflecting this goal will be established after the interim baseline results become final for the first two rounds of data collection. The results from the six different respondents are averaged together to derive a municipality’s score. Questions are sorted according to the following categories: 1) general crisis management; 2) emergency management roles; 3) selection of Crisis Management Team members; 4) ability to identify hazards and plan according to those identified; 5) whether the crisis management plan is current and technically appropriate; 6) presence of municipal crisis management facilities; 7) clearly defined response authority and roles; 8) joint planning and response addressed; 9) existence of public alert procedures; 10) public information available on self protection measures; and, 11) municipal ability to identify and mobilize financial, material resources, and external technical support. This final category includes matters outside the control of SCOPES training and technical assistance. However, points "earned" here suggest that the municipality is better able to respond to an emergency9. In order to incorporate lessons learned during hands-on work with Serbian CMTs, this first iteration of the MEMCI was conducted after the original training and technical assistance. In subsequent rounds of baseline data collection, the MEMCI information will be collected before any training or technical assistance. Lessons are still being learned, in particular, about interview technique and the MEMCI as "first contact” with municipalities. These lessons will be incorporated into the next set of interviews. To date, the MEMCI has been conducted in 14 municipalities. None have yet achieved a passing score. Based on calculations from 63 respondents, the average score for the 14 municipalities is 65. Scores for individual municipalities, which can be found in the table below, vary greatly. The below scores should be considered interim baseline scores. Due to methodological issues (ranging from incomplete individual surveys to issues with interpretations of questions) a number of surveys need to be repeated. (Those from Medvedja and Sjenica are especially biased due to methodological issues and we anticipate that once we repeat some of the interviews in these municipalities that they will place lower on the scale.) Municipality MEMCI score Municipality MEMCI score Kruševac 84 Kuršumlija 66 Medvedja 82 Raška 63 Sjenica 81 Preševo 63 Leskovac 75 Vranje 52 Kragujevac 72 Tutin 51 Kraljevo 69 Prokuplje 44 Novi Pazar 68 Bujanovac 30

8 Realistically, it would be virtually impossible for any municipality to achieve a perfect score, nor is it the project’s goal. Rather, the goal is to bring each municipality up to a “passing” grade of 83. 9 This category includes matters outside the control of SCOPES training and technical assistance. However, points "earned" here suggest that the municipality is better able to respond to an emergency.

17 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

As anticipated, the survey revealed differences in perception between those who are and those who are not formal participants in their municipality's crisis response planning process. Those involved in the planning process, on average, rate preparedness at 72, while those outside the process rate preparedness at 50. However, on one issue, in particular, insiders and outsiders agree strongly: procedures to alert the public in an emergency are inadequate. Few, if any, provisions have been made to insure that persons in public or private care facilities and institutions (schools, kindergartens, etc.) are alerted, and messages are not produced or broadcast in minority languages. Insiders and outsiders also agree that specific or vulnerable populations – youth, elderly, business community, etc. are not involved in public education or prevention. In general terms, in municipalities where CMTs are driven by the "old school", Civil Protection model, MEMCI participants rate their municipality's capacity more highly than those that are building a local administration-driven model. It still is too early in the process, with too little cumulative data, to explain this trend definitively. Political, social and security factors outside the scope of Preparedness and Planning activities clearly affect perceptions of municipal emergency management capacity.

Municipal government representatives 78 Civil Protection 72 Health: republic and municipal combined 62 Public Utilities 62 Red Cross 60 Environmental protection : government and nongovernmental combined 55

120 100 80 Score 60 40 20 0 . v n h s s n lt s o io e io a i o t g it r l ct e il c e t C e a t H t p o U d o i r r c e i P ic p l R n l b . i n u v u i o M P r C i v n E

18 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Task 1.1.7: Build capacity in conflict and crisis prevention and mitigation

Throughout this period, USAID has deemed the work of the Preparedness and Planning component to be politically sensitive. The team will be able to move forward in helping those municipalities (a) expand the base of civic participation in planning and response, (b) develop communications plans for emergency situations and (c) enhance media- government relations when SCOPES receives approval to raise the public profile of the component.

Task 1.1.8: Monitor changing political and social dynamics

Monthly reporting

Since July 2006, the SCOPES Crisis Monitoring Bulletin has been “red-flagging” issues from an early-warning perspective. Focusing on events that are largely “below the radar” of mainstream reporting, the Bulletin has examined (a) developments that have the potential to hamstring reform or accelerate into crisis, (b) local stories likely to take on national importance, and (c) trends in propaganda, disinformation and “spin” that plant ideas, suspicions or fears, particularly about national minorities or the security of Kosovo and its inhabitants. The Bulletin has also drawn attention to several little-publicized initiatives in which Serbian institutions have tried to analyze risks, prevent crisis or address the effects of actions that threaten human security.

Eight 4-page issues of the Crisis Monitoring Bulletin have been produced. The first five, July-November 2006, were produced with color photographs and maps. In December 2006, at USAID's request, the format of the Bulletin was simplified, and three issues were produced in black-and-white, with maps but no photographs. In March 2007, at USAID's request, the format for monthly monitoring was again simplified, and a 2-page "Conflict and Crisis Monitoring Memo" was submitted as a letter.

The contract requires that SCOPES monitor “developments in Kosovo or related to the Kosovo status negotiations that might lead to IDP movements or reactions against minorities in Serbia,” but the project is hamstrung by lack of physical presence in Kosovo and administrative barriers to travel there.10

Stability Monitoring: Backlash Against Civil Society

On the fault line between democratic and "old guard" politics, the southern Serbia town of Leskovac has a turbulent social, political and even administrative history. In-fighting within its ruling coalitions has brought down or paralyzed municipal governments for the past several years. The city's civil sector has played an important role in citizen mobilization and voter registration. It has also stepped in to address humanitarian needs of vulnerable populations, often addressing issues neglected by state organs. The Leskovac civil sector is influential enough to be itself the target of political partisanship.

10 From December 3-5, 2006, the Component 1 Team Leader was permitted to accompany visiting USAID Program Specialist Judy Dunbar to Kosovo, on condition that the Team Leader keep an entirely low profile and that, when encountering anyone, she not represent herself as affiliated with SCOPES (except in meetings with USAID Pristina and UNHCR, already aware of the SCOPES program). A separate situation report on the Team Leader's meetings in Pristina and Prizren, entitled, "Selected factors that could affect Kosovo stability," was submitted to USAID on January 8, 2007.

19 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

In late February 2007, a Leskovac civil society activist was suddenly arrested and detained. The arrest came against a background of renewed turbulence. In October 2006, pre-term elections in Leskovac gave the majority of votes to a democratic party for the first time since the end of WWII. The party was, however, unable to form a government. By law, the Serbian Government should have imposed an Interim Administration on the city after three months. Instead, the Serbian Government took no steps, and the Leskovac remained caught in the standoff between political parties. The municipality budget was blocked, city services suffered, deadlines came and went for investment and international donor programming. In December 2006, citizens organized a protest calling for the republic government to act. They did so again in January 2007.

At the end of February 2007, Divna Stankovic, head of the Leskovac Women's Center and one of the protest organizers, was arrested and detained on criminal charges of malfeasance in her NGO's financial dealings. Mainstream media portrayed the story as a petty personal dispute among squabbling women; tabloid media equated Stankovic with "drug mafia" and "traitors" paid by foreign governments. The actual details suggest that the incident was a gambit designed to disrupt the growing movement of citizens calling for stability in Leskovac government and to cast suspicion on organizations receiving foreign donor assistance. In addition to her role in the winter protests, Ms. Stankovic had been a vocal critic of inaction by Leskovac police and court officials against drug trafficking and domestic violence. She had been singled out by acting municipal prosecutor, who, in his two years of tenure, has begun criminal proceedings in 234 cases and sought pretrial detention orders only three times. Each time, Ms. Stankovic was among the defendants.

This politically motivated backlash against a highly visible civil society representative was a potentially destabilizing incident that could easily have escalated and underscored the continued fragility of government – non-government cooperation in Serbia. In the end, local civil society activists eventually appealed to the district prosecutor to examine the acting municipal prosecutor’s record and Ms. Stankovic was released after 24 days of detention.

Despite this backlash against civil society, citizens have not relented. Called to action by a nonpartisan coalition of NGOs, Leskovac's citizens threatened to block Corridor 10 over the Easter weekend if the Serbian Government did not take steps to end the city's paralysis. The government relented and, on April 12, an Interim Administration was official appointed in Leskovac.

December 2006: Citizens of Leskovac protest in front of city hall, demanding formation of a local government

20 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Potential influx of IDPs

The Preparedness and Planning team monitors threats to political and social stability, including regional developments, threats to security of the person and threats to community safety. Of the many specific hazards monitored during this reporting period, the greatest attention has been devoted to social or political unrest that might affect population movements from or to Kosovo.

Of the 14 municipalities approved for SCOPES first-round activities, Kraljevo, Kragujevac, Kruševac, Leskovac, Vranje and, to a lesser degree, Novi Pazar could see the largest number of IDP arrivals with intent to remain. Smaller numbers could arrive in Prokuplje, Medvedja, Raška, Bujanovac and Kuršumlija municipalities, which are likely to see more persons in transit than persons intending to remain. New IDPs, should they arrive in large numbers, are also likely to seek opportunities for integration in Belgrade, Niš, Novi Sad and, to a lesser degree, Smederevo.

Provision of settlement assistance to any IDPs who are members of the Roma national minority will be complicated by the return from western Europe of rejected asylum seekers, many of whom have joined (and will join) their IDP and domicile Roma families in existing settlements. Many Roma families include members who are domicile, IDP and returned asylum seekers, making targeted distribution of assistance to one specific category difficult. Moreover, in urban areas within the SCOPES 14 first-round municipalities, as well as in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Obrenovac, Beočin, Zrenjanin and Vršac, impoverished Roma settlements also include economic migrants from other parts of Serbia. In the past, the Serbian government has attempted to relocate Roma IDPs to collective settlement in eastern Serbia, specifically to the region of Bor and Majdanpek, and it can reasonably be expected to continue to do so.

Bearing in mind the likely dispersion of Roma IDPs, returned asylum seekers, poor domicile and economic migrants to urban areas throughout Serbia, Annex C, presents, in table form, SCOPES' assessment of municipal emergency capacity to deal with any potential movement of IDPs.

Task 1.1.9: Develop assistance strategies for target municipalities that lack political will

During this reporting period, the Preparedness and Planning team proposed a strategy for the five municipalities that make up the city of Nis. One of the five municipalities, as well as the city itself, is headed by a non-reform mayor. The city mayor was directly elected, while the municipal mayors are chosen by their respective municipal assemblies. All five constituent municipalities’ assemblies are dominated by democratic party representatives. The selection of a non-reform mayor in one of the municipalities had more to do with the democratic parties' failure to come to agreement than with popular citizen support for such leadership. USAID concurred with SCOPES assessment and, on April 4, SCOPES received approval to proceed with work in the five Nis municipalities to prepare for potential humanitarian crisis. Work in three reform municipalities began in Nis on March 6; work in the remaining municipalities is currently planned to start on April 23.

21 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Changes to the Workplan

Following Assessment recommendations in programming design and implementation, Preparedness and Planning activities have adhered to the schedule and sequencing set out in the Workplan.11 Two factors have influenced implementation:

Activities have reacted to changing developments on the ground. Two examples are especially telling:

• Six months after parliamentary elections were called, Serbia still has no government. In practical terms, then, Serbia has had no functional national governance throughout this reporting period. This has exacerbated an already-difficult status quo characterized by institutional rivalries, mistrust and lack of clear jurisdiction. Partisan politics have permeated, distracted and, in some places, paralyzed local government. Component 1 programming, which relies – as recommended in the Assessment – on establishing a core group of local government responders as a first step toward broader community planning, has had to adapt by appealing to local government actors to undertake policy initiatives and by casting humanitarian response to crisis as a governance issue.

• Political rivalry between Serbia's Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior has checkmated progress toward a national disaster management normative framework. As described in the Assessment, this has left local crisis responders without resources or a system on which they can rely. Both ministries see themselves as having international patrons – Defense looks to bilateral military cooperation, Interior to the Stability Pact Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Initiative. During this reporting period, Serbia was accepted into the Partnership for Peace, and the Preparedness and Planning team capitalized on this to emphasize the importance of civilian-military cooperation, as opposed to competition, in humanitarian crisis response. Formation of the Disaster Management Working Group and creation of a national policy advocacy initiative is the result.

In keeping with guidance from USAID, program activities have taken into consideration the adjudged political sensitivity of Component 1. On instruction, Preparedness and Planning has maintained a low profile. As a result, Workplan activities that envisaged "broadening the base" of participation in emergency preparedness have not been held. These include public appearances/media exposure, municipal public meetings or round tables on human security and other issues, engagement with media as program participants, solicitation of civil society involvement in preparedness (although individual contacts have been developed and maintained), national workshops or conferences, and production of Component 1 public information materials.

11 Submitted before the Assessment, the Workplan for Component 1 set out a detailed structure for activities through December 2006. Subsequent activities were largely conditioned on Assessment findings. recommendations and lessons learned.

