Managing Multiethnic Cities IN SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE Case-Based Solutions for Practitioners edited by MEGHAN SIMPSON and RADOMIR ŠOVLJANSKI with contributions from GÁBOR PÉTERI Managing Multiethnic Cities in South Eastern Europe Case-Based Solutions for Practitioners edited by Meghan Simpson and Radomir Šovljanski with contributions from Gábor Péteri Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative Open Society Institute–Budapest Address Október 6 utca 12 H–1051 Budapest, Hungary Mailing address P.O. Box 519 H–1357 Budapest, Hungary Telephone (36-1) 882-3104 Fax (36-1) 882-3105 E-mail [email protected] Web Site http://lgi.osi.hu/ First published in 2010 by the Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative, Open Society Institute–Budapest © OSI/LGI, 2010 TM and Copyright © 2010 Open Society Institute All rights reserved. ISBN: 978 963 9719 17 0 OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE The publication of these country reports has been funded by the Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative of the Open Society Institute–Budapest. The judgments expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of LGI. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Copies of the book can be ordered by e-mail or post from LGI. Managing Editor: Tom Bass Cover design: Cover photo: © Panos l ??????? Printed in Budapest, Hungary, 2010 Design & Layout: Judit Kovács • Createch Ltd. Table of Contents Preface ................................................................................................................ v List of Contributors ........................................................................................... vii List of Figures and Tables ................................................................................... xi Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Živorad Kovačević, Meghan Simpson, and Radomir Šovljanski Alliances and Institution Building ................................................................. 11 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 13 Aleksandar Popov The Center for Regionalism ................................................................................ 15 Aleksandar Popov The Igman Initiative ........................................................................................... 33 Živorad Kovačević The Association of Multiethnic Cities of South Eastern Europe–Philia ............... 51 Jovan Komšić Cross-border Cooperation: City Triangles .................................................... 71 Introduction: Municipal Triangles in South Eastern Europe ................................ 73 Gábor Péteri Triangle of Cooperation: Tuzla–Osijek–Novi Sad ............................................... 83 Aleksandar Popov Truth, Responsibility, and Reconciliation: Bajina Bašta and Srebrenica ............... 109 Boban Tomić Cross-border Neighborhood Program: Baja–Sombor–Osijek .............................. 133 Gojko Mišković Local Cooperation in the South Adriatic Region ................................................ 153 Živorad Kovačević iii Local Policies in Multiethnic Community Management ............................. 179 Activities of the Fund for an Open Society–Serbia and the Center for Regionalism ................................................................................................. 181 Tomislav Žigmanov Annexes ............................................................................................................ 195 Annex 1.: Trilaterial Position towards the Present and the Future ............ 197 Annex 2.: Agreement on Interethnic Tolerance ........................................ 199 Annex 3.: Members of the Association of Multiethnic Cities of South Eastern Europe .......................................................... 209 Index .................................................................................................................. 213 iv Preface In January 2007, a modestly-funded international policy think tank in Budapest invited a small group of inventive researchers and civil society representatives from Central Asia and South East Europe to its headquarters for a short meeting. The idea of this gather- ing was to bring together a group of reputable partners around one table to assess our initiatives to date and, through a moderated discussion, brainstorm on our potential “next steps” to improve governance in their ethnically-diverse communities. This event was a culmination of the Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative’s long-term investment in promoting diversity management in post-socialist Central and South Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Led by its in-house Managing Multiethnic Communities Program (MMCP), LGI began to engage more actively in diversity issues in Central Asia in 2005, first by identifying and forging relationships with potential partners. At their request, in 2006, LGI implemented a number of trainings with the Soros Foundation–Kyrgyzstan and the United Nations Development Program. These trainings in Kyrgyzstan provided an introduction to diversity management, its key concepts, issues, and tools, and were designed to meet the needs of trainers and civil society representatives who regularly encountered public authorities and decision-makers in their work. Concurrently, several individuals from Central Asia traveled to Budapest, and participated in MMCP trainings in a vibrant, international setting. These events were significant in gathering support for an idea to support experience- and knowledge-sharing between Central Asia and South East Europe. In late summer of 2006, MMCP, working in concert with the Soros Foundation and UNDP offices in Kyrgyzstan, invited members of the Association of Multiethnic Cities of South East Europe–Philia, based in Novi Sad, Serbia, to a short conference in Kyrgyzstan. This event brought together local experts and activists from communities throughout Kyrgyzstan, mayors, village heads, and members of central ministries, as well as colleagues from border areas in Tajikistan. Over two days, guided by representatives of Philia, participants engaged in an open dialogue about life at the local level in newly independent states, and the accompanying challenges of managing new national borders and of meeting the needs of diverse populations in the context of ongoing administrative reforms. Shortly thereafter, a mixed team from Kyrgyzstan, including the mayor of the city of Uzgen, travelled to South Eastern Europe to learn more from the experiences of Philia. During this exchange, participants from Kyrgyzstan heard about Philia’s relentless efforts to rebuild relations in a deeply traumatized region, following the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the outbreak of violent conflict. They explored the growth of strong, sustainable networks that bring together a mix of actors from multiethnic cities and regions to promote peaceful relations in South Eastern Europe. They discussed the establishment v of triangles of cities that carry out joint activities across new national borders: managing resources, building and maintaining infrastructure, supporting economic development, and facilitating interethnic, inter-municipal dialogue. They learned about the process of formulating policies and developing mechanisms to accommodate ethnically and linguistically diverse communities at different levels of government. They visited regions that now are divided by new national borders, with particular ethnic compositions and histories, and investigated struggles to balance a degree of administrative autonomy with national cohesion. These experiences in South Eastern Europe not only piqued partici- pants’ interest, but also reminded them of comparable contexts in Central Asia. During our January 2007 meeting in Budapest, which brought together partners from Central Asia and South Eastern Europe, we discussed the value of documenting the story of Philia and its related institutions and initiatives. We considered the usefulness of describing their efforts to overcome divisions and re-build relations at the local level in a way that would provide guidance for others. Ultimately, we conceived a case-based approach to explore multiethnic community management in South Eastern Europe. We identified authors with in-depth and personal knowledge of the field, who could compose rich case studies on alliances, institutions, and their initiatives. We also invited Gábor Péteri, an expert in a wide range of issues related to local government, to advise the development of the case studies. The resulting publication is meant not only to elaborate on the efforts of certain actors in South Eastern Europe, but also to contribute to an expanding, inter-regional movement devoted to realizing inclusive, responsive, and open governance in diverse communities. It includes a series of cases written by experts, activists, and policymak- ers in South Eastern Europe that also reflect issues of concern expressed by partners in Central Asia. It is innovative, in that it presents a grass-roots story of actors determined to overcome interethnic conflict, social divisions,