USAID LOCAL EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE ACTIVITY
QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE REPORT April 1, 2019 – June 30, 2019
CONTRACT NO. 7201678C00001
ORIGINAL SUBMISSION JULY 15, 2019
REVISED SUBMISSION AUGUST 29,2019
This publication is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the International City/County Management Association and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
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USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity
QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE REPORT
CONTRACT NO. 7201678C00001
Program Title: USAID Local Effective Governance Activity
Sponsoring USAID Office: USAID/Kosovo
Contract Number: 72016718C00001
Contractor: International City/County Management Association
Date of Publication: July 15, 2019
Revised submission: August 29, 2019
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
ACRONYMS
AKM Association of Kosovo Municipalities AWP Annual Work Plan CSO Civil Society Organizations CYAC Central Youth Action Council CYM Community Youth Mapping ICMA International City/County Management Association IMAWP Integrated Municipal Annual Work Plan IMC Inter-Municipal Cooperation IWG Informal Women Group LEGA Local Effective Governance Activity LYAC Local Youth Action Council MELP Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Plan MLGA Ministry of Local Government and Administration MOCR Municipal Office for Communities and Return NAO National Audit Office NGO Non-Governmental Organizations NSMM Northern Serb Majority Municipalities PIO Public Information Officer RMA Regional Municipal Advisers TEAM Transparent Effective and Accountable Municipalities project USAID United Nations Agency for International Development VCs Village Councils
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACRONYMS 4 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 2. PROGRAM BACKGROUND 8 3 ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT AND ACHIEVEMENTS 9 1.1 Strengthen local municipal governments and administration to improve service provision to both majority and non-majority communities. 9 1.2 Improving the ability of municipalities to articulate their municipal needs to the central-level government 11 1.3 Strengthen municipal transparency and outreach to all citizens 12 1.4 Strengthen the central-level capacities in outreach and governance to better support municipalities in addressing needs of the non-majority communities and improve municipal service delivery 15 1.5 Facilitate linkages between municipalities 16 2.1 Increase interaction between majority and non-majority communities in joint priority setting 17 2.2 Empower all communities to engage with the municipalities and hold them more accountable. 19 4 COLLABORATING, LEARNING AND ADAPTING (CLA) 25 5 COOPERATION AND COORDINATION WITH USAID AND OTHER DONORS’ PROGRAMS 27 6 COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH 28 7 CHALLENGES AND MITIGATION MEASURES 29 8 PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR THE NEXT QUARTER 30 ANNEXES 33
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Quarterly Performance Report follows the requirement of section F.7.d of the above referenced contract and describes the progress on all Local Effective Governance Activity (LEGA) initiatives during the period of April 1st, 2019 through June 30th, 2019. The Activity’s overall purpose is to strengthen the operations and inclusiveness of municipal governance in municipalities with non-majority communities in Kosovo. LEGA’s approach is informed by a market systems framework that simultaneously addresses both the government’s obligations to engage citizens and citizen’s ability to participate. LEGA supports municipal governments to improve the inclusiveness, quality, timeliness, transparency, and equity of municipal services. At the same time, LEGA helps non- majority and majority populations together make use of local government representational structures and oversee executive actions. As citizens make use of local services and hold local governments more accountable, local governments will in turn respond to citizens more effectively and equitably, increasing legitimacy of local governments in the eyes of all citizens. Some of the key programmatic accomplishments during the quarter include the following: • LEGA hosted a study visit of Ranilug/Ranillug and Parteš/Partesh municipalities to Gnjilane/Gjilan with the aim of familiarizing LEGA partner municipalities with the operation of a model Municipal Citizen Service Center (CSC). The participants from less-advanced municipalities had a chance to explore the CSC operations in real time including the front-desk and back-end offices, staffing, standard operating procedures, the IT support embedded in the system, as well as observe approaches to customer service policy. In the next quarter, LEGA will conduct an evaluation of CSC operations, staffing, service quality and customer satisfaction which will lead to creation of tailored Action Plans for improving administrative services in all 14 LEGA municipalities, including Ranilug/Ranillug and Parteš/Partesh. • LEGA provided technical assistance to the Municipal Budgeting Working Group to develop a comprehensive Action Plan for Transparent Budgeting Process for 2020 which was approved by Municipal Assembly in Štrpce/Shtërpcë Municipality. • in cooperation with the municipality of Klokot/Kllokot, LEGA organized a public hearing on Mid- term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) 2020-2022 in the multiethnic village of Vrbovac/Vërbovc. Around 100 people attended the public hearing (of whom 20 members were from the non- majority Kosovo-Serbian community). • As of the date of reporting, LEGA’s new management has visited 13 out of 14 municipalities in an intense and consolidated effort to re-assure each mayor, other municipal officials, and partners of LEGA’s capacity to strengthen the operations and inclusiveness of municipal governance. Henceforth, the Memorandum of Understanding that states the principles, dimensions of cooperation, and LEGA’s intervention in each municipality has been discussed and the signing ceremony with all 14 mayors or representatives will take place in the next quarter, tentatively on July 24th, 2019, in the presence of USAID Kosovo Mission Director and the Minister of Local Government Administration. • The Conference on Gender Equality Policies at the Local Level, held on May 22, 2019, gathered more than 50 local level and central stakeholders from the government, NGOs, and donor sectors to share experiences and best practices. Key interventions on gender equality were identified that will ensure continued cooperation and coordination between central and local level stakeholders. In addition, recommendations were generated that will improve municipal regulations on gender equality and further defined the role of the Municipal Officer for Gender Equality (MOGE) as a
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