22 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Key Activities for Next Six Months

• Selecting and training in municipalities in flood-prone areas • Conducting MEMCI interviews • Refining existing curriculum and developing new advanced courses • Documenting case studies of municipal disaster management • Training trainers to conduct on-site simulations • Broadening the base of civil society and media involvement • Managing the Disaster Management Working Group, including efforts on national policy advocacy national authorities, pending formation of a Serbian government • Continuing technical assistance, as needed, to the 13 first-round municipalities to support planning and municipal disaster management policy processes • Completing coordination planning among the five Niš municipalities • Building and memorializing partnerships with international, government and nongovernmental organizations with which SCOPES can cooperate and, potentially, share costs in joint activities toward common goals • Monitoring crisis and potential risks to political and social instability • Providing early warning • Supporting surge capacity preparations • Training SCOPES staff in monitoring and reporting, SPHERE principles, and the rights of IDPs and refugees • Participating in development of new Workplan • Refining performance indicators and method of measurement • Developing criteria and procedures for grantmaking in Preparedness and Planning activities

The exact timing of and progress on the above tasks is dependent on:

1) The extent to which team activities are disrupted by extra ordinary events, which include, but are not limited to social unrest, political circumstances, disaster events and the need to assess such events for potential surge activation, and, possibly actual Surge activation. Any of these events have the potential to delay or result in the cancellation of regularly scheduled activities as response, especially to a Surge event, would by necessity divert and draw on "regular" Preparedness and Planning resources.

2) The need for and timing of remaining Surge preparedness activities. There remain areas where SCOPES staff continues to need intensive staff development to insure that the project is adequately prepared for a crisis event. These areas included training in disaster event assessment, monitoring, and training on IDP issues and SPHERE principles.

23 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

SECTION 3: ECONOMIC SECURITY COMPONENT

Summary of Accomplishments

Some 700 people attended news conferences announcing the launch of USAID/SCOPES Economic Security activities and 7 Target follow up presentations on “Realizing Your Dream,” a Munici- business plan competition, in Economic Security’s first seven palities targeted municipalities,12 in February-March 2007. SCOPES used the announcement to 600 700 generate interest in this component and to Concept Attendees at “jump start” its work. Response was Papers Launch Rcvd/Rev. Events significantly stronger than SCOPES’ most Impact in optimistic advance estimates. Resulting numbers publicity was carried broadly by both print and broadcast media, ensuring that word about SCOPES Economic Security component and the business plan competition was widely spread in all regions 135 50 covered by Component II.13 Because young people Concept Positive Papers Media are a special interest to SCOPES, news Accepted References conferences in Novi Pazar and Prijepolje included representatives of youth groups who spoke about the challenges that they personally face in trying to enter the job market.

Ambassador Michael C. Polt participated in the first news conference held in Kraljevo on 13 February, adding excitement to the event. After a representative of the local Roma

12 Kraljevo, 13 Feb.; Medvedja, 16 Feb.; Presevo-Bujanovac combined, 22 Feb.; Novi Pazar, 28 Feb.; Prijepolje, 1 Mar.; and Kursumlija, 9 Mar. 13 For full details on media coverage, see Appendix B.

24 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

communities raised an electricity issue to Ambassador Polt, SCOPES was tasked with investigating, and subsequently the electricity was re-instated14.

Finally, to help transition the team from work planning to implementation, a retreat was held on 23-25 January 2007 for program officers to familiarize themselves with the work plan, learn about the work of their predecessor USAID projects and learn about the sub- sectors/value chains those projects recommended for support in SCOPES targeted municipalities. In addition, they had the opportunity to hear from representatives from SIEPA, National Employment Service, Ministry of Labor, Employment & Social Affairs, and the Economic Team for South Serbia, on their respective programs that support entrepreneurs.

2.1 Expand economic opportunities in vulnerable areas

2.1.1 Develop program strategy for each municipality Following submission of the SCOPES Economic Security Assessment Report at the end of FY 06, SCOPES turned its attention to identifying specific municipalities as well as clearer targeting of vulnerable groups and sub-sectors/value chains. The assessment identified three regions as most vulnerable, and seven initial municipalities in the South, South Central and Southwest were selected based on the relative vulnerability of the populations and the level of economic development. The seven are Novi Pazar and Prijepolje in the Southwest, Kursumlija and Kraljevo in South Central and Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja in the South. They share some similar characteristics, including having been affected by conflict. Presevo, Bujanovac, Medvedja, Novi Pazar and Prijepolje have high concentrations of youth, significant non-Serb populations and very low social product per capita. Kraljevo and Kursumlija also have large populations of displaced persons.

Since trying to work with too broad an array of vulnerable groups will dilute its effectiveness, the team has further narrowed its focus for 2007. The team continues to identify youth as a priority. As in any country, young people are Serbia’s future. Yet in the targeted municipalities, not only do young people constitute a high percentage of their populations (from 29 to 42 percent in SCOPES target municipalities), but too many don’t see a future for themselves. This came out during both the assessment and in follow up interviews by the team. Additionally, the team will target rural poor and unemployed (both women and men) in each municipality. In Kraljevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, Roma will receive special attention and in Kraljevo and Kursumlija, displaced persons.

Table: Primary and Additional vulnerable population target in selected municipalities Primary Vulnerable Population Additional Vulnerable Region Municipality Target Population Target Southwest Novi Pazar Youth/minorities (v.low GDP) Poor/Unemployed/ Southwest Prijepolje Youth/minorities (v.low GDP) Poor/Unemployed/ South Central Kursumlija IDP (large population) Poor/Unemployed/ South Central Kraljevo IDP (large population) Poor/Unemployed/Roma South Presevo Youth/minorities (v.low GDP) Poor/Unemployed/ South Bujanovac Youth/minorities (v.low GDP) Poor/Unemployed/Roma South Medvedja Youth/minorities (v.low GDP) Poor/Unemployed/Roma

14 For full story, see ANNEX A

25 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Support to Roma in Kraljevo began with the 13 February news conference in Kraljevo announcing SCOPES (and the USAID/MEGA project’s expansion). A representative of the local Roma communities raised an electricity issue to Ambassador Polt – electricity had been turned off in one settlement – and asked for his help. Mr. Polt tasked SCOPES to investigate and report on the situation. Field staff met with representatives of all Roma communities, municipal officials, UN groups and the electric distribution company in Kraljevo. A report on the situation was presented to the Ambassador via USAID. Electricity is an ongoing problem in Roma settlements for several reasons, including unpaid utility bills, illegal tapping into lines and ‘squatting’ on land owned by the railroad. A comprehensive housing solution in Kraljevo is being undertaken by UN groups with whom SCOPES will cooperate. In the meantime, in part as a result of SCOPES’ raising the visibility of the issue, electricity has been restored to the settlement.

Among SCOPES goals is to improve social inclusion. Thus, the team’s overall strategy for vulnerable groups is to take steps to include them in project activities without calling undue attention to their special circumstances. By not singling out vulnerable groups in public ways, the team seeks to minimize resentment among any majority population and further exclusion. The team will work to ensure members of ethnic groups and women are included in project activities by connecting to and working closely with NGOs and others who represent them. This strategy is consistent with the national strategy on Roma as well as other strategies that support social inclusion.

SCOPES’ over-arching approach to private sector development in each municipality is market integration, as noted in the Assessment and Work Plan. That is, support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) will be designed to increase their access to new markets and improve their ability to meet market demands and needs.

A business plan competition was conducted in seven locations (exceeding the performance monitoring target of two) to ‘jump start’ the Economic Security component and is detailed below in Section 2.1.3.

2.1.2 Conduct competitiveness assessment Mindful that the Economic Security component needed to SCOPES Sub-Sectors ‘hit the ground running,’ the team used a simple, cost- effective and quick method to select the sub-sectors/value • Light manufacturing chains that it will target in each municipality. In addition to • Food processing its own analysis of the municipalities, the team relied heavily • Fruit growing on recommendation from its predecessor USAID projects • Fruit processing with experience in its municipalities [CRDA (ACDI/VOCA, • Dairy CHF and Mercy Corps) and SEDP]. Information and • Tourism recommendations from each partner were part of a retreat held on 23-25 January 2007. Representatives of Republic- • Forest fruits level agencies – SIEPA, National Employment Service, Ministry of Labor, Employment & Social Affairs, and the Economic Team for South Serbia also made presentations during the retreat that helped inform SCOPES’ decision.

26 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Targeting specific sub-sectors/value chains15 means that SCOPES program staff will provide significant support to these while still maintaining the ability to take advantage of opportunities that arise in other sub-sectors. The hundreds of concept papers submitted in the first step of the business plan competition provided additional in-depth information about the economic base of the municipalities, broadening the staff’s knowledge and affirming its selections. Eleven sub-sectors (five of seven municipalities have two targeted sub-sectors) have been selected (2007 target = 7). Sub-sectors by municipality (and other non-sector immediate targets of opportunity) are listed below:

Table: Sub-Sector Targeting

Municipality Sub-Sectors Rationale Former Industrial Center. Kraljevo Light Manufacturing, Food Processing 1/5 income from agriculture. Kursumlija Fruit growing, Fruit processing 1/3 income from agriculture. 1/3 income from agriculture. Bujanovac Dairy, Tourism Natural springs and spa. Natural springs and spa. Medvedja Tourism, Forest Fruits 2/3 income from agriculture. Presevo Dairy 1/2 income from dairy.

Novi Pazar Light Manufacturing 1/5 products apparel, shoes. Best organized Local Tourism Prijepolje Tourism Organization, agro-tourism.

Kraljevo • Light manufacturing –An industrial center in the past; 15% of its national income16 comes from manufacturing. High unemployment among workers, some of whom have marketable skills (e.g., carpentry). No sub-sector dominated the business plan competition although many were in food, metal and wood products. Very innovative concepts in BPC indicate potential for job growth, especially in urban areas. • Food processing – Agriculture generates 20 percent of income, but value-added is needed for sustainable jobs. Areas of interest include specialty food production and high-value vegetables, especially for export. Greenhouse infrastructure established by previous programs, especially targeting displaced persons, warrants follow up and support.

Kursumlija • Fruit growing & fruit processing – 1/3 of its local income comes from agriculture. Some notable successes already include mushrooms and plums.

15 The terms “sub-sector” and “value chain” are often misunderstood and used incorrectly and interchangeably. For simplicity, SCOPES will use the term “sub-sector.” 16 All income percentages cited in the municipality breakdowns are the “national income” figures used in SCOPES Assessment Report and Gap Analysis and come from State Statistical Office, 2004 Data. National income is gross domestic material product (GDMP) less depreciation, and GDMP includes the “economy sectors” such as agriculture, manufacturing, hotels and restaurants, communications, mining and quarries but excludes health care, banking, research, education, public administration and other non-economy sectors.

27 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Bujanovac • Dairy – 28% of local income is generated from agriculture. Good development of small private dairies but under-utilized. New product potential. Organized milk collection for dairies in Vranje, Leskovac exists. Potential to improve supply chain, increase milk production and quality to improve livelihoods of rural poor, especially women. • Tourism – Natural springs and existing spa plus location on Corridor 10 offer base on which to improve tourist offering. Medvedja • Tourism – Natural beauty, existing spa and natural spring water offer great potential. B&B development, upgrading spa already begun. Needs strategy & marketing to help turn ‘negatives’ (isolation) into positives (back-to-nature). • Forest fruits – 2/3 of its local income is agriculture but broad based, not focused, due to terrain, small landholdings and poverty. Lends itself to organization of supplier groups for selling quality bulk products, employing vulnerable and marginal groups. Presevo • Dairy – High potential segment of sector that is almost 50% of local income (agriculture). Similar and close proximity to Bujanovac, so synergies of working in same sub-sector and assisting similar vulnerable groups. Novi Pazar • Light manufacturing – 23% of its local product, primarily apparel, textiles and shoe manufacturing. Private firms producing for domestic and export markets need help to grow; lack of middle management, e.g. Strong interest shown in business plan competition to develop new products and expand markets. Prijepolje • Tourism –Local Tourism Organization is best organized in targeted municipalities and offers broad opportunities with several high-visibility coming events (including visit by Vladi Divac, former LA Laker who comes from the municipality). Focus on agro-tourism in cooperation with UNDP and others.

Potential Opportunities • Bujanovac – Inter Speed – Company has announced plans to develop hotel and shopping complex near Macedonia-Serbia border crossing. SCOPES could provide training and technical assistance to hotel and shop owners but would not undertake assistance to Inter Speed because of its political affiliations. • Medvedja – Incubator – Potential to work on this project supported by Republic and Norwegian SINTEF project. No start date established. SCOPES will support with technical assistance and/or training where it makes sense. • Medvedja – ComTrade – One of largest computer companies in Balkans announced it will open assembly and logistics center with view to expand into Kosovo and other nearby markets. SCOPES has indicated its willingness to assist municipality to support this endeavor. • Novi Pazar – Incubator – Potential to work on this project supported by Republic and Norwegian SINTEF project. No start date established. SCOPES will support with technical assistance and/or training where it makes sense.