catalyst to empower women in communities and bridge relationships between central and local governments. LEGA was designed to distribute grants and subcontracts to support initiatives aligned with its objectives that would build the capacity of local organizations and contribute to the sustainability of interventions. During the reporting period, LEGA focused on the operationalization of Grants Under Contract by launching the first Request for Application (RFA) that aims to create local capacity for inter-ethnic cooperation. In addition, the Support Funds are used to provide planned technical assistance to Kosovo stakeholders via sub-awards. As such, a survey on Citizens Perception on Local Municipal Governance, Support to Citizen Service Centers (CSC) and improving Local Economic Development are three initiatives discussed, prepared, and ready to be launched in July 2019. LEGA has continued to advance cooperation with the Central Government by maintaining regular contact with the Ministry of Local Government Administration and with our key local partner, Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM). Through the groundwork LEGA did during the quarter, the team has made commitments with AKM to focus the next 12 months on identifying inter-governmental challenges and proposed solutions which will result in a capacity building agenda agreed on by the Government of Kosovo. In addition, at least three additional AKM collegiums will be established on municipal areas of interest such as youth and gender, municipal governance inclusiveness, and environmental protection. LEGA finalized changes in staffing and leadership including the hiring of a new Chief of Party (COP) and Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) that contributed to the finalization and approval of key programmatic deliverables including the Annual Work Plan (AWP) and the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (MELP). During the quarter LEGA, prioritized cooperation and coordination with other USAID and donor-funded projects. Potential key areas of integrated municipal assistance have been discussed with USAID’s TEAM, READY, Up to Youth and Kosovo Economic Governance Activities. Additionally, SDC’s DEMOS has been consulted on the planning of several interventions in the field such as Citizen Service Centers/e-kiosks. Understanding the importance of USAID’s Active Portfolio Management approach, LEGA has positively engaged with RIINVEST to encourage debates in selected LEGA municipalities on the Municipal Competitiveness Index, a long-standing USAID Kosovo initiative that measures various local economic development indicators in all municipalities. The outputs of these debates contribute to LEGA’s specific interventions on the identification of areas for local economic development initiatives in selected municipalities.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
2. PROGRAM BACKGROUND Challenges associated with local government institutions’ inadequate performance and their poor relations with citizens constitute a threat to the democratic development and stability in Kosovo. The governance crisis in Kosovo is directly linked to the durability of corruption, poverty, unemployment, inequality, lack of respect for human rights, and strained relations between ethnic communities. Effective governance reflected in improved relations between local governments and citizens is crucial to achieving a sustainable democracy in Kosovo and securing the country’s European future. USAID Local Effective Governance Activity is a five-year program funded by USAID/Kosovo implemented in 14 selected municipalities. The Activity’s overall purpose is to strengthen the operations and inclusiveness of municipal governance in municipalities with non-majority communities in Kosovo. The 14 partner municipalities are: Gračanica/Graçanicë, Štrpce/Shtërpcë, Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, Klokot/Kllokot, Parteš/Partesh, Ranilug/Ranillug, Istog/Istok, Klinë/Klina, Obiliq/Obilić, Dragash/Dragaš, Severna Mitrovica/Mitrovicë Veriore, Zvečan/Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić/Leposaviq. The overall purpose of USAID Local Effective Governance Activity will be achieved through the following objectives and sub-objectives: Objective 1: Improved equitable, efficient, and transparent municipal governance which responds to citizens’ priorities with a focus on non-majority participation in democratic structures. 1.1 Strengthen local municipal governments and administration to improve service provision to both majority and non-majority communities. 1.2 Improving the ability of municipalities to articulate their municipal needs to the central-level government. 1.3 Strengthen municipal transparency and outreach to all citizens. 1.4 Strengthen the central-level capacities in outreach and governance to better support municipalities in addressing needs of the non-majority communities and improve municipal service delivery. 1.5 Facilitate linkages between municipalities. Objective 2: Increased active citizen participation of both majority and non-majority communities in municipal structures. 2.1 Increase interaction between majority and non-majority communities in joint priority settings. 2.2 Empower all communities to engage with the municipalities and hold them more accountable. Local governments in Kosovo are starting to recognize the need for introducing government policies and practices inspired by the principles of transparency, accountability, and citizen participation to better respond to the demands of their constituencies. Unfortunately, in many cases, they lack the capacities and political will needed to fully operationalize these policies and principles. The Local Effective Governance Activity will not only assist the municipalities but will also enable citizens to fulfil their role in a multiethnic and pluralistic society by influencing development, implementation and monitoring of local policies and by strengthening their participation in the decision-making processes.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
3 ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT AND ACHIEVEMENTS Objective 1: Improved equitable, efficient, and transparent municipal governance which responds to citizens’ priorities with a focus on non-majority participation in democratic structures. 1.1 Strengthen local municipal governments and administration to improve service provision to both majority and non-majority communities. Activity 1.1.1 Facilitate integrated municipal planning, budget execution and oversight Context Previously, LEGA conducted research on the current legislation regarding municipal plans, strategies and similar documents that Kosovo municipalities are obliged to draft, adopt and implement. The research resulted in a comprehensive list of relevant mandatory documents which inform how LEGA structures its assistance to partner municipalities regarding the design and development of Integrated Municipal Annual Work Plans. Actions and Accomplishments In the reporting period, LEGA drafted a self-assessment tool that will be launched in partner municipalities in July 2019. The self-assessment tool is an internal management tool that evaluates the policies, principles, and parameters that support the operational structure of the municipal government based on legal compliance and municipal performance. The assessment will determine the path for: a.) Facilitating integrated municipal planning, budget execution and oversight. b.) Identifying bottlenecks in municipal operations which will be targeted by LEGA in the coming period – as well as inform future LEGA interventions (Year 2 onwards).
Additionally, in response to a request of the Municipality of Dragash/Dragaš, which has established a working group for drafting municipal regulation for subsidies, LEGA provided technical support to the working group. The need for further regulation was identified in the National Audit Office’s report on the municipality. Future or Next Step During the upcoming quarter, LEGA will work closely with the group to design a transparent process for spending public funds on subsidies. Moreover, with LEGA’s support, the municipality will conduct a thorough public consultation process on the regulation, ensuring all target groups are included with an emphasis on non-majority communities, youth, and women groups. Activity 1.1.2 Facilitate inclusive municipal service delivery performance assessment, planning and improvement Context
Municipal service delivery is a critical component of LEGA. Municipalities often fail to meet the expectations of citizens due to a lack of resources and the political capital to implement service delivery projects. LEGA work with the appropriate municipal directorates, the budget and planning office, the MOCRs and the Public Information Officers (PIOs) to conduct a local citizen survey on citizen and public services among both majority and non-majority communities and compare the results to internal data on service delivery. Surveying both majority and non-majority communities will provide a way to assess whether issues are specific to non-majority communities or generalized across the population. The survey is meant help partner municipalities understand local concerns and priorities to inform planning and
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
improve performance. The results of the survey will also inform municipal and citizen support activities under both Objectives 1 and 2. Actions and Accomplishments During this quarter, LEGA drafted a request for proposals to conduct the survey in its 14 partner municipalities. The Survey will not only provide the data on municipal services and citizens’ priorities, but will also provide input to the LEGA’s MELP indicators. The survey targets citizen satisfaction with municipal services, their priorities in terms of receiving services from their municipality as well as key governance elements such as inclusiveness, efficiency, transparency etc. This will be the first local subcontract to use Support Funds. . Future or Next Steps LEGA will launch the RFP for conducting the survey in all 14 partner municipalities in August 2019. This mechanism will be also applied to the MELP and will generate indicators to be monitored. The survey will be completed in the upcoming quarter, and its results will drive the remaining efforts under this activity. Activity 1.1.3 Improve municipal efficiency and availability of citizen services Context Eight of the partner municipalities have Citizens Service Centers (CSCs); those that do not are Zubin Potok, Zvečan/Zveçan, Leposavić/Leposaviq Ranilug/Ranillug, Klokot/Kllokot and Parteš/Partesh. Some of the partner municipalities have also established e-Kiosks to provide more convenient 24/7 access to services outside the center. The quality of citizen services varies across the partner municipalities, but all face a general challenge in responding to citizen requests in an effective manner due to poor inter-departmental coordination, lack of procedures and information systems, lack of resources for space and staff for the center, and generally limited management capacity. In addition, there is no role for the MOCRs in the existing CSCs and many CSCs have not taken advantage of technological possibilities that can make it easier for citizens to access certain online information and services, including paying municipal fees and taxes. Previously, LEGA has observed that Klinë/Klina, Istog/Istok and Obiliq/Obilić have Citizens Service Centers (CSC) that are well-established and operational. Peer-to-peer learning was requested by less advanced municipalities, such as Ranilug/Ranillug and Parteš/Partesh. Actions and Accomplishments LEGA facilitated a study visit of Ranilug/Ranillug and Parteš/Partesh municipalities to Gnjilane/Gjilan municipality. The purpose of the study visit was to familiarize both partner municipalities with the operation of a successfully operating CSC. Participants had a chance to observe and understand the services provided by the CSC; the online database, logbook and archive; the internal flow of cases and communication; customer service policy and practice; and the CSC’s IT infrastructure from both front and back-end perspectives. Future or Next Steps Moving forward, LEGA will continue to support improving municipal efficiency and availability of citizen services and encourage peer-to-peer learning amongst interested municipalities in this area. The upcoming analysis on CSCs in all 14 municipalities will inform LEGA’s approach to improving citizen perception on municipal service delivery.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Activity 1.1.4 Strengthen municipal government support for local economic development Context LEGA intends to bring together the partner municipal economic development authorities to explore and strengthen inter-municipal cooperation on economic development and competitiveness. Considering that a significant number of LEGA partner municipalities are relatively small, their potential for economic development is low. However, bringing municipalities together through regional economic development roundtables with partner and non-partner municipalities to identify joint economic opportunities and identifying potential areas to for cooperation between the municipalities would have a more significant impact on the lives of citizens. Actions and Accomplishments During the reporting period, LEGA participated in meetings with RIINVEST Institute (USAID’s contractor) and the representatives of partner municipalities to discuss the 2019 Municipal Competitiveness Index (MCI) results, a long-stadning USAID funded initiative in Kosovo. MCI data, along with our individual municipal assessments, will inform local economic development initiatives in LEGA selected municipalities. Henceforth, LEGA initiated the design of a RFP aimed at identifying individual and joint local economic development potential in all its partner municipalities, along with possible future interventions for LEGA. Future or Next Steps The RFP will be launched tentatively in August. Subsequentlythe implementation of activities will take place during the upcoming quarters. 1.2 Improving the ability of municipalities to articulate their municipal needs to the central-level government Activity 1.2.1 Strengthen Intergovernmental Relations through the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) Context The aim of this sub-activity is to work with AKM and partner municipalities to develop institutionally sustainable communication channels that foster inter-governmental relations and ensure access to support from the central government to solve problems shared by the 14 partner municipalities. LEGA and AKM have identified the following interventions in support of inter-governmental relations: ● Production of a concept paper on intergovernmental relations in Kosovo ● Facilitation of intergovernmental action planning and implementation ● Peer-to-peer exchange sessions between north and south SMMs Actions and Accomplishments After mobilizing the inter-governmental specialist, the team began drafting a report which will serve as an input to AKM’s concept paper on intergovernmental relations. The report investigates challenges and needs of the municipalities that should be addressed by the central level institutions. The report is expected to be completed in the coming quarter and will be shared with USAID. LEGA will also support AKM to lobby on behalf of municipalities to the relevant institutions in Pristina/Pristine. Simultaneously, the team has initiated working with central level institutions to lay the foundation for future cooperation with AKM and partner municipalities (see Activity 1.4.1).