28 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

2.1.3 Develop strategies for SME and job growth

Establishing a means for community input into SCOPES activities and processes is a 2007 priority that has begun in each municipality. These Economic Working Groups (EWGs) are largely to be based on existing groups organized under CRDA – MECs in the Mercy Corps municipalities and EEEs in the CHF municipalities – some of which are functioning well and some of which are not. Additionally, ACDI/VOCA apparently had little if any success in establishing such groups in Kraljevo, and UNDP and others have or are establishing similar groups in some SCOPES municipalities. Progress in this area has been slower than anticipated because of the need to transition from the existing groups as well as take extra measures to coordinate with others and ensure SCOPES is non- duplicative. Field staff met with these groups, presented SCOPES and assessed interest. A general scope of work for EWG member is being developed, and in the next six months, the team expects to finalize EWG membership in each municipality.

Before the official launch, to ensure that the team was well-coordinated and well- informed, the team promoted SCOPES at the national, regional and municipal levels. Introductory meetings were held with representatives of the Coordination Body, Ministry of Agriculture, Poverty Reduction Strategy Program, SIEPA, Social Innovation Fund, National Employment Service among other national-level institutions as well as Norwegian SINTEF project, OSCE and the Israeli Embassy. The staff also attended the textile fair at Belgrade Sajam and an investment fair for municipalities in Novi Sad. Field meetings also included mayors and other civic leaders in each municipality; local tourism officials; non-USAID donor projects, such as MIR-2 (Vranje) and PRO (Novi Pazar) under UNDP, Sweden’s Reka Mleka and the German HELP project; potential local partners, such as the Entrepreneurship Center in Kraljevo, Susedi za Mir youth NGO in Bujanovac, and Sandzak Economic Development Agency in Novi Pazar; several Roma groups in Kraljevo; Jablanicki-Pcinjski Regional Development Agency; and the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Leskovac.

When SCOPES learned that ComTrade, one of the largest computer companies in the region, was proposing to open an assembly facility in Medvedja, the staff offered support to Mayor Slobodan Draskovic to help ensure qualified staff is available in the small municipality and explore other ways SCOPES can assist the project. To demonstrate its support for this proposal, Belgrade staff met with ComTrade owner Veselin Jevrosimovic, Ministry of Finance adviser Milanko Nitic and Mayor Draskovic at the ministry. At the end of March, SCOPES learned that the endeavor is stalled because of issues between the Republic-level government and ComTrade. SCOPES has affirmed its support to the Mayor, but the impasse is unlikely to be resolved until a new government in Serbia is constituted.

The Economic Security team’s single biggest push was the announcement of its “Realizing Your Dream” business plan competition (BPC) in the seven targeted municipalities. This was a focus of the general launch of SCOPES’ Economic Security component in those municipalities. To increase local interest and participation and broaden publicity for the project overall, SCOPES is conducting BPCs in each municipality, rather than the two regional competitions originally envisioned in the work plan. This will also help SCOPES expend grant funds more quickly, as requested, since winners are eligible for grants up to $20,000 (as well as mentoring, technical assistance and training).

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The BPC is SCOPES’ primary tool for identifying businesses for participation in the project and training to support private sector development. The team will focus on motivated entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, prospects for job growth and/or specific market opportunities. Throughout the project, these criteria will be used to evaluate support to non-BPC entrepreneurs as well.

The BPC process called for submission of concept papers that were evaluated blindly by SCOPES’ staff in field offices. Entrepreneurs with accepted concepts are being invited to prepare business plans that will also be evaluated blindly. SCOPES is recruiting an independent panel of professionals to assist with the judging of business plans. To date, representatives of five banks and a venture capital firm have volunteered.

A localized promotional campaign accompanied the launch, including news releases and advertising beforehand. Media information kits were distributed to print and broadcast reporters who attended. Media attendance at the events resulted in substantial coverage locally and regionally. (Media coverage is detailed in Appendix B.)

Presentations on generating business ideas, the importance of a business plan, elements of a good business plan and “Realizing Your Dream” were conducted by the local SCOPES team with support from Belgrade, rather than by professional trainers. This visibility helped position local staff as knowledgeable resources for local business people and reinforce their roles in the competition and project. Information packets on the BPC were distributed, and additional packets were available in SCOPES two regional offices and identified locations in other municipalities, such as the Entrepreneurship Center in Kraljevo, American Corner in Bujanovac and municipal building in Medvedja. In additional, field staff was regularly available in each municipality to answer questions during the concept paper development and submission phase.

Attendance at the presentations exceeded SCOPES’ most optimistic expectations. Originally planned as workshops, these were changed to presentations due to the high attendance. The large Kraljevo assembly meeting room was nearly full while it was standing room only in tiny Medvedja where about 80 attended. All targeted vulnerable groups were represented at each presentation, including women and Roma.

Municipal support and submission of concepts was strong in six of the seven municipalities. The chart below shows individual results:

30 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Table: "Realizing Your Dream" Business Plan Competition

Business Plan Competition

300 Accepted Not Accepted 250 Total Handouts 200

150

100

50 Handouts 0 Total Not Accepted jevo Kral ovac Accepted ujan sevo B Pre vedja r Med aza e ovi P polj a N Prije umlij Kurs

Municipality Hand Outs* ------Concept Papers------Ratio** Accepted Not Accepted Total Kraljevo 260 38 97 135 52% Kursumlija 65 4 13 17 26% Bujanovac 220 17 98 115 52% Medvedja 115 17 65 82 71% Presevo 190 16 75 91 48% Novi Pazar 160 23 53 76 48% Prijepolje 120 20 46 66 55% Total 1130 135 447 582 52%

* Total applications distributed at presentations and afterwards ** Ratio of submissions to applications distributed

Due to the disappointing interest and support from the Municipality of Kursumlija, SCOPES postponed this launch until last. While attendance at the launch events and follow up publicity were good, Kursumlija had significantly fewer concepts submitted (17 versus the next lowest of 66). As a result of this less-than-satisfactory response, SCOPES will monitor Kursumlija and determine by year end if the project should continue working there.

Entrepreneurs with “winning concepts” were invited to attend three-day ‘business plan training’ offered in April-May 2007. Other entrepreneurs that are not part of the business planning competition may attend on a space-available basis. To date, the interest in the training offerings by non-competitors has been high, and SCOPES anticipates good attendance at all of the scheduled sessions.

This training was developed with strong support from USAID/SEDP. Using SEDP technical specialists, SCOPES conducted an off-site train-the-training (TOT) course for 13

31 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

trainers recommended by field staff. All have experience in training, SME development, a technical specialty or some combination. The TOT on 5-7 March covered business plan preparation; marketing, promotion and communications; financials; and training techniques. The trainers will work in pairs and each training will be offered two or three times in each target municipality.

Use of Grants Funds in the BPC

Investment in “winning business plans” is an important feature of the BPC, one that has attracted interest from all participants. In the work plan, and in the Grants Manual, which is currently pending USAID approval, the team identified a matrix of proposed types of grants. After reviewing several hundred concept papers, the team requested a change in the threshold for private sector grants – companies with five or fewer employees (not 10) are eligible for grants up to $5000 and companies with more than 5 employees are eligible for grants up to $20,000. This change better reflects the investment needs of both sizes of firms and will help SCOPES use the grants fund more quickly, as required. (The change was accepted in March 2007 by the SCOPES CTO and has been incorporated into the Grants Manual.)

2.1.4 Develop marketable skills Although much of the work under this sub-category targeted at individuals “outside the chain” is scheduled from late spring and summer, SCOPES did identify targeted vulnerable groups in each municipality. As noted in 2.1.2, youth are a targeted group across all municipalities due to their critical role in the development of the country’s future. The team has also identified rural poor and unemployed as targeted vulnerable groups in each municipality. In Kraljevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, Roma will receive special attention and in Kraljevo and Kursumlija, displaced persons. Gender crosses all of these VGs, and SCOPES will pay particular attention to ensuring women are included in its activities, especially those aimed at developing marketable skills. The team also has begun to identify supplier groups and their training needs, which will be addressed over time. Increasing and improving raw milk will be important in Presevo and Bujanovac, where small scale farmers supply local dairies as well as larger ones in Vranje and Leskovac. The team is awaiting a report commissioned by USAID and to be submitted in mid-April 2007 on the hand crafts/handicrafts industry before deciding how to address these suppliers to the tourism industry, a group that is largely made up of women, especially rural women.

2.1.5 Provide support to SMEs Through meetings with proposed Economic Working Groups17, SCOPES has disseminated information about the project, its activities and market information gathered to date. This process will be ongoing. Through the concept papers submitted in the BPC as well as individual visits with existing companies, SCOPES has found opportunities for developing or improving apprenticeships and internships. Several interested high schools and vocational schools have also been identified. The team will follow up on these during the second half of the fiscal year, as indicated in the work plan.

17 Usually the CRDA EEEs in the south and MECs in the west.

32 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

2.1.6 Develop public-private partnerships Although much of this work is scheduled later in the year, SCOPES has already found a number of opportunities that will be explored. The team met with the director of Heba, the state-owned mineral water company in Bujanovac, to discuss SCOPES and how it can support redundant workers who want to start businesses. The team also met with the National Employment Service to explore possible areas of collaboration and may sign a letter of cooperation with the NES. NES is donating its facilities for BPC training in Prijepolje. Prijepolje has already requested support for at least two major tourism events. Incubators are planned for both Novi Pazar and Medvedja, and SCOPES has met with the Norwegian project SINTEF that will support them and municipal leaders to indicate a willingness to assist as appropriate.

2.2 Improve Local Government Response to Community Need

SCOPES’ work to establish Economic Working Groups (EWGs) and engage village bodies is discussed earlier in sub-section 2.1.3. Work with the EWGs has only recently begun. The EWGs will be SCOPES’ primary vehicle for bringing the economic development needs of the community to the attention of local government. Traditionally, the annual municipal budget cycle begins in late June to early July (when citizen input is sought and budget beneficiaries are given draft budget submission instructions). It is too early to say whether the delay in the constitution of a new national government and the extension of temporary financing for 2007 through June will have an effect on budgeting for 2008.

2.3 Expand Broad-Based Civic Participation

All of the activities under 2.3, which are closely coordinated with the Planning and Preparedness Team’s efforts in this area, are processes, rather than tasks. Though still early in the work plan cycle, the Economic Security team has initiated some work in each sub-section during the first half of FY 2007, as noted below.

2.3.1 Increase participation in decision making The Economic Security team has already begun to support, mostly already existing, Economic Working Groups in its target municipalities. More in-depth discussion of these is found previously at the beginning of sub-section 2.1.3.

2.3.2 Promote responsible media Belgrade-based staff from both components has begun to work with the newly hired public relations coordinator on the best strategy for ‘promoting a responsible media.’ This will be more fully developed in the second half of FY 2007.

2.3.3 Support CSOs SCOPES has identified Susedi za Mir, a multi-ethnic youth NGO in Bujanovac, as a partner in helping develop cross-ethnic linkages among youth in other municipalities. This NGO has agreed to work with Medvedja youth to organize a youth group, and young people in Medvedja have shown interest in the assistance. Osman Balic of Nis, a trainer/consultant for Planning & Preparedness and a Roma, was helpful to the team in

33 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

assessing unsolicited proposals from Roma NGOs and will be consulted as the team identifies which Roma organizations to support.

Changes to Work Plan

At this point, the Economic Security Team doesn’t anticipate significant changes to its work plan for the last half of FY 2007. However, the number of quality business plans submitted to the final round of the “Realizing Your Dream” competition will have an impact on the work plan. Some 135 concepts were approved for progression to the next stage; the team doesn’t know how many entrepreneurs will follow through and submit business plans but expects a large number. As a result, additional time will be needed to complete the BPC process, from business plan selection through final signing of letters of cooperation and/or grants with winning companies. The team expects to complete largely the process by the end summer, rather than in May, as originally planned. Since the BPC will help identify training needs to be addressed under Sub-section 2.1.5, the initiation of this training will begin later than scheduled, probably during the summer and continuing on into FY 2008.

One important change involves SCOPES approach to the news media (Sub-section 2.3.2). As previously noted, this activity is being undertaken jointly by the two components and the SCOPES Public Relations/Media Specialist. Many other organizations have trained and are training the media. Rather than develop a curriculum as originally planned, SCOPES wants to find ways to find ways to involve the news media in its work. The PR coordinator has taken the lead in helping to define how to accomplish this but it could mean using news media during training simulations or involving them in public relations training for business people, NGOs and others.

Key Activities for the Next Six Months

2.1 Expand economic opportunities in vulnerable areas Support to the SME sector in the targeted municipalities for the coming 12 months will largely be defined by the results of the business plan competition (BPC). Once winners are identified, SCOPES staff – with assistance from STTA – will assess the needs of each winner and work with the entrepreneur to prepare a set of initiatives that the company and SCOPES will undertake during the following six to 18 months. SCOPES interventions will be targeted and may include investment through a grant, technical assistance, training, mentoring, apprenticeships/internships, and where appropriate, working with supplier groups. The array of potential training and TA identified in the work plan to support SMEs will be refined based on the needs identified among the companies to be assisted.

Field staff has begun to identify supplier groups – new and potential – within their targeted sub-sectors. The selection process will be informed by the BPC: supplier groups who entered the competition and suppliers to companies who entered. Next steps include assessment of supplier needs and developing and implementing action plans with those groups that SCOPES will support.

An important SCOPES intervention to help individuals, especially young people, gain marketable skills will be establishing internships and apprenticeships. Through an RFA process, SCOPES will select a provider to develop and implement an approach to larger companies outside the region. SCOPES may also work individually with companies to

34 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

improve their existing programs. The BPC will help to ascertain the skills needed by the private sector too. The team will address these through direct contact with vocational and technical schools, coordination with other donors and training programs, RFAs to training providers and use of domestic and international consultants. SCOPES will ensure that members of its targeted vulnerable groups have the chance to take part in all training offered under its name.

2.2 Improve local government response to community need The municipal budget process is expected to begin mid-year, and SCOPES will use that as an opportunity to increase civic involvement of vulnerable groups and others. In the past, citizen, business and NGO involvement in the annual budgeting process, thought such mechanisms as public budget hearings, has been an effective way of soliciting a local government response to community needs.

2.3 Expand broad-based civic participation Well-developed Economic Working Groups are keys to SCOPES’ efforts to broaden civic participation in each municipality, and strengthening the EWGs will be a primary focus for the team in the second half of FY 2007. The team will also raise the visibility of vulnerable groups active in the communities by supporting events organized by them. With the PR Coordinator, the team will clarify and begin to implement a new approach to ‘promoting responsible media.’

35 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

SECTION 4: SURGE CAPACITY

Introduction

Surge Capacity is a SCOPES contract option that can be exercised by USAID in the event of a crisis or disaster to provide immediate assessment, relief and recovery assistance of up to $10 million over the life of the contract. SCOPES’ response under such situations is expected to be rapid and effective. Under a Surge response, SCOPES may:

• Provide technical assistance by deploying personnel to the field rapidly to support USAID crisis response activities; • Provide relief supplies appropriate to the nature of the crisis for which the contract option is invoked; • Provide grants to local and international organizations of up to $100,000, per grant per incident, for crisis response activities.

Summary of Accomplishments

Surge Preparedness Activities

One of the outcomes of the revision of the Serbia Surge Capacity Plan was the realization that the plans in and of themselves were not sufficient to ensure the project’s preparedness for a Surge response. Following the completion of the plan(s), a series of near-term actions (to be completed in from 1 to 5 months) was formulated as well as a long-term strategy for regularly updating the two Surge plans. A new Program Officer, based in Belgrade, was hired in January and will spend 30 percent of her time over the remaining life of the project taking the lead on following through with both the short-term and long- term tasks. In addition, during a short visit in January by SCOPES’ Home Office Technical Backstop, a brief operational plan, defining the roles and responsibilities of the Surge Management Team, was developed to help further define internal roles and responsibilities. The other internal preparedness activities were organized around the three possible Surge tools – TA, grants, and direct procurement of commodities.

36 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Technical Assistance

SCOPES is in the process of establishing a database of potential short-term technical assistance (STTA), with various backgrounds and areas of expertise, who are willing to provide assistance in their area of their specialty, on short notice in the case of a disaster. The substantive areas that the project is recruiting for are consistent with the technical areas identified in the Surge plans. Specifically, these areas of expertise are:

• Environmental Hazards; • Water and Sanitation; • Structural Engineering / Shelter; • Food and Non-food Item Procurement and Distribution; • Transport and Logistics; • Health Care (including first response and avian influenza); • Legal / Protection.

In assembling its roster, SCOPES has reached out to both past and present USAID project partners, other donor projects and local organizations for consultant recommendations. After establishing contact with a referral, SCOPES collects updated resumes and salary history forms. Afterwards, SCOPES plans to submit to USAID a request for pre-approval of daily rates for consultants on its roster. The project also plans to hold an orientation session (or sessions) for consultants on the Surge roster to provide them with basic information about their role during a possible surge event and the project’s expectations. There are two areas where SCOPES is placing special emphasis and is going beyond just filling out a consultant roster. These areas are housing / shelter and hazardous waste.

Housing is especially important given the need for shelter in just about any disaster situation and the likelihood of housing being an important short-term need in any IDP crisis. SCOPES is recruiting for a more senior international expert in this area that is willing to be mobilized on 24 to 48 hours notice. In addition, to help fill a current immediate gap, this expert, once identified, can be tasked with conducting an assessment of current IDP housing options and pricing upgrade / modification requirements to make tentatively identified housing centers habitable. SCOPES has identified a similar need in Montenegro and has presented to the Mission a scope of work for a low-cost option of using a local NGO to perform a similar shelter assessment in Montenegro, where the need shelter needs of any IDP influx are expected to be acute. A final decision on whether to proceed with this work is still pending.

Environmental disasters (especially those involving hazardous waste) were the ones of most concern among those interviewed during the MEMCI data collection exercise – both because of their perceived likelihood and because of a perceived lack of local and national expertise in the area. Although SCOPES has no immediate plans to bring a Hazard Waste expert to work on any immediate task, the project is recruiting for an international expert (or experts) that are willing to be mobilized on 24 to 48 hours in the event of a disaster involving hazardous waste. The project is also looking to formalize ties with one or more new subcontractors that have extensive institutional knowledge in the area.

37 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Relief Supplies

In order to minimize administrative barriers and to be better prepared for a disaster response situation and ensure that the project will be able to respond quickly, SCOPES is in the process of soliciting price quotes from local vendors for basic food and non-food items. Lists of food and non-food items (consistent with similar items and standards established by UNHCR and OFDA) were prepared by SCOPES and sent out to seven local vendors at the end of March. Collecting price quotes now, will help establish a competitive range and a short-list of local suppliers that DAI can procure from quickly, should the need arise. The closing date for receipt of these offers is April 20. Unlike UNHCR and the Red Cross, SCOPES is not pre-purchasing or pre-positioning any food or non-food items.

Grants

SCOPES has identified nine international and over 30 local NGOs that could provide technical expertise, additional administrative capacity and logistical support in such areas as water and sanitation, toxic waste, environmental management, transportation and logistics, structural hazards and damage assessment, and shelter repair in the event of a disaster. In November and again in February, SCOPES hosted roundtables for the international NGO community to share with them the project’s current thinking on its own Surge planning and how the international NGOs might be able to assist in time of need. SCOPES signed Letters of Agreement with a number of these NGOs confirming their interest and availability in cooperating with SCOPES in the case of a Surge response. To reduce administrative barriers in accessing these NGOs and to enable SCOPES to execute grant agreements rapidly in time of need, SCOPES issued a pre-qualification application for the Surge Capacity Grants Program to the international NGOs on March 16 and to the local NGOs on March 30.

Overview of the Activities for the Next Six Months

• Review of pre-qualification grant applicants and award of pre-qualification status to international and local NGOs (April – May); • Establish short-list of pre-qualified local food and non-food item vendors (April); • Serbia shelter assessment (May); • Identify and establish formal institutional relationship with a subcontractor specializing in hazardous waste; • Internal program officer (and potentially selected local STTA) training on 1) disaster assessment and monitoring; 2) SPHERE principles; 3) effective trauma management.

38 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

ANNEX A: SUCCESS STORIES

Success Story #1

Successful launch of new USAID initiative Announcement of SCOPES Program and Business Plan Competition

The new multi-year USAID-funded “Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Security” Program (SCOPES), has been successfully launched and its first major Economic Security activity, a business plan competition “Realizing Your Dream”, has been announced in seven municipalities. At the initial event in Kraljevo on 13 February, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Michael C. Polt, when announcing the SCOPES activities, noted that the number one priority in Serbia is economic development, which is why the SCOPES efforts will help spur job creation and the establishment of new businesses, particularly for people in vulnerable areas. Mr. Brian Holst, SCOPES Chief of Party, invited entrepreneurs to take part in the Kraljevo, 13 February 2007; Ambassador Polt, Mr.Holst, “Realizing your Dream” competition, SCOPES CoP, Mr. Rosenberg, MEGA CoP designed as a first step to identify businesses with opportunities, support their growth and help local entrepreneurs realize their ambitions.

In the period between 13 February and 9 March 2007, the Program activities and the business Plan competition were announced in Kraljevo, Bujanovac, Presevo, Mevedja, Novi Pazar, Prijepolje and Kursumlija. On behalf of the SCOPES Program, the management team members, among the keynote speakers at the events, were: Brian Holst, CoP, Michael Pillsbury, DCoP, Suzi Hagen, Economic Security Program Team Leader and Aleksandar Mentov, Program Officer. Mayors of the target municipalities hosted the events as well as a representative of the Coordination Body for Medveja, Bujanovac and Presevo. Given that a high percentage of the population consists of young people, a target group of special emphasis under SCOPES, in the municipalities of Novi Pazar and Prijepolje, two young representatives from the civil sectors of their respective municipalities also took part in the presentation – a young unemployed journalist, Jasmina Krusevljanin, from Novi Pazar and an economist from Prijepolje, Amer Turkovic– and offered their view of the problems the young were facing today.

39 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

As Mr. Holst said, through previously implemented USAID funded programs in the region, USAID has shown a strong commitment to the target municipalities and will continue this partnership through the SCOPES program, focusing on the improvement of economic security in the most underserved areas of Serbia.

“Realizing your Dream” Competition Bujanovac, Press center, 22 February 2007

The announced competition is just one of many activities to take place in the years to come within the Economic Security component. SCOPES will cooperate with business leaders, entrepreneurs, municipal authorities and civil society leaders to help businesses expand, help local workforces’ gain new skills, and help generate jobs, especially among vulnerable populations.

The interest in SCOPES and the Competition greatly exceeded expectations – a total of more than 700 people attended both the press conferences and the informational workshops that followed. During the workshops, the SCOPES Economic Security Team presented the importance of the business plan as a hallmark of successful companies.

The first step in the competition process is the submission of concept papers. Concept papers have been submitted by entrepreneurs, existing businessmen, agricultural producers, unemployed, and young people that took part in the workshop. To date, hundreds of concept papers have been submitted. The response has exceeded expectations in both quantity and quality of ideas. In order to help businesses better integrate with the market improve their planning and market research The city hall in Medvedja on 16 February 2007 skills, in support of the Business Planning was too small to seat all interested in BPC, leaving Competition, SCOPES will start offering at some standing at the door the end of March a series of trainings in all target municipalities covering the basics of business planning development, market research and financial management issues.

40 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Media coverage

The SCOPES events drew media attention and dozens of journalists, national and regional outlets’ correspondents, camera crews and freelancers flocked to the press conferences. The news coverage of the events was extensive resulting in some 50 news briefs, reports, features, articles published, reprinted and/or aired in both national and local print, broadcast outlets, news wire services and web sites. Many journalists attended the workshop after the press Media presence in Bujanovac Press Center. 22 conference so as to report on the whole February 2007 process and the steps the applicants will be expected to follow during the Competition. Given that many of SCOPES’ target municipalities are ethnically mixed, with significant Albanian speaking populations, all press and program material was prepared both in Serbian and Albanian.

Both languages’ media outlets, as well as bilingual broadcasters’ news desks in the municipalities of Medvedja, Bujanovac and Presevo, equally covered the events informing all citizens in the area in their mother tongue. The active involvement of local media was especially important, as it provided people who could not come to the event an opportunity to learn about and participate in the competition. SCOPES management team were made available to media requests for interviews and statements after the formal part of the press conference and talked to two local radio stations, Radio 101 from Novi Pazar and Radio Milici in Kursumlija, as well as TV Aldi from Presevo in more depth about the SCOPES Front page of Kraljevo local program. SCOPES is now well under way! newspaper with the photo of Ambassador’s visit at the initial Business Plan Competition on 13 February 2007

41 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

Success Story #2

SCOPES Addresses the Lack of Information and Services to Marginalized Groups

Slavko Markovic is a member of Roma community living in the Grdica 2 settlement in the municipality of Kraljevo. This settlement, inhabited by 700 Roma (out of a total population of 3000 in the municipality), has been facing a problem of power supply legality for a long time, but the fact that it was disconnected a couple of months ago, prompted him to turn to the SCOPES Program at its official inauguration in Kraljevo on 13 February 2007. SCOPES has taken an interest in investigating the problems this settlement faces. One of the Program’s goals is to foster economic development among the most vulnerable populations in the most underserved areas of Serbia, such as unemployed and redundant workers, young people, IDPs, Roma and other marginalized groups lacking opportunities. Roma have

Slavko Markovic, Roma representative, at the traditionally been excluded from press conference in Kraljevo, 13 February formal decision-making processes, with little possibility to participate in determining their future, which causes resentment and alienation from the rest of the community. SCOPES aims to promote wide-spread and broad-based civic participation and social inclusion for all members of the community, by including them in all Program activities, which will give them a better sense of belonging.

SCOPES staff is actively cooperating with municipal authorities in identifying and understanding specific needs of vulnerable populations. Vulnerable populations tend to be marginalized and lack access to both information and services. SCOPES staff, in conjunction with municipal authorities, Roma associations and the Power Supply Company from Kraljevo, searched for a solution to the current problem. After extensive coordination, led by SCOPES field officers, between the relevant actors, the power supply was restored to the settlement. However, SCOPES SCOPES at work – Grdica 2 Roma realizes that the solution may be only settlement in Kraljevo, 16 March 2007 temporary and that a more permanent option will have to be considered.

42 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

The long standing problem stems from the fact that the Roma settlements are located on land belonging to different public companies, in this particular case the Serbian Railway company. Since this land is not registered with the Municipality, households (illegally constructed on the land) can not apply for power connection, nor other public utility services such as water and trash removal. Another reason, offered by the power supply company, for cutting the electricity off was that most of the bills they issued for electric use in the settlement have not been paid.

Though the issue of illegal constructions and a population that is least able to pay for municipal services is difficult, SCOPES is encouraged by the fact that the issue is at least now being discussed. The Municipality of Kraljevo has developed a Global Urban Planning and Housing Strategy with the support of international organizations. It is envisioned that implementation of the plan will eventually resolve the problems of illegal Roma settlement permanently. Following through with the commitments in the plan will require strong coordination and support from the municipality. SCOPES will be there to follow its implementation.

43 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

ANNEX B: SUMMARY OF SCOPES MEDIA COVERAGE

Period October 2006 – March 2007

In the last six months SCOPES staff took steps to publicly launch the SCOPES Program and announce its first major Economic Security Program activity, a business plan competition (BPC) “Realizing Your Dream”. The initial launch took place in the municipality of Kraljevo on February 13, 2007 and was followed by five public events in another six target municipalities (the event for Presevo and Bujanovac was a combined event). In order to raise visibility of the events and inform as many people as possible of the upcoming announcements, SCOPES staff had established extensive contacts with all local media and with the help of local municipal public relations officials placed advertisements with all municipal news media outlets on the events in their respective communities. This strategy resulted in high turnout at the events. Furthermore, many commercial private newscasters showed a willingness to advertise the events in their respective municipalities, recognizing the importance and benefits the citizens would draw from the implementation of the Program. SCOPES prepared a press kit for each event, press release and fact sheets in both the Serbian and Albanian languages and produced a brochure on SCOPES and its Economic Security activities, in Serbian, Albanian and English.

The news media covering the SCOPES launch included national and local TV stations, national dailies, local newspapers, local radio stations, news wire services and web sites (news media, municipal official web sites, and the National Employment Service). The total number of press, audio and video news reports SCOPES managed to document totaled over 50, including all cross-reprints. Some radio and TV footage was aired in both newscast and in special informative programs and some were rerun at the request of the citizens. Both languages’ media outlets, as well as bilingual broadcasters’ news desks in the municipalities of Medvedja, Bujanovac and Presevo, equally covered the events informing all citizens in the area in their mother tongue. The event that attracted the greatest media attention was the initial launch in Kraljevo municipality, thanks to the participation of the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Michael C. Polt.

Two radio interviews were given by SCOPES staff, the first being for a Novi Pazar radio station, Radio 101, by Michael Pillsbury, DCOP, while the second was in the municipality of Kuršumlija where Aleksandar Mentov talked for the local Radio station Milici. In Bujanovac, Aleksandar Mentov and Vranje Field Manager, Rexhep llazi, gave statements regarding the business plan competition to TV Aldi from Presevo.

SCOPES staff took advantage of an additional opportunity to promote its Economic Security Program activities by exhibiting at the Fourth International Fair of Textile, Clothing, Leather and Footwear, held In Novi Pazar, on March 23, 2007. SCOPES Novi Pazar Field Manager, Mr. Ahmet Halilagic represented SCOPES at this event.

Due to political sensitivity of SCOPES Preparedness and Planning activities, there has not been public visibility of its activities to date. However, Preparedness and Planning staff continues to work steadily and proactively with municipality officials and civil defense headquarters. Through various meetings and trainings the SCOPES staff has raised overall awareness of the importance of the issues of community crisis prevention, preparedness

44 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

and response planning. This raising of awareness has resulted in a number of articles and news reports tackling the issue of the civil defense system and its current problems.

SCOPES’ Public Relations and Media specialist continuously monitors news media coverage on all project related events and, together with field officers, collect taped broadcast material. In order to have better insight into the media treatment and extent of coverage on SCOPES activities, both at national and local level, a professional press clipping services provider will be engaged in the next reporting period, which will monitor media coverage on SCOPES activities and deliver a press clipping overview on a daily basis.

Finally, during the reporting period, the SCOPES Public Relations and Media specialist developed, in collaboration with project management a Media Policy. The policy provides clear guidance to staff on designated points of contacts and clear lines of communication with the USAID with regard to public events and other program-related media exposure, suggests ways of publicizing the program and communication tools to be used and explains the relationship SCOPES will aim to build with the news media during the life of the Program.

The table below provides an overview of media coverage and the primary topics in the last six months.

Month No. of articles/ Topics footage February 2007 43 SCOPES public launch; US Ambassador’s inauguration of SCOPES - Kraljevo; Announcement of BPC “Realizing Your Dream.” March 2007 15 SCOPES public launch and announcement of BPC; Prolongation of BPC for Novi Pazar; Civil defense system and non- existence of planning and response state body.

45 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

ANNEX B, SCOPES MEDIA COVERAGE - DETAIL

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material Feb. 13, Radio Television Serbia, Programs for …USAID previously signed a similar www.rts.co.yu 2007 RTS 1 (Newscast -2 min redundant labor agreement with 10 Serbian municipalities, report) and invested about $77 million in new economic projects of Serbia's Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program (SCOPES) and Municipal Economic Growth Activity (MEGA) program. According to Michael Polt, US Ambassador, these programs are intended for young workers who were made redundant in factories, refugees, and immigrants. In the next 5 years from the SCOPES program approx. $20 million will be invested in various projects. 13 Feb. RTS 2 (This is Serbia Michael Polt signed US Ambassador Michael Polt and www.rts.co.yu 2007 afternoon program -1 min an agreement with representatives of 11 municipalities of Serbia report) representatives of signed an agreement in Kraljevo about 11 municipalities in cooperation in 2 new economic projects Serbia within US Agency for International Development (USAID) Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program (SCOPES) and MEGA. The two projects are expected to attract approximately $46 million foreign investments primarily for providing new jobs and to support private business

46 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material owners. 13 Feb. TV B-92 (Newscast-1 min Michael Polt in US Ambassador Michael Polt will visit www.b92.net 2007 report) Kraljevo Kraljevo today where he will introduce two new projects within US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Serbia's Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program (SCOPES) and Municipal Economic Growth Activity (MEGA). 13 Feb. TV Pink (Prime time US Ambassador A competition titled 'Make your dream come www.tvpink.co.yu 2007 newscast – 1,7 min report) spoke Serbian true' was introduced to representatives of 7 municipalities. According to Brian Holst, program director, the subject of this program explored the questions of finding good business ideas, the contents of a good business plan, details about the competition of business plans and the training that will help interested entrepreneurs. Winners of the competition will receive a combination of investments, training and technical training to support their plans. 13 Feb. RTV Kraljevo (Prime time Report on the event US Ambassador Michael Polt introduced in 2007 newscast report) (durat.: 3.52 min) Kraljevo today two new USAID projects: Serbia's Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program (SCOPES) and Municipal Economic Growth Activity (MEGA). SCOPES Program aims at strengthening economic security especially in vulnerable

47 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material areas by increasing access to economic opportunities. “When speaking about SCOPES Program, it is very important to say here in Kraljevo that this program focuses on areas of high unemployment rate in order to help people ear their living and participate with dignity as members of their communities’, said Ambassador Polt. 13 Feb. TV Biser (Kraljevo) Report on the event Report on the event in the prime time - 2007 newscast 13 Feb. TV Melos (Kraljevo) Report on the event Report on the event in the prime time - 2007 newscast 13 Feb. TV 10 (Kraljevo) Report on the event Report on the event in the prime time - 2007 newscast 13 Feb. Agora web site Vrsac in MEGA US Agency for International Development http://www.agora.org.yu/ 2007 (Center for civic activities program (USAID) will invest $46.5 million in two new vesti_pregled.php?v_id=27 – Portal for undertaking programs in Serbia SCOPES and MEGA Article available and creative individuals) program. Within SCOPES program, aimed at Contingency Planning and strengthening economic security, a competition of business plans entitled “Realizing your Dream” will be realized in the next six months. Program targets the unemployed whishing to start their own businesses, young competent people, SMEs with interesting business ideas. 13 Feb. Beta News agency Polt presents Kraljevo, February 13, 2007 - US www.beta.co.yu 2007 USAID programs in Ambassador in Belgrade, Michael Polt will Article available

48 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material Kraljevo today introduce today two new projects of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Kraljevo, “Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program (SCOPES) and Municipal Economic Growth Activity (MEGA). SCOPES CoP Brian Holst will announce the competition of business plans entitled “Realizing your Dream”…Strategy of SCOPES program is to pay a special attention to helping young people in Serbia. 14 Feb. Danas daily (Cover page- Michael Polt: US Two new US Agency for International www.danas.co.yu 2007 Headline) continues to support Development (USAID) programs have been Article available Serbia's economic introduced in Kraljevo for providing new development jobs. During the event Michael Polt, US Ambassador stated that US continues to support Serbia's economic development. 14 Feb. Danas daily (Column Michael Polt: US Two new US Agency for International www.danas.co.yu 2007 Economy) continues to support Development (USAID) programs have been Article available Serbia's economic introduced in Kraljevo for providing new development jobs. During the event Michael Polt, US Ambassador stated that US continues to support Serbia's economic development and the two new USAID programs will serve this purpose 14 Feb. Politika daily (Column US assistance to Yesterday in Kraljevo 2 new US Agency for www.politika.co.yu 2007 Economy) employment International Development (USAID) Article available programs have been introduced that will be

49 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material implemented in the next five years. The program titled 'Make your dream come true' includes a business plan competition. 14 Feb. Vecernje novosti (Central Jobs - the true goal Yesterday in Kraljevo Michael Polt, US www.vecernje.co.yu 2007 Serbia column) (Central Serbia) Ambassador promoted 2 programs in Serbia Article available that will be financed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program (SCOPES) will be implemented in 7 municipalities and it includes a business plan competition titled “Make your dream come true”, and an investment of $20 million. 14 Feb. Blic daily Grants for jobs US Agency for International Development www.blic.co.yu 2007 (Society&Economy) (USAID) will invest $46.5 million in two new Article available programs in Serbia “Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program (SCOPES), and Municipal Economic Growth Activity (MEGA) program”. … According to Polt and Brian Holst, director of SCOPES, this program will last 5 years, and USAID will invest $20 million… 14 Feb. Blic daily (Politics) Winner/Loser US Ambassador in Belgrade, Michael Polt www.blic.co.yu 2007 introduced two new projects of the US Article available Agency for International Development (USAID) in Kraljevo. The two programs are: Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program (SCOPES), and Municipal Economic Growth Activity (MEGA)

50 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material program. 14 Feb. B-92 web site (source Grant for jobs US Agency for International Development www.b92.net 2007 Danas and Blic) (USAID) will invest $46.5 million in two new Article available programs in Serbia SCOPES and MEGA program. “Citizens of Serbia said that the most needed thing is new jobs and we are here to help you’, said Michael Polt, US Ambassador to Serbia, when explaining why USAID opted for these kinds of programs. Milos Babic, Kraljevo Mayor, participating in both programs, said that USAID assistance is appreciated for the economy of this region and explained that “there are 18,000 unemployed, great numbers of refugees in Kraljevo and industry with potentials cannot start without additional support. 14 Feb. Pregled daily Michael Polt: US Since 2004, when I assumed the US www.pregled.com 2007 continues to support ambassador post in Belgrade, this Embassy Article available Serbia's economic has focused more and more on economic development development of Serbia. For seven underdeveloped municipalities, 20 million program has been prepared, which will help the unemployed, young people, refugees and agriculture producers in those areas prepare for running a business. – said US Ambassador to Serbia Michael Polt in Kraljevo yesterday.

51 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material 16 Feb. Ibarske novosti, Kraljevo Programs for new Ambassador Polt announced at the Kraljevo http://www.kraljevo.com/ 2007 job opportunities – event the beginning of implementation of ibarskenovosti/ Headline on cover another project financed by USA, “Serbia page Contingency Planning and Economic Security (American Program” (SCOPES). Within this Program, a Ambassador first phase started on Tuesday in Kraljevo – Micheal Polt business plan competition ‘Realizing your visiting Kraljevo) Dream”. “When speaking about SCOPES program, it has a special importance for Kraljevo as it addresses the region of high unemployment with the aim to help people and their families earn a living and actively participate in their communities. Special attention will be given to young people. Babic, Kraljevo Mayor, reminded that citizens of Kraljevo successfully cooperated with American people in the last six years through various programs and emphasized the importance of continuation of this partnership. 16 Feb. National Employment Kraljevo - US US Agency for International Development http://www.rztr.co.yu/NszWeb/ 2007 Agency web site Agency for (USAID) will invest $46.5 million in two new showNewsDetailStatic.do? International programs in Serbia SCOPES and MEGA newsId=1606&from=list& Development program. Furthermore, for seven filijalaId=-1 (USAID) will invest undeveloped municipalities a $20 million Article available $46.5 million in two program started to be implemented, with the new programs in aim to help the unemployed, young, refugees, Serbia SCOPES and agriculture producers prepare for running a

52 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material MEGA program business. 16 Feb. RTV 4S Bojnik, (private Short report in news Short report was aired with the news program Station is not archiving video 2007 TV station covering flash every two hours (six times in total). material Jablanicki region)

16 Feb. Regional TV Leskovac Report in the USAID –funded “Serbia Contingency Video footage available 2007 regional News Planning and Economic Security Program” broadcast (SCOPES), has been presented to “Panorama” at entrepreneurs today in Medvedja. Within the 22.00. (Duration 3,3 Program a business plan competition min) “Realizing Your Dream” was announced and eligible applicants are entrepreneurs and individuals who are planning to start up their businesses. Panel of judges, when assessing the projects, will pay a special attention to young people, unemployed and redundant workers. Deadline is March 9. Municipality of Medvedja completed two USAID programs and this, third one, is just a continuation of that cooperation. 16 Feb. Radio Medvedja (bilingual Report both in At today’s press conference held in Audio report available 2007 newsroom) Serbian and Municipality of Medvedja, Serbia Albanian languages Contingency Planning and Economic Security (duration: 3-4 min) Program (SCOPES) was presented. Mayor Mr. Draskovic welcomed the guests and said: We have successfully cooperated with the US

53 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material Agency for International Development (USAID) for six years through two projects. With this program we tend to create more employment opportunities in the municipality of Medvedja. Suzi Hagen said: In each of these undeserved municipalities our goal is to strengthen human security, though supporting private sector and helping the vulnerable groups, unemployed, redundant, marginalized, rural population... What is different with this project is focus on young people, we want to help them so they can help themselves. Today we want to announce a business plan competition “Realizing your Dream”, open for young and old, existing and new entrepreneurs. 16 Feb. Radio M, Medvedja Radio reports aired Municipality of Medvedja has already been Audio report available 2007 in news broadcast at working with the USAID on two projects. 2PM (short one) and Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic 11PM (whole Security Program (SCOPES) is the third footage 16.5 project and it will mean a lot for Medvedja as minutes). it will help create new employment opportunities. “Local government will do everything in its power to help the Program in all aspects of its implementation, and we hope that you will take part and help the program live in our municipality”, said Medvedja

54 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material Mayor, Mr. Draskovic.

20 Feb. Jugpress agency (also run New USAID project Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic www.jugpress.com 2007 through Fonet news Security Program (SCOPES) is a new USAID Article available agency) program whose realization started in the municipality of Medvedja. SCOPES Economic Security Program Team Leader Suzi Hagen said it is a $20 million multi-year program with the aim to strengthen economic security of people in underserved areas of Serbia…” We don’t want this town to die and are of the opinion that the private sector supports the development of one area. We encourage particularly the marginalized groups and young people in need of jobs to take part in this program”, said Mrs. Hagen. 20 Feb. B-92 web site – Business New USAID project SCOPES Economic Security Program Team www.b92.net 2007 section (carried Beta news Serbia Contingency Leader Suzi Hagen said that it was a 20$ agency news report) Planning and million USAID-funded program aimed at Article available Economic Security strengthening economic security of people in Program (SCOPES) underserved areas of Serbia. “Objective of started in Medvedja this Program is to encourage all people wishing to take part and help develop this

55 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material city. We don’t want this town to die and are of the opinion that the private sector supports the development of one area. That is why we want people to come to us and tell us what is needed for this municipality”, said Mrs. Hagen. 22 RTV Bujanovac Report in the prime Reporter: A new USAID “Program for Video footage available February (bilingual newsroom) news cast Contingency Planning and Economic 2007 „Dnevnik“ –Serbian Security“ (SCOPES) has been presented to language news desk the media today in the Bujanovac Press - duration 4.06 Center, by SCOPES Chief of Party Brian min); Holst, Program Officer Aleksandar Mentov, representative of Coordination Body for The same footage Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja, Sima was aired in Gazikalovic, and president of Bujanovac Albanian language municipality, Nagip Arifi. The first major activity, a business plan competition “Realizing your dream”, was announced, presenting a first step aimed at identifying business with opportunities and supporting their growth, by offering support to their advancement and assistance to local entrepreneurs in realizing its business ambition. Aleksandar Mentov: The aim of the competition is to assist in creating new job opportunities, to provide skills training to unemployed and workers required by today’s

56 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material market, but also to improve and advance business operation of local firms and entrepreneurs in order to enable them to equally participate in different markets. Sima Gazikalovic: Special attention and cooperation within this Program will be offered by the Coordination body, assessing it as well focused on decreasing the rate of unemployment in municipalities of Presevo and Bujanovac. Reporter: Support to the program and further cooperation was announced by the Bujanovac Mayor. Mr. Arifi. 22 TV Aldi (Albanian media -short report in flash Nagip Arifi (Bujanovac municipality Video footage available February from Presevo) news:1.20 min; mayor): It is a special pleasure to welcome 2007 -footage: 12.06 min; Director of SCOPES program. Mr. Brian -report in prime Holst, who is well known in Bujanovac news cast: 3.55 min; municipality since we worked with him in implementation of USAID supported CRDA Program from 2001 until 2006. Today we continue the cooperation between the Bujanovac municipality and USAID thought the SCOPES program, aimed at supporting economic development and agriculture. Brian Holst: We are presenting a new multi- year Program SCOPES supported by generous aid of American people through the USAID. USAID has a good cooperation with

57 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material municipalities of Bujanovac and Presevo. Through three main programs implemented in this region, Community Revitalization through Democratic Action (CRDA), Serbia Local Government Reform Program (SLGRP), as well as Community Initiative Development Program (CIDP), the USAID has shown a strong commitment of its assistance in this region and it will continue this partnership in the SCOPES program. Any success that we had in our programs are due to it citizens, local government and Coordination Body. SCOPES will focus on improvement of economic security in the most underserved parts of Serbia. The report included a clip from workshop held in Culture Center and short statements by Project officer, Mentov and Field Office Manager from Vranje, Rexhep Ilazi on the BPC. 22 Tanjug news agency USAID Business Today US Agency for International www.tanjug.co.yu February Plan Competition Development (USAID) presented a Business 2007 for plan competition entitled “Realizing your Article available Decreasing Dream“ in Bujanovac, with the aim to unemployment increase employment opportunities in the area. Program will be implemented in cooperation with local governments, and it is expected that young people concerned for

58 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material their financial prosperity will take part in the Program activities. Numerous young people from Bujanovac and Presevo attended the event showing the interest for their future. 22 Vranje Press Agency New USAID project At the event, Serbia Contingency Planning http://avp.campware.org February and Economic Security Program (SCOPES) Article available 2007 will announce its first major activity – Business plan competition entitled „Realizing your Dream“. Competition is the first step to identify businesses with opportunities, support their growth and help local entrepreneurs realize their ambitions. SCOPES aim is to strengthen human security in undeserved areas and among vulnerable population of Serbia through improvement of economic environment in the region.

22 RTS II channel, “Ovo je Short report from One minute report on the SCOPES launch www.rts.co.yu February Srbija” Program field correspondent and announcement of BPC in Bujanovac Request for footage still (between 5 - 6 p.m.) Press Center. ongoing

59 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material 22 RTV Spektri (TV in Report on the event - - February Albanian language from 2007 Bujanovac) 23 Feb. Nasa rec, (Leskovac-based New USAID Project Article taken from press agency Jugpress. Article available 2007 regional weekly in Medvedja

26 Feb. Perspektiva (an Albanian SCOPES Program: USAID Program for “Serbia Contingency Article available 2007 language weekly from Presentation of Planning and Economic Security“ (SCOPES), Presevo) Program and designed to strengthen human security in Business Plan underdeveloped areas through increasing of Competition economic opportunities, presented its first “Realizing your activity business plan competition “Realizing dream“ your dream”. Brian Holst, CoP, said that these municipalities had successfully cooperated with the USAID in other projects and added: “All successes that we had here have been accomplished thanks to local self government, Coordination Body and citizens of this region”. USAID will continue this partnership through SCOPES targeting economic development of the region. Mayor of Bujanovac Municipality, Nagip Arifi said: “A new phase of economic development just started and I know that our citizens are welcoming this initiative”.

60 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material 28 Feb. Srpski venac (Serbian Strengthening Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Article available 2007 language weekly/monthly economic security Security Program (SCOPES) has been from Bujanovac) through business presented in the government Bujanovac Press plans „Realizing center in organization of USAID and your dreams“ SCOPES, as well as announcement of its first major activity “Realizing your Dream”. Reporter: After the press conference, more than 300 people were present at the workshop held in Culture Center, interested to learn more about the Competition “Realizing your Dream“. SCOPES managers presented in a acceptable way the criteria and requirements under which all applicants can realize their business plans in the municipalities of Bujanovac, Presevo, Medvedja, Kraljevo, Kursumlija, Novi Pazar and Prijepolje and receive adequate financial and other technical assistance for the realization of the activity “Realizing your dream” creating the preconditions for employment opportunities for the young people. 28 Feb. Regionalna TV, Novi Report in prime Mayor Ugljanin thanked the American people Video footage available 2007 Pazar time news cast and US institutions for helping the Novi Pazar (duration 8,4 min.) citizens with programs which already had successes in different parts of the region. “As you know, in ex-Yugoslavia there was a strong civil defense system organizing citizens to react in emergencies and crises

61 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material situations in order to protect themselves. After the dissolution of the country, the problems and possibilities of crises emerging have remained the same, but there is no legislation enabling us to act in accordance with our powers. Further, big industrial giants went bankrupt; hundreds of people were made redundant. USAID, through SCOPES Program, has hit the bull between the eyes as it addresses the problems that ail the citizens, the issues of security in emergencies as well as economic security. This program is tailored for our purposes.”, said Ugljanin. Mr. Pillsbury, DCOP said that the aim of the Economic Security Program is to strengthen economic development, and with the high percentage of the unemployed in Novi Pazar municipality, the Program will aim to help members of vulnerable populations improve their skills so that they are better able to find jobs. 28 Feb. TV Jedinstvo, Novi Pazar Report in prime - 2007 time news cast

28 Feb. Tanjug news Support to Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic www.tanjug.co.yu 2007 economic Security Program (SCOPES) Deputy COP, Article available development of Michael Pillsbury said at the Program Novi Pazar presentation that the winners of the business

62 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material plan competition will receive financial support ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on the number of employees. According to him, financial and technical support can also expect the young and unemployed wishing to start their own businesses. 28 Feb. Beta news agency Project for new job Today US Agency for International www.beta-press.com 2007 opportunities in Development USAID presented a $20 million Article available Novi Pazar Program in Novi Pazar, aimed at helping people without employment as well as entrepreneurs and SMEs businessmen. Business plan competition “Realizing your Dream” was announced and entrepreneurs whishing to apply can submit their concept papers by March 21. 28 Feb. RTS 2, “Ovo je Srbija” Short report from One minute report on the SCOPES launch www.rts.co.yu 2007 afternoon program field correspondent and announcement of BPC at Novi Pazar Request for footage still University. ongoing

28 Feb. Novi Pazar municipality - Today a new USAID project SCOPES was www.novipazar.org.yu 2007 web site presented in Novi Pazar, through which the Article available US Agency will invest $20 million in several municipalities in Serbia in the next five years,

63 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material one of which is Novi Pazar.

1 March Sandzaknews agency USAID supports Taken over the news from Novi Pazar web www.sandzaknews.com 2007 Novi Pazar site 1 March. Radio Sto Plus, Novi Interview with Yesterday SCOPES program was presented in www.radiostoplus.com 2007 Pazar Michael Pillsbury Novi Pazar and Michael Pillsbury, DCOP, Audio report available News magazine, duration (News magazine) talked for our radio about the program, but 7 min; also about the Program objectives. M.P: As I said earlier, the focus of the Economic Security Program component SCOPES is to help people who are chronically unemployed or redundant workers and help them develop their skills to find jobs, integrate better and succeed in the market place. Reporter: Why was Novi Pazar selected for this Program? M.P: In 2006 we went to lengthily process of identifying and selecting municipalities, with three basic criteria – a number of young population, chronically unemployed and a number of refugees and IDPs. All three criteria were pronounced in Novi Pazar. Novi Pazar, specifically, has the highest proportion of youth in relation to its population compared to other municipalities in Serbia

64 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material Reporter: Has this economic program been implemented somewhere else in the region and other countries? M.P: Yes and no. This kind of program have been done in the region, but what is interesting for SCOPES is that the assistance to SMEs here proved to be an important factor in Serbia. There is a great number of young people without jobs, and the important thing is to reach the people that need the help the most. Reporter: Are you satisfied with the turnout and can this Program alleviate the grave economic situation in this area? M.P: Novi Pazar is the fourth municipality in which we have done a similar kick-off event and that the interest generated has exceeded our expectations. With the team of organizations the USAID picked to implement SCOPES, DAI, CHF and Booz Allen Hamilton, all of them have an extensive experience in Serbia, 7 to 10 years, so I think that it gives us an advantage and in-depth understanding of barriers to starting businesses, problems that SMEs managers encounter when trying to grow the business. I believe that the program will result in businesses that grow and are able to hire more

65 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material people and help people develop job skills, that will enable them find employment. Reporter: What are the basic criteria you’ll be guided in the process of selection of the best business plans? MP: Two things, innovative ideas and ideas that in the opinion of judges have the most potential for growth. 1 March. Radio Sto Plus Report on the event Short report on the event and clips from M. www.radiostoplus.com 2007 Prime newscast Pillsbury interview. Audio report available (duration 0.46 min)

2 March Radio Polimlje, Prijepolje Reports in morning Yesterday a new $20 million Serbia Audio report available 2007 program and news Contingency Planning and Economic Security cast, as well as in Program SCOPES officially started at the “Overview of the press conference presentation in Prijepolje. week” program the Brian Holst, COP talked about the Program. following week ”One of the major challenges facing all of (duration 4,5 min) Serbia is a high percentage of unemployed and redundant workers. In the municipality of Prijepolje 45% of population is unemployed. Compared to the unemployment rate on the national level of 28%, which is already extremely high, this ranks Prijepolje among the municipalities with highest percentage of unemployment in Serbia.

66 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material This Program will pay a special attention to the young people and a representative of a civil sector of the youth in Prijepolje. Amer Turkovic talked on their behalf: “Prijepolje is a town which left many young people in the last 15 years in search for a job. Around 33% of Prijepolje population constitutes young people.” Within the Program, a workshop was organized in regard to announced Business plan competition “Realizing your Dream”, which will last for the next several month. 2 March Radio 33, Prijepolje Three minute report Presentation of a new multi-year USAID Transcript available 2007 at 8.30 morning project SCOPES and announcement of program business plan competition “Realizing your Dream” took place on Thursday, 1 March, in hotel Milesevo in Prijepolje. Key activities of the program are improvement of economic situation in selected undeveloped regions with the focus on vulnerable population, strengthening local capacities in planning and responding to local populations’ needs and promotion of broader citizens; participation and their inclusion in society. 9 March Polimlje weekly, On Thursday March 1, Serbia Contingency Article available 2007 Prijepolje Planning and Economic Security Program SCOPES was presented in Prijepolje. The program is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Nedzad

67 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material Turkovic, Prijepolje Mayor said:” SCOPES Program is designed to stimulate initiatives, particularly of the young people, and strengthen economic security. “USAID has cooperated very successfully with the municipality of Prijepolje on two projects. We hope that his program will be as successful as the previous two”, said Mr. Holst. Representative of the young people from Prijepolje expects that the trend of young and educated people leaving this area will be at least symbolically stopped, the more so as one third of the Prjepolje population is young people. 9 March Radio Minic, Kursumlija Interview with Announcer: Today, at 14.00, SCOPES Audio report available 2007 Aleksandar Mentov program will be presented in the Kursumlija Program “Aktuelno” – municipal assembly. What is SCOPES “Current affairs at” 10.30 program? (duration 13.30 min.). Mentov: SCOPES (Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program) is new programs supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with the aim to strengthen human security in the most underserved areas of Serbia. Announcer: Tell us more about Economic program Mentov: SCOPES will pay a special focus on

68 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material strengthening economic development and improving economic situation, considering that one of the major problems facing the citizens of Serbia is high unemployment. We shall cooperate with a wide range of partners, existing firms and entrepreneurs running their businesses, showing potential for creation of new employment opportunities. Firms with a potential to grow will be offered combination of financial assistance, technical support to improve their products, advance their operation and become competitive on the wider markets. On the other side, SCOPES will work with start-ups wishing to realize their business ideas, provided that they demonstrate innovativeness, potential for growth and market orientation. The idea is that those companies as they develop and grow will create conditions for new job opportunities… ...SCOPES will work with another group of people without ambition to run their own businesses, by improving their knowledge and developing their skills needed to be a part of today’s market. On one hand, we shall help companies integrate into markets, assisting them to become more successful and market- orientated, and on the other hand assist them

69 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material find a competent workers, presenting a key to the success of every company. Announcer: What can you tell us about the competition “Realizing Your Dream”? Mentov: I have the honor to announce the competition in the municipality of Kursumlija, targeting companies and entrepreneurs and invite them to take part and present their business ideas. Today at 14.00 we shall present in greater detail all requirements related to the competition open to both existing and new entrepreneurs. Main requirement is that their ideas are market orientated profitable and sustainable. .. Since the process is not easy one, SCOPES will organize training to all interested applicants, offering all assistance in developing business plans. Training will take place in April, but the dates will be confirmed in due time. Particular emphasis will be laid on vulnerable groups of population, such as unemployed and redundant workers, youth, people living in remote isolated areas, who are specially invited to take part and recognize their interest in this competition. I would just add that this is only one of the SCOPES activities to take place in Kursumlija. Apart from private sector, a

70 SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material priority in Serbia, SCOPES will cooperate with civil sector, various associations and cooperatives (like agriculture producers), and other actors, establishing a partner relations with all citizens of Kursumlija in a bid to successfully implement the program. 10 TV Kursumlija Report on M. Djurdjevic – Kursumlija Mayor: Today Video footage available March informative program we present a new USAID project Serbia 2007 at 8 p.m. and full Contingency Planning and Economic Security coverage at 10 p.m. Program (SCOPES). We had a good (duration 26.12 cooperation with USAID, through the min.) implementation of two projects and we hope this cooperation will also be successful. This Program is an effort and initial step towards creation the cooperation through which we shall aim to overcome some of the problems in our municipality. I welcome the beginning of the work and through contacts with entrepreneurs we try to make a step towards economic development and try to solve the problem of unemployment. In the previous period more than 2,000 people were made redundant. 10 TV Prizma, Kursumlija Report in the The same footage of the whole event was - March evening informative aired. 2007 program at 9 p.m. (Durat. 30 min.)

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DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material 12 Radio Minic, Kursumlija View into the rear- Last Friday, March 9, a new USAID-funded Audio report available March view- mirror Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic 2007 program Security Program (SCOPES) was publicly (2.50 min report in presented in Kursumlija. All entrepreneurs the morning were invited to take part in the business plan program at 11.05) competition “Realizing your dream”. A workshop on where good business ideas come from and what a sound business plan entails was held intended for all entrepreneurs and interested individuals. 13 Nase (Regional daily from Strengthening Last week a new USAID-funded Serbia Article available March Nis) security Contingency Planning and Economic Security 2007 Program (SCOPES) was publicly presented in Kursumlija. SCOPES will support entrepreneurs, preferably working in the following sectors: fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy processing, tourism, light manufacturing, wood processing, but will be open to all other initiatives with the potential to increase employment of young people, said Aleksandar Mentov, Program officer. 21 Blic daily There is no one to …Citizens of Serbia are not protected from www.blic.co.yu March defend Serbia in the any of the natural disasters, nor do they have Article available 2007 event of disasters the civil defense system enabling a prompt (Civil defense saving of human lives, protecting system practically environment and peoples’ property in the does not exist, event of floods, earthquakes or toxic government is substances’ release…The Serbian government

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DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material completely reacts to the disasters by setting up crisis disinterested in headquarters. A Minister puts on his boots, solving the goes to the site for photo opportunity, orders problem) the damaged property to be rebuilt and thinks that he has finished his job. “There is no crisis and emergencies prevention and preparedness planning in Serbia, as there is no legislation which would systematically regulate the issue”, said Milan Popadic, the first man of civil defense in Serbia. 23 Danas daily (Supplement International fair of Today USAID-funded “Serbia Contingency www.danas.co.yu March for Sandzak) Textile, Clothing, Planning and Economic Security Program Article available 2007 Leather and (SCOPES)” implemented by DAI will be Footwear presented at the Fair. At the event, a “Over 50 exhibitors prolongation of the deadline of the business announced their plan competition “Realizing your dream” will participation” be announced. The original deadline set for March 21 has been prolonged for additional week. 23 Radio Sto Plus, Novi Short news in the Short news on the prolongation of the www.radiostoplus.com March Pazar newscast deadline of BPC for municipality of Novi 2007 Pazar

24 TV B-92 4 p.m. news and “At this moment Serbia does not have either a www.b92.net March 6.30 prime time state body or preparedness and response plans Article available 2007 news reports in the event of natural disasters or large scale emergencies.”, said Milan Popadic, Head of

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DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material Department for Defense. ..The need of the existence of such an organization is proved by numerous challenges the cities are exposed to only in previous several years. Starting from NATO campaign, floods in Banat, land slides in Bogdanje, military warehouse explosion in Paracin to occasional releases of dangerous chemical substances. Civil defense in Serbia is beheaded, as it has neither a commander nor a Republic crisis headquarter…. Due to floods and chemical incidents, civil defense headquarter in Pancevo has its hands full. Pursuant to law, mayor Srdjan Mikovic, is the first man of the local headquarters. He says that due to non-existence of state-level civil defense system, local governments are left to manage on their own based on personal experiences and organizational abilities in crisis situation. “We are all at great risk. Precisely, 130 thousand of citizens of Pancevo* municipality can be endangered. Not only that, but also a great part of Belgrade. Because no one can draw a line between municipalities and says that no danger will spill over that border”, said Mikovic.

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DATE SOURCE SUBJECT Body LINK/copy of material 24 B-92 web site No planning and Full transcript of TV B-92 coverage Article available response state body

*PANČEVO, March 2007 In November 2006 there was a release of cancer-causing pollution from a petrochemical plant in Pancevo, contaminating the air of the city, as well as 12 miles-away Belgrade. Pancevo, a town of some 50,000 people, along with a few other areas in Serbia, was designated an environmental hazard in a U.N. damage-assessment report conducted after the 1999 air war. The Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe issued a statement on November 17, 2006 expressing "serious concern over pollution in Pancevo which is a major health hazard for the local population." Hans Ola Urstad, the head of the OSCE mission in Belgrade said that "the frequency of such incidents in the country indicates that the mechanisms of environmental protection in Serbia are insufficient."

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ANNEX C: QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF MUNICIPAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CAPACITY

"Greatest threat to Likely role Number of safety and security in in any Qualitative Assessment of Municipal IDPs relative Political party municipality" identified Municipality potential Emergency Management Capacity to total of mayor by local interlocutors in influx of population18 Feb./March 2007 more IDPs MEMCI interviews 4,812 Party for Involvement of young people transit, • Municipality most at risk for politically- 43,494 Democratic Action in drugs and human potential motivated incidents, including acts of targeted 11.06% trafficking location of violence, on Kosovo-related issues. "incidents" • Under pressure externally from political actors in Kosovo, facing divisions internally within the Albanian political community, between Serb and Albanian political actors, and among Serb- Albanian-Roma communities. Bujanovac • CMT of humanitarian crisis responders is new, multiethnic and well-intentioned, but security and trafficking issues facing municipality are outside its purview. • In event of security crisis, Serbian republic organs would direct response. • Populations moving to, from or within the municipality would gravitate for care to political parties, relatives/friends, the Red Cross and NGOs networked to respond to potential IDP influx.

18 UNHCR, "IDPs in Serbia as of 15th March 2007," distributed April 10, 2007; total municipal population drawn from 2002 census.

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12,455 Serbian Power struggle that destination • Excellent technical capacity in proactive CMT 175,182 Democratic politicizes local attempts to that is coordinated for response. Kragujevac 7.1% Renewal prevent threats to public • Local NGOs providing integration assistance to Movement safety and security and IDPs and attention to special needs of Roma IDP thwarts national legislation families. 19,455 Nova Water supply contamination; destination, • Good technical capacity in CMT. 122,035 Srbija/Velimir Ilic landslides on private potential • Gov't-Red Cross-UNHCR-NGO cooperation in 15.94% property location of humanitarian assistance developed as a result of IDP protest long experience with refugee and IDP humanitarian response and integration. Kraljevo • Red Cross national warehouse located in municipality. • Because of large resident IDP and refugee population, the city is a possible location for orchestrated protests.

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8,709 Democratic Party Chemical accident; no destination • Excellent technical capacity in proactive CMT. 131,102 of Serbia access by unemployed • CMT has taken initiative to build a crisis 6.64% persons to health care; response structure that reaches beyond MZ to building/ settlement level. Instead of being controlled by Civil Protection, however, it is controlled and maintained by local self- government. • Municipality has prepared contracts with private companies whose property and vehicles would be Kruševac used in case of crisis. • Business sector is represented in large number. • Red Cross is only NGO, although CMT says others will be invited to join. • Ministry of Defense initially issued a memo to the municipality criticizing the initiative as a "parallel structure," but this has been resolved and Civil Protection is participating in the system. 6,056 Democratic Party Proximity of Kosovo border; transit, • Red Cross, Min. of Interior, Min. of Health and 21,606 of Serbia unfinished and decomposing potential Civil Protection have prepared for potential 28.0% water management project location of influx of refugees, even conducting a simulation "incidents" exercise at train station. • Cooperation of above with municipal authorities is weak. • Many IDPs registered in the municipality, acc. to Kuršumlija Red Cross, have left for other locations. Selova collective center is still not closed. • Preparedness in municipality currently raised for security and political reasons. • Because of large resident IDP and refugee population, the city is a possible location for orchestrated protests.

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5,195 Democratic Party Chemical and industrial destination, • CMT technically solid, crisis response driven by 155,812 accidents; potential for influx possible Civil Protection, organized on "old system" 3.33% Interim of IDPs political • NGOs networked to respond to IDP influx and Administration unrest well-coordinated with CMT. imposed by • Longstanding political divisions within the republic municipality will continue, despite Interim government on Administration, to hamstring functioning of local Leskovac April 12, 2007 government. In any crisis, local representatives of republic organs and civil society will continue to take the lead role. • Political unrest and acts of targeted political retribution have been frequent and generally extreme in Leskovac for over 10 years. Kosovo- related developments can be expected to provide an opportunity for more of the same. 731 Coalition for Brushfires; accidents on transit • CMT affected by strains in relationship between 10,847 Medvedja Leskovac-Medvedja Min. of Interior and Civil Protection, but 6.7% highway; landslides caused nevertheless includes technical experts and Red by deforestation Cross in professional environment. Medveđa • Municipal government would likely, in crisis, cede leading role to Min. of Interior in its police, not protection/rescue function. • NGOs networked to respond to IDP influx.

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4,777 Coalition for Ground water contamination destination • Excellent technical capacity in proactive CMT 85,534 Sandzak/Sulejman from garbage dump; floods; that includes all sectors, 5.58% Ugljanin landslides; trafficking in • Mayor is committed to strengthening de facto drugs and human beings; no and de jure local response capacity. control of medical waste; • Red Cross has specifically prepared for potential poor environmental controls; IDP arrivals. illegal slaughterhouses • Second largest soup kitchen in Serbia, currently feeding 700 daily. Novi Pazar • Municipality has accepted, through UNHCR engagement, the controversial "containers"/trailers sent from Caritas Germany and earmarked by Serbian authorities as temporary shelter for Roma IDPs. (The trailers had been rejected in protests both by Belgrade Roma communities and the New Belgrade neighborhood where the city planned to erect the "container settlement.") 35 Democratic Party Garbage dump very near very brief • Under pressure from political actors in Kosovo, 35,118 of Albanians city; condition of Oraovica transit, poss. facing divisions within the Albanian political less than dam. destination community. 0.01% for small • At risk for politically-motivated "incidents," number of including acts of targeted violence, within the Roma IDPs, Albanian community on Kosovo-related issues. potential • Should Serb or Roma IDPs choose to transit Preševo location of through Presevo, they are more likely to "incidents" encounter threats to security and safety on the Kosovo side than in Presevo. • CMT is active, organized and expanding its reach to MZ level, but is not immune to political tensions. • NGOs networked to respond to potential IDP influx.

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4,673 Democratic Party No control of medical waste; transit • Disconnect among local administration, Civil 47,771 pollution of Toplica river, Protection and Red Cross. 9.78% used for irrigation of cash • In event of crisis, Red Cross and Min. of Interior crop Prokuplje would play de facto leading role. In 1999, a major transit point was set up and mobile field teams sought out out persons crossing the boundary. This approach would likely be repeated. 1,882 Socialist Party of Potential for earthquake; transit • Excellent technical capacity in CMT structure 26,891 Serbia condition of Gazivoda dam; which operates as a positive example of how the 6.30% agricultural and medical "old" system used to function. waste; potential for boric • Local government has delegated leading role acid spillover from mining responsibility to Civil Protection. operation Raška • Simulations in 2006 of landslide, tanker truck spill and flooding. Min. of Interior (police and rescue/protection), Civil Protection, local health centers and Red Cross participated. • Red Cross would provide meals, water filters on site; water cistern would arrive expeditiously from Belgrade. 151 Sandzak Uncontrolled waste disposal; poss. • Sjenica has been destination of last resort for 27,857 Democratic unexploded ordnance; lack destination IDPs and refugees. Acc. to Red Cross; they can 0.54% Party/Rasim Ljajic of medical transport for small usually obtain better conditions in nearby number of municipalities, Montenegro or Kosovo. Sjenica Roma IDPs • CMT hamstrung by political standoff in municipal gov't. • No strong leadership in crisis response. • State resources are strained with "social cases."

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572 Coalition for Poor condition of river beds; poss. • CMT very small, few technical or personnel 29,911 Sandzak/Sulejman flooding; uncontrolled waste destination resources available in municipality. Tutin 1.91% Ugljanin disposal; lack of education for small • Crisis response would be handled nominally by on health and hygiene; number of Civil Protection and actually by strong local Red potential for earthquake Roma IDPs Cross organization. 6,041 Socialist Party of Potential influx of persons destination, • Good technical capacity in CMT organized on 87,155 Serbia from Kosovo; asbestos; potential "old system" model. 6.93% unexploded ordnance. location of • Gov't-Red Cross cooperation for humanitarian limited environmental IDP protest assistance developed as a result of long inspection experience with refugee resettlement and IDP Vranje arrivals. • NGOs networked to respond to potential IDP influx. • If an IDP demonstration is organized for political reasons in a location near the Kosovo boundary, Vranje municipality is a likely location.

SCOPES Semi-Annual Report #2, October 2006 – March 2007

ANNEX D: PERFORMANCE MONITORING TABLES

PERFORMANCE DATA TABLE – IMPACT INDICATORS (BOTH COMPONENTS) The following table presents the main project indicators and the targets for each year of SCOPES implementation.

Strategic Objective 2.11: Risk of Political Instability Reduced Intermediate Result 2.113: Rapid & Effective Response to Crisis Component 1: Support Local/National Crisis Planning & Rapid Response 1. Score on TBD—tool TBD—tool 2006 TBD TBD 0TBD64.21 TBD TBD TBD TBD Municipal under under Emergency development development Management Capacity Index (MEMCI) 2. Number of Number Municipality 2006 0 0 0 TBD 13 TBD TBD TBD TBD municipal-level CPPRs produced 3. Lessons Qualitative Type of Entity, N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A learned Location, Type regarding use of of Crisis municipal-level CPPR in actual crisis events

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Context/Reporting/Activity-level Indicators (NOTE: Please note that according to the Workplan implementation of these activities will commence in the second half of FY 2007) Activity 2.1 Number Sector, N/A 120 0 300 Number of Location micro enterprises participating in USG assisted value chains Activity 2.1 Number Sector, 0 0 0 0 200 0 400 TBD TBD TBD Number of Location micro enterprises receiving business development services from USG assisted sources Activity 2.1 Number Sector, 000000 100 TBD TBD TBD Number of Location micro enterprises linked to larger- scale firms as a result of USG assistance to the value chain.

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Activity 2.2 Number Location 0 0 0 0 2 0 TBD TBD TBD TBD Municipal recognition of Economic Working Group as resource for community input on economic issues Activity 2.3 Number Location 0 0 0 0 10 0 TBD TBD TBD TBD Public/private partnerships created

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PERFORMANCE DATA TABLE – MONITORING INDICATORS (COMPONENT 1) The following table presents the main project indicators and the targets for each year of SCOPES implementation. Actual 2007 are the results up to March 31, 2007.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR BASELINE DATA FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Indicator Unit of Disag- Baseline Baseline Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual Measure gregation Year Value 2006 2006 2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2009 2010 2010 2011 2011 Component 2: Support Local/National Crisis Planning & Rapid Response Activity 1.1: Develop crisis plans with target municipalities Task 1.1.1 & Task 1.1.2: Assess crisis planning 1. Number of Number of 2006 TBD 0 0917 mun TBD TBD TBD TBD awareness municipaliti- (first 6 / 61 raising es/ meetings month) mtgs workshops held at municipal level Notes: 1) 61 meetings include 44 MEMCI tests meetings and 17 introductory meetings with presidents of the municipalities and/or their designees. 2) For Year 1, USAID has specified that CI maintain a low profile. This was specified after the PMP was approved, so that the public meetings planned to introduce human security issues were not held. As a result, the "first contact" process is a series of meetings that introduces the issues in Definition of Indicator. For the first 14 municipalities, first contact was established in part through the assessment. If we list the assessment meetings here, it will give a disproportionate picture. To maintain consistency, we count here first contact interviews in municipalities not associated with the assessment, plus the interviews associated with the MEMCI process which reach out to actors included in the CPPR process. 2. Number of Number 2006 0 0 0 7 10 TBD TBD TBD TBD CBOs and national organizations represented in municipal human security/CPPR awareness- raising meetings

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Task 1.1.3: Build capacity in target municipalities to monitor & plan for emergencies 4. Number of Number 2006 0 5 0 9 14 TBD TBD TBD TBD Municipal (up to Emergency March) Management Teams (MEMs) identified or formed

5. Number of Percent 2006 0 0 0 TBD 3 TBD TBD TBD TBD training sessions (13 held annually to munic) build capacity in target municipalities to monitor and plan for emergencies

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Notes: This proposed indicator - the number of subject areas covered in training will reflect the depth and breadth of SCOPES training. 7. Number of Number of 2006 0 0 0 TBD 91 TBD TBD TBD TBD participants participants trained in target municipalities to monitor and plan for emergencies

8. Average score Number 2006 0 0 0 25% up 3.44 TBD TBD TBD TBD on individual monitoring skills assessment rating

Notes: This indicator was calculated as combined average grade that members of individual municipal teams gave to their municipalities on "mini-MEMCI" during the trainings.

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Task 1.1.5 & Task 1.1.6: Build networks & create linkages for crisis prevention, mitigation, & response 10. Number of Number 2006 0 0 0 4 per 5.46 TBD TBD TBD TBD agencies or plan organizations actively participating in developing municipal-level CPPR plans and related trainings

11. Number of Number 2006 0 0 0 5 13 TBD TBD TBD TBD actors and donor agencies participating in Disaster Management Working Group

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Notes: Participants per sessions: Session 1: 13. Session 2: 8. Session 3: 9 15. Number of Number 2006 0 0 0 20% of 23% TBD TBD TBD TBD municipal plans (3 of policy/planning 13) documents approved by locally-elected authorities (NEW INDICATOR) Notes: This newly proposed indicator, although not within SCOPES control, points to "demilitarization" of nationally-driven disaster management in Serbia and willingness of local authorities to act at municipal level.

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PERFORMANCE INDICATOR BASELINE DATA FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Indicator Unit of Disag- Baseline Baseline Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual Measure gregation Year Value 2006 2006 2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2009 2010 2010 2011 2011 16. National Yes/No 2006 0 0 0 No No TBD TBD TBD TBD disaster management policy is drafted by Serbian government. (NEW INDICATOR) Notes: This newly proposed indicator, although not within SCOPES control, emphasizes that developing national disaster management policy is a public priority of the government as a whole, not just of one or more ministries. Task 1.1.7: Build capacity in conflict and crisis prevention and mitigation 17. Number of Number 2006 0 0 0 3 n/a TBD TBD TBD TBD national conferences or local workshops held on media role and responsibility in crisis Notes: Result is n/a as component I has been directed to maintain a low public profile. 18. Number of Number 2006 0 0 0 TBD n/a TBD TBD TBD TBD participants in workshops to improve media responsibility in crisis Notes: Result is n/a as component I has been directed to maintain a low public profile.

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Task 1.2.3 and 1.2.4: Activate emergency grants 25. Number of Number 2006 0 N/A 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A grants responding to crisis

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PERFORMANCE DATA TABLE – MONITORING INDICATORS (COMPONENT 2) The following table presents the main project indicators and the targets for each year of SCOPES implementation. Note: Please note that the Workplan planned only indicators from 1 to 3 to produce some results by the end of March 2007.

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Task 2.1.6: Develop public/private partnerships to promote local economic development 16. Number of Number 2006 0 0 0 7 0 TBD TBD TBD TBD civil groups participated in SCOPES activities and received training in advocacy 17. Number of Number 2006 0 0 0 7 0 TBD TBD TBD TBD special events supported throughout SCOPES AOR Activity 2.2 Improve Local Government Response to Community Needs Task 2.2.1: Build local government capacity to support improved economic opportunities

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Task 2.2.2: Improve capability in local government to provide citizen services, particularly to vulnerable populations 19. Number of Number 2006 0 0 0 0 0 TBD TBD TBD TBD Municipalities with staff received training and TA on improving capacities to serve vulnerable people Task 2.2.3: Support improved transparency and accountability to citizens, including information dissemination and communication strategies

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Task 2.3.3 Support civil society organizations (including NGOs, business associations, and religious groups) through grants or mentoring to better address the obstacles facing vulnerable populations 24. Number Number 2006 0 0 0 2 0 TBD TBD TBD TBD multi-ethnic or cross-border events supported 25. Number of Number 2006 0 0 0 5 0 TBD TBD TBD TBD NGOs organized and trained to perform capacity building processes

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