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Future or Next Steps The report, which will serve as an input to AKM’s concept paper on inter-governmental relations, will be finalized in the upcoming quarter. It will be shared with USAID and will also be utilized in the Year 2 planning process to inform LEGA future interventions. Additionally, LEGA will conclude discussions with AKM on the scope of work for a direct grant and finalize the agreement in the coming quarter. This will enable all the foreseen activities through AKM to be initiated. 1.3 Strengthen municipal transparency and outreach to all citizens Activity 1.3.1 Strengthen inclusive municipal budgeting process Context In all 14 partner municipalities, weaknesses in the planning and budgeting process are resulting in budgets that do not correspond to citizens’ priorities. A major part of the problem is the pro forma nature of budget consultations conducted by Mayors, Finance Directors, Chairpersons and other responsible municipal officials. The internal process of preparing the budget for presentation is hampered by lack of knowledge of the Budget Circular and poor internal coordination among municipal officials, especially with the PIO, who is responsible for informing the public. To promote a more inclusive and transparent budgeting process, LEGA is facilitating the formation of mandatory Municipal Budget Development Working Groups as per Kosovo’s legal framework and developing the Action Plan for Inclusive and Transparent Budgeting Process where it has not been done. Actions and Accomplishments During the quarter, LEGA facilitated the establishment of the Working Group on Transparent Budgeting Process, consisting of representatives from the legislative and executive bodies, in Štrpce/Shtërpcë, Gračanica/Graçanicë, Parteš/Partesh and Ranilug/Ranillug Municipalities. LEGA provided technical assistance to the Working Group to develop a comprehensive Action Plan for Transparent Budgeting Process for 2020 which was approved by Municipal Assembly in Štrpce/Shtërpcë Municipality. Future or Next Steps A similar process will take place in Gračanica/Graçanicë, Parteš/Partesh and Ranilug/Ranillug Municipalities in the next quarter. Moreover, LEGA will make sure that whenever possible, the Informal Women Groups (IWG), Local Youth Action Council (LYAC) and MOCR are involved in the process of budget preparations. Activity 1.3.2 Strengthen Municipal Offices for Communities and Returns (MOCRs) Context MOCRs were established by law as the key local government mechanism to ensure protection and promote the rights and inclusion of non-majority communities. There are few regulations, however, that define their role or guide their participation in municipal planning, decision making, and provision of citizen services, which limits their ability to engage non-majority communities in local processes. Moreover, the MOCRs in general lack resources and capacity to implement specific projects/activities on behalf of non-majority communities. Nevertheless, the legislation establishes a powerful and critical mission for the MOCRs. Better knowledge and understanding of the role of the MOCRs and the rights of non-majority communities, combined with improved coordination with the Ministry of Communities and Returnees (MCR), will be important for the fulfillment of municipal obligations to non-majority
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
communities. In Year One, LEGA is focusing on supporting the integration of MOCRs into municipal planning and decision-making processes, while building skills that allow them to participate effectively. Actions/Accomplishments LEGA provided on-the-job mentoring sessions to the MOCRs in Štrpce/Shtërpcë, Ranilug/Ranillug, Klinë/Klina, Istog/Istok, Dragash/Dragaš and Obiliq/Obilić in support of the integration of MOCRs into municipal planning and decision-making processes. The mentorship sessions served to strengthen the ability of MOCRs to work with local authorities and CSOs to develop networks and communications strategies that keep non-majority communities informed of their work as well as opportunities to participate in local processes, and to continually gather citizen feedback. Additionally, LEGA facilitated MOCR meetings with non-majority CSOs and village representatives in Ranilug/Ranillug, Dragash/Dragaš and Štrpce/Shtërpcë. The variety of issues identified in these meetings demonstrated that the non-majority population is affected by lack of or poor waste collection, water supply, sewage, unemployment, absence of village councils, parks, etc. Of note, the same issues have previously been identified as equally affecting the majority communities. LEGA will continue to facilitate these dialogues and suggest innovative, tailored and systemic solutions that can inspire municipalities to foster more inclusive and responsive municipal structures. Future or Next Steps LEGA will meet with Danish Refugee Council (DRC) as they have been working with MOCRs as well as municipal PIOs extensively, to share experiences and maximize the impact of this activity in partner municipalities and their respective MOCRs. Activity 1.3.3 Strengthen municipal transparency and accountability Context Nine of the 14 partner municipalities (Gračanica/Graçanicë, Istog/Istok, Klinë/Klina, Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, Obiliq/Obilić, Štrpce/Shtërpcë, Parteš/Partesh, Ranilug/Ranillug, and Severna Mitrovica/Mitrovicë Veriore) have established a Public Information Office or appointed a Public Information Officer. The Assessment revealed that the PIOs generally work on an ad hoc basis and do not have plans, policies, or mechanisms for communications aside from the municipal websites. Currently, LEGA focuses on mentoring and on-the-job training for existing PIOs to develop a Municipal Action Plan for Transparency (MAPT); implement specific strategies supporting Year One activities, including budget execution, municipal service improvement, intergovernmental communications; and, work with the MOCRs to develop and implement outreach strategies to non-majority communities. The PIOs and communications activities will play a critical role in linking Objective 1 and 2 activities. Actions and Accomplishments LEGA supported the municipalities of Istog/Istok, Klinë/Klina and Ranilug/Ranillug in amending the Regulation on Transparency according to the new administrative instruction. In addition, LEGA supported Istog/Istok, Klinë/Klina and Dragash/Dragaš to develop Municipal Action Plans for Transparency (MAPT) in compliance with the Administrative Instruction (MLGA) No. 04/2018 on Transparency in Municipalities. In collaboration with AKM, this activity will also benefit from the efforts of the AKM’s Transparency Collegium that is currently designing an MAPT template which municipalities can build on and adapt for their specific working environment. While LEGA is coordinating and advising both AKM and municipalities on this matter, Obiliq/Obilić has decided to wait for the AKM’s template to be completed in order to proceed with their own individual plans. Future or Next Steps
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
During the upcoming quarter, LEGA will continue supporting the process of adopting/revising MAPTs in the remaining partner municipalities, as well as support the implementation process. Moreover, LEGA will continue to coordinate with the other donors or implementing partners such as DRC to ensure that there is no duplication and the on the job training for PIOs is not duplicative. Activity 1.3.4 Utilize new technology to improve transparency and outreach Context Analysis The features of newly re-designed municipal websites by MLGA and voting technologies used by Municipal Assemblies have not been fully enabled by the municipalities. Where they have been enabled, utilization is low and content is limited due to inadequate capacity and technical challenges. Except for NSMMs, all partner municipalities use the official websites. LEGA has analyzed the situation and a tailored approach is being designed to overcome these challenges. Actions and Accomplishments Initially, LEGA attempted to support municipal officials through coaching sessions with PIOs in Štrpce/Shtërpcë and Dragash/Dragaš, with the goal of building their capacity to operate the websites and update content. However, due to low municipal capacities, and the volume of the information, the process has taken longer than anticipated. There are also challenges regarding official languages that are not reflective of majority populations. LEGA has worked with current municipal staff to identify elements of the website that have missing or incomplete content. Limited improvements to the websites in Štrpce/Shtërpcë and Dragash/Dragaš have been made, but LEGA will need to continue to monitor the work being done toward the improvements identified during the quarter.
Future or Next Steps LEGA is considering engaging external expertise to facilitate and boost the process of updating the websites of 10 of its partner municipalities. Once hopefully embedded in the municipal structure, that expertise would contribute to sustainable capacity to keep the websites up to date after LEGA’s intervention. Activity 1.3.5 Strengthen the role of the Village Councils (VC) Context The MLGA is in the process of modifying the regulation on Village Councils to address some of the shortcomings that have emerged through implementation over the last few years. Most notably, the regulation no longer meets the need for effective collaboration between municipalities and villages. It remains to be seen if the new regulations will improve the Village Councils, however, they remain the key statutory mechanism for the municipalities to work with local communities and to comply with inclusion and participation requirements which are critical to the achievement of LEGA’s objectives. Actions and Accomplishments LEGA supported MLGA in the process of drafting the Administrative Instruction (AI) on Memorandums of Cooperation of Municipalities with Villages, Settlements and Urban Settlements. The AI aims to overcome legal obstacles towards effective functionality of village councils to improve citizen participation in decision making processes at the local level. As a member of the Municipal Working Group, LEGA also facilitated outreach and discussions with Working Group members from all Kosovo municipalities as well as a few existing village council representatives. Regional workshops covering all 38 municipalities were organized and conducted in seven of the largest municipalities. The purpose of these workshops was to:
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
a) get information on the upcoming AIs and its draft provisions disseminated and discussed as widely as possible to those mostly affected; and b) provide an opportunity for the Working Group to learn and better understand the reality on the ground and how their decisions could influence real change. The new AI has been finalized by the Working Group and approved towards the end of June 2019. MLGA has requested LEGA’s assistance in supporting municipalities to revise their local regulations to comply with the AI provisions. Future or Next Steps LEGA will discuss with MLGA the possibilities of further supporting the municipalities in the process of revising and implementing local regulations on Village Councils. Given the new AI, all Kosovo municipalities are obliged to amend their local regulations towards compliance with the new AI, within 6 months – starting end of June 2019. Currently, LEGA is preparing to support all of its partner municipalities in this direction. 1.4 Strengthen the central-level capacities in outreach and governance to better support municipalities in addressing needs of the non-majority communities and improve municipal service delivery In Year 1, LEGA will focus on the development of a mechanism for better communications and coordination between levels of government. This will include a learning process that brings central and municipal officials together to explore the problems and solutions from multiple perspectives. The priorities identified through this process will inform the programming of activities in Year 2 and subsequent years. Activity 1.4.1 Improve communications and coordination between the central level and municipalities Context The partner municipalities report consistent challenges getting central-level ministries to respond to requests for guidance or assistance in solving service delivery or operational problems. When municipalities reach out to central ministries on an ad hoc basis to address a problem, they may get no response or different responses from different units in the ministry. The municipalities need a structured way to access timely and relevant assistance from the central ministries that also allows the central government to devise solutions across municipalities rather than dealing with them on an ad hoc basis. Actions and Accomplishments After several discussions between LEGA and MLGA on initiation and implementation of this activity, MLGA agreed to take on the leadership role of establishing a cross-institutional working group, with LEGA supporting the establishment of the working group. The working group is expected to be tasked with reaching out to municipalities and supporting them with their needs and challenges. Activity 1.2.1 and its results will complement this activity and vice-versa. In preparation for the establishment of the working group, LEGA conducted a round of visits to partner municipalities to collect their inputs. During these meetings, municipal representatives provided comments and observations about central level institutions and gave suggestions to further improve the communication, coordination, and information sharing, as well as how central-level institutions could better support their needs. Our inter-governmental specialist is articulating these suggestions in a report to be presented next quarter. Future or Next Steps
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
During the upcoming quarter LEGA will finalize the report with the inputs of the partner municipalities and share it with USAID. Also, this report will serve as an input to AKM’s concept paper on inter- governmental relations (see also activity 1.2.1). Also, the cross-institutional working group is expected to be established and to conduct an initial round of visits to all Kosovo municipalities, starting with LEGA partner municipalities. Activity 1.4.2 Support the MLGA in validating performance management data received from partner municipalities Context If the central level provides better data and analysis to the municipalities, they will be able to make more equitable and transparent decisions that address the needs of non-majority communities. There is very little reliable, validated data that is disaggregated by gender, age and community in a way that illuminates inequities in access to services, or the differential impact of policies and programs among different communities. Moreover, municipal data is inconsistent in quality and validity across ministries, resulting in subpar central decision making. Without this data, it is difficult to make evidence-based decisions that appropriately address non-majority issues, or, for that matter, that allows communities to hold their municipalities accountable. Evidence-based decision making is a critical component of adaptive management and an important element of accountability, since data is used by government, civil society and media. Actions Towards the end of the reporting period, LEGA was involved in designing the Municipal Performance Management System data validation methodology. LEGA originally designed an RFA to support the implementation of the activity, which included original milestones and results as in the Annual Work Plan. After discussions with USAID, the RFA was dropped and the approach of the activity adapted to align with providing methodological support for data validation, instead of the application and testing of a methodology. Future or Next Steps In the next quarter, LEGA will continue to support the MLGA with the process of designing the methodology for validation of data. It is expected that MLGA will utilize its own resources to conduct the validation. 1.5 Facilitate linkages between municipalities To contribute to the achievement of this sub-objective in Year One, LEGA is facilitating an evaluation of the existing Inter-Municipal Cooperation (IMC) Agreements to develop guidance and processes to improve and increase the use of the mechanism. One of the models would be supporting inter-municipal cooperation to develop and implement solutions that allow municipalities to consistently publish information in official languages. Activity 1.5.1 Facilitate effective Inter-Municipal Cooperation Context Seven of the partner municipalities have or are negotiating IMC agreements. Novo Brdo/Novobërdë has two IMC agreements, Klokot/Kllokot and Zvečan/Zveçan have an IMC agreement for waste management, and Pelé/Peć, Klinë/Klina, Istog/Istok, Deçan/Dečani and Rahovec/Orahovac have one for emergency management. IMCs require a transparent process to determine the technical, management, administrative, financial, legal, accountability, and decision-making parameters of the partnership, and a
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
representative board to oversee implementation. In addition to public services, IMC agreements are an important mechanism for inter-municipal cooperation on local economic development. If municipalities can be incentivized to work together, citizens will benefit from improved services. Actions and Accomplishments To analyze the current practices on IMC agreements, LEGA has initiated the process of designing a Request for Proposal (RFP) under the Support Funds mechanism. The purpose of the analysis is to provide insights into best practices for IMCs. Since there has been little follow-up after the signature of the IMC agreements has taken place, LEGA anticipates that the analysis would provide a framework and process that will facilitate future agreements. Future or Next Steps Various efforts under different activities (1.1.2, 1.1.4, 1.2.1) will enable and inform LEGA to identify joint potential of its partner municipalities and initiatives as well as support them. Activity 1.5.2 Increase the availability of public information in local languages in partner municipalities Context Initially, LEGA had planned to work with the Office of Language Commissioner (OLC), AKM, MLGA and MoF to facilitate solutions to the challenges of complying with the Law on Use of Languages, starting with a market survey to identify the supply, quality, and cost of language translation and interpretation services; assessing how the central government is currently meeting language requirements; and, quantifying demand at the municipal level in terms of level of effort needed (e.g., number, frequency and size of documents, signage, emergency alerts, etc.). The study was expected to also assess interpretation services for radio announcements and online streaming of assembly meetings. Based on the results of the market study, LEGA aimed to explore potential solutions based on cooperation among partner municipalities and engagement of non-majority communities. Actions To date, LEGA has provided limited technical assistance as other donors have supported the Office of Language Commission in increasing the availability of public information in local languages in partner municipalities However, the developments during the reporting period unrelated to LEGA’s direct initiative indicate that the Language Commissioner is moving ahead with establishment of the Central Translation Unit (CTU). Future or Next Steps LEGA will meet with the Language Commissioner during the next quarter and will investigate possibilities of supporting the ongoing activities towards the CTU. Whether LEGA maintains the same focus or through various adaptive management tools will focus on other outputs will be decided in the next quarter. LEGA will coordinate with other donors to understand the role it can play in increasing availability of public information in all official languages in its partner municipalities. Objective 2: Increased active citizen participation of both majority and non-majority communities in municipal structures. 2.1 Increase interaction between majority and non-majority communities in joint priority setting Activity 2.1.1. Strengthen the functioning and representativeness of Village Councils Context
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Village Councils provide a community-level mechanism for expressing the needs, priorities and complaints of citizens to their government. In general, the Village Councils lack capacity to fulfill their role. In addition, current Village Council structures lack the participation of women, youth and non-majority community representatives. Apart from the municipality of Zvečan/Zveçan, northern municipalities have not taken any steps towards the establishment of Village Councils. Actions and Accomplishments As reported on the sub-activity 1.3.5, LEGA supported MLGA in the process of drafting the Administrative Instruction on Memorandums of Cooperation of Municipalities with Villages, Settlements and Urban Settlements. LEGA target municipalities are waiting for the adoption of the Administrative Instruction prior to engaging in revising local regulations to comply with the Instruction. Future or Next Steps Adoption of the regulation is expected in July 2019. LEGA expects that municipalities will initiate the process of electing new VC members in September. Once municipalities initiate the process, LEGA will step in with the activities geared towards including youth, women and non-majority members through outreach activities implemented by LYAC, IWG and MOCR. Once VC members are selected, LEGA will provide a set of capacity development trainings as foreseen by the AWP. Activity 2.1.2 Create local capacity for inter-ethnic cooperation Context Citizens in LEGA partner municipalities are struggling to address community grievances due to a lack of effective citizen participation mechanisms and insufficient engagement by local and central-level institutions to respond to citizens’ initiatives. During the assessment phase, LEGA found that while some barriers to inclusion and participation exist at the municipal level, other barriers exist at the community level. Citizens are not accustomed to organizing independently to articulate their concerns, and generally lack access to information or skills in facilitating dialogue. Moreover, the nature of the intra-communal and inter-communal barriers is different among the different ethnic communities, which further inhibits inter-ethnic cooperation. Actions and Accomplishments During the reporting period, LEGA issued a Request for Applications (RFA) to support inter-ethnic cooperation. The intervention strives to enhance understanding of citizen participation mechanisms in Kosovo through direct support to citizen groups to identify and institutionally address issues affecting citizens of different ethnic backgrounds or citizens from different municipalities. LEGA will begin taking lessons learned from this activity to inform future actives as soon as the next quarter.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Future or Next Steps During the upcoming quarter, LEGA will select sub-contractor to implement the set of activities foreseen by the AWP. Subcontractor will identify at least three cross-municipal or inter-ethnic civic initiatives in target municipalities; Facilitate at least 6 consultative sessions and formal events at the community, village, municipal and regional levels as well as provide support to Village Councils and residents in respective communities to articulate initiatives and submit those to Local Authorities for consideration and resolution. In addition, sub-contractor will provide training to at least 20 members of local CSO’s/women/youth and community groups from target municipalities on citizen participation mechanisms. In order to create catalytic effects, subcontractor will produce video material and broadcast on Local/regional or National TV station. 2.2 Empower all communities to engage with the municipalities and hold them more accountable. Activity 2.2.1 Facilitate community-based participation in public hearings in non-majority communities Context According to the Kosovo budget calendar, regular budget hearings will be organized in July-September 2019. LEGA plans to support target municipalities in implementing budget hearings in non-majority community locations and support community stakeholders in addressing priorities in a systematic manner by submitting written inputs to the municipal assembly. LEGA’s initial assessment indicates that most formal citizen participation bodies, including Village Councils, Informal Women Groups (IWG) and Local Youth Action Councils (LYACs) have not substantively participated in budget hearings organized by municipalities. Challenges include lack of information, knowledge, skills, language capacity, motivation, and mobility, as well as mistrust in the outcome of consultation. Actions/Accomplishments On June 19, LEGA collaborated with the municipality of Klokot/Kllokot to organize a public hearing on Mid- term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) 2020-2022 in the multiethnic village of Vrbovac/Vërbovc. Around 100 people attended the public hearing (out of which 20 members were from the non-majority Kosovo- Serbian community). Participants presented mid-term priorities for communities. As a follow-up activity to the public hearing on mid-term priorities, LEGA will facilitate the organization of a municipal budget hearing and submission of written inputs by community members to the municipal assembly. The challenge in implementing this activity will be coordinating cooperation between MOCR and the Deputy Mayor for Communities who are members of different political parties, which may hamper a unified approach toward addressing non-majority community stakeholders’ priorities. On June 21st, in cooperation with the Municipality of Obiliq/Obilić, LEGA facilitated a public hearing on Mid-Term expenditure Framework (MTEF) 2020-2022 for non-majority communities. An event took place in the ethnically mixed village Plemetinë/Plemetina which has a Kosovo-Serbian majority. Approximately 20 residents from K.Serb and Roma/Askali and Egyptian communities participated in the public hearing. On June 27th, in cooperation with the Municipality of Klinë/Klina, LEGA facilitated a public hearing on Mid- Term expenditure Framework (MTEF) 2020-2022 in a non-majority community location. The event took place in the ethnically mixed village Videte/Vidanje with a Kosovo-Serbian majority. In total 26 residents from K.Serb and Roma/Askali and Egyptian communities participated in the public hearing. LEGA supported community members and the MOCR in a preparing written submission of community priorities on behalf of participants. The request has been submitted to the Municipal Assembly Committee for
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Finance and Politics for consideration. In the upcoming quarter, LEGA will follow up with the municipal assembly to ensure incorporation of non-majority community priorities in the MTEF. Future or Next Steps In cooperation with the Municipal Officer for Communities and Returnees (MOCR), LEGA will, in the upcoming quarter, support citizen representative bodies to participate in budget hearings and provide written inputs to municipalities outlining non-majority community priorities. Activity 2.2.2 Support communities’ ability to monitor the implementation of municipal strategic plans Context Much of the donor assistance in the past has focused on the development of an array of municipal strategic documents, some required by the government and some developed for project purposes. The mandatory plans required by Law No. 03/L/048 on Public Financial Management and Accountability include Local Transparency Action Plans, Gender Equality Action Plans, and Transparent Budgeting Action Plans. Many of the mandatory plans have been only partially implemented, or not implemented at all, and some are rapidly becoming outdated. Actions and Accomplishments During the reporting quarter, LEGA developed and discussed a potential Scope of Work (SOW) with local partner Community Building Mitrovica (CBM), a northern-based NGO. LEGA has engaged in negotiations with CBM to assist citizen groups and local CSOs in the partner municipalities to monitor the implementation of key municipal strategic documents, contribute to annual reports of the municipality and assembly, and work with the Village Councils to ensure that strategic documents are being linked to budgets and implemented. The implementation of this activity will commence in next reporting quarter. Future or Next Steps During the upcoming quarter, LEGA anticipates engaging with local partners to train local CSOs from each LEGA target municipality to evaluate execution of mandatory plans (MAPT, MAPTBP, Gender Equality) through watchdog methodologies. Pending contract negotiations with CBM, it is envisioned that at least twenty CSO representatives will be trained and certified on watchdog methodologies. Moreover, and under the assumption that negotiations between ICMA and CBM are fruitful, jointly with trained CSOs, CBM will conduct review of the state of execution of these plans. Activity 2.2.3 Strengthen youth groups’ organizational capacity and increase their non-majority representation Context Local Youth Action Councils (LYACs) were established as the formal mechanism for youth engagement in public affairs. The majority of LYACs, however, struggle with internal capacity, lack of internal policies and regulations, high turnover of leadership, weak relations with the local government and lack of success in reaching out to target groups. Ineffective performance of youth engagement structures is partly a consequence of local government officials’ involvement in the selection of youth leaders, lack of support from municipal Departments for Youth, Culture and Sport, and generally pro forma decision-making processes where youth have no meaningful role. Actions and Accomplishments During the reporting period, LEGA provided intensive mentorship and on-the-job coaching assistance to functional LYACs in Leposavić/Leposaviq and Štrpce/Shtërpcë. In Klokot/Kllokot, Gračanica/Graçanicë,
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Parteš/Partesh, Zvečan/Zveçan and Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, activities have focused on the re- operationalization of dysfunctional LYACs. In Obiliq/Obilić, LEGA assisted organizing public discussion with youth on strategic municipal priorities. Elections for new LYAC leadership in Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, Gračanica/Graçanicë, Parteš/Partesh and Klokot/Kllokot were successful. New leadership across municipalities includes a well-balanced representation of non-majority youth and women. LEGA also provided direct support to LYACs including a “public campaign against smoking” in Leposavić/Leposaviq in which 50 local youth participated, and the development of project proposals in Gračanica/Graçanicë and Parteš/Partesh that were submitted to the Kosovo Civil Society Foundation for funding. LEGA’s Youth and Gender Specialist also delivered workshops and trainings that have helped the LYAC in Leposavić/Leposaviq to submit a written request to the municipality for the construction of a Youth Center. In Štrpce/Shtërpcë and Gračanica/Graçanicë, Youth and Gender Specialist assisted the LYACs with the development of Annual Local Youth Action Plans. Future or Next Steps During the upcoming quarter, LEGA will continue with the mentorship support to LYACs, including trainings on proposal writing and community youth mapping. LEGA will facilitate dialogue between youth groups and local governments on youth priorities and potential activities and support. Additionally, LEGA will facilitate the inclusion of youth representatives in budget hearings and submission of written inputs to municipal strategic plans. The LYAC of Istog/Istok will be operationalized and the initial steps geared towards operationalization of LYAC in Kline/Klina will be implemented. Activity 2.2.4 Facilitate the participation of women from majority and non-majority communities in joint priority setting, planning, budgeting and oversight of budget execution Context Inclusion of women in decision-making processes has been lagging in all LEGA municipalities. Mechanisms for systematic and institutional representation of women in the governing structure, such as Informal Women Groups (IWG), have been proven unsuccessful due to poor capacity of these entities to effectively advocate on behalf of their constituencies. Many factors contribute to the overall failure of IWGs, including a lack of internal governing capacities, turnover of assembly members (changing every four years), the absence of a knowledge-transfer system, conflicting stances of political parties and the allegiance of female MPs to political party causes, insufficient involvement of women in other sectors (for instance CSOs which can provide expertise on gender issues), low managerial skills, lack of initiative and motivation of members, as well as the inherited practice of superficial involvement in wider community decision making processes. Actions and Accomplishments LEGA has supported the operationalization of IWG governing structures and capacity-building activities. LEGA facilitated a mentoring session with the IWG in Parteš/Partesh to equip them with the needed skills to actively participate in the public debate on the mid-term budget framework (2020-2022). In the upcoming period, LEGA will support the IWG in organizing a public debate and facilitate the process of submission of written inputs to the municipal assembly. LEGA also conducted a coaching and mentoring session with IWG in Klokot/Kllokot municipality. The result of the meeting was the development of an action plan and inclusion of two new members from non- majority communities. The Deputy Mayor for Communities has also indicated interest in joining the IWG.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
At the request of IWG in Dragash/Dragaš Municipality, LEGA facilitated an exchange visit between IWG of Dragash/Dragaš and Istog/Istok municipalities. Leader of IWG, Chairperson of Municipal Assembly, Director of Administration and Gender Equality Officer in Istog/Istok Municipality explained in detail their experiences related to the functioning of IWG, implementation of gender related projects, women`s role in Municipal Assembly and its committees, inclusion of women in decision making processes as well as the representation on women in executive brunch of the Municipality. The purpose of exchange was to discuss common practices pertaining to participation of women in decision making processes and to encourage IWG Dragash/Dragaš to be more proactive in its work. Both IWG are operating in rural communities and patriarchal society but the IWG Istog/Istok managed to mainstream gender issues in municipal policy in more effective manner as IWG had participated in public hearings organized by municipality and provided written inputs to municipal development documents. Progress was recorded in northern municipalities, as well. LEGA facilitated a constitutive session for the establishment of an IWG in Leposavić/Leposaviq. The meeting was attended by 11 women, including representatives of non-majority communities. The membership of newly established IWG includes the members of the Municipal Assembly, civil society representatives and women holding senior executive positions in public service. During the constitutive session, the group also revised and adopted the IWG Internal Regulation and Annual Activities Plan that were drafted during the preparation phase. At the follow-up meeting with the IWG’s Steering Committee, the participants identified two activities from the 2019 Activities Plan they would like to start with: capacity building training on public speaking and presentation skills, and facilitation of information sessions (in different communities) on grant opportunities and women entrepreneurship. The group requested LEGA support for the implementation of these activities. LEGA will apply the capacity-for-commitment principle in deciding on further support to women groups, meaning that only groups that have demonstrated strong commitment to effectively represent interests of their constituencies, and are committed to develop its structure and relationship with target groups will receive LEGA’s support. Future or Next Steps During the upcoming quarter, LEGA will continue with mentorship support to IWGs, including trainings on gender-Responsive budgeting and gender mainstreaming. LEGA will facilitate dialogue between IWGs and local governments on gender mainstreaming at the municipal level. Additionally, LEGA will facilitate the inclusion of women representatives in budget hearings and submission of written inputs to municipal strategic plans. LEGA will initiate operationalization of IWG of Gračanica/Graçanicë. Activity 2.2.5 Strengthen collaboration between non-majority community actors and municipal officials and representatives. Context Systematic communication, coordination, and cooperation between non-majority civil society organizations, Village Councils (VCs), and communities with their legally designated representatives at the municipal level (MOCRs, Deputy Mayors for Communities, Deputy Chairpersons for Communities, Chairperson of Municipal Assembly Committee for Communities) are facing substantial challenges. The mandate of VC representatives has expired in many municipalities, civil society organizations in smaller municipalities are too weak to generate cooperation and, in some municipalities, either personal or political hostility constitute additional challenges. Actions/Accomplishments Despite the challenges listed above, LEGA is seeing results in several of its partner municipalities. For example, LEGA facilitated the first coordination meeting of all relevant non-majority stakeholders in
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Zvečan/Zveçan municipality. The meeting was held in the municipal Office of Communities and Returnees located in non-majority Lipë/Lipa village with 12 participants (10 men and 2 women) from executive and legislative municipal structures (MOCR staff, MA members, members of the Community Committee, VC representative), civil society (representatives of two women NGOs) and citizens. The discussion revealed the lack of inter-stakeholder communication and cooperation in addressing non-majority communities’ issues. The major requests that emerged during the meeting included the need for a doctor and medical staff in the local family health center, the request for public presentation on community projects implemented during the current municipal administration, request for support to the local women’s NGO, and transportation for students of the local primary school. LEGA will work to facilitate municipal solutions to the requests of Lipë/Lipa village within the purview of municipality. LEGA facilitated a coordination meeting between community stakeholders (village representatives) and municipal officials in Ranilug/Ranillug municipality to address non-majority community needs. The main issue remains the lack of funds and lack of responsiveness from the central level regarding the requests sent by both village representatives and the municipality. LEGA will continue to encourage an open dialog on non-majority community needs and facilitate the identification of municipal solutions. The Municipal Assembly of Štrpce/Shtërpcë recently adopted the 2020 Action Plan for Transparent Budgeting Process. The plan includes a myriad of interventions, such as the organization of six budget hearings in both majority and non-majority communities. Noteworthy, Informal Women Group, Local Youth Action Council and the Municipal Office for Communities and Return will play an active role in this endeavor. As such, the first budget hearings are scheduled for July 2nd in Brod village and July 3rd in Firaja village. LEGA facilitated a collaboration meeting between non-majority community actors and municipal officials and representatives in Dragash/Dragaš Municipality. The aim of this meeting was to promote an institutionalized dialogue mechanism that provides a venue for sharing information about the potential impact of upcoming decisions on non-majority communities and opportunities to participate in local processes, community priorities, local issues, and civic initiatives. The major concern raised was a lack of coordination among non-majority community representatives within municipal bodies (executive and assembly) especially when it comes to setting priorities for capital investments and during the implementation of capital investment projects. The meeting was attended by 27 participants including Deputy Mayor, Deputy Mayor for Communities, Head of MOCR, Municipal Assembly members and municipal directors from non-majority communities, non-majority local media representatives as well as OSCE representatives. LEGA will follow-up by encouraging an active dialogue between key local stakeholders, thus promoting innovative municipal solutions. Future or Next Steps During the upcoming quarter, LEGA will implement remaining dialogue sessions in each target municipality (except Partes/Partesh as it does not have ethnic minorities).
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Cross-cutting intervention: Conference on gender equality policies at the local level On May 22, 2019, LEGA facilitated a conference on gender equality policies at the local level. The Chief Executive of the Agency for Gender Equality, the Director of MLGA’s Department of International Coordination, municipals officers for Gender Equality (MOGE) and representatives of Informal Women’s Group from LEGA partners municipalities, as well as representatives of international partners and donor agencies such as Swiss DEMOS, UN Women and OSCE attended the conference. The aim of the conference was fourfold: 1) Identify key interventions to ensure continuous cooperation and coordination between central and local levels of government (AGE with MOGE) and other stakeholders; 2) Generate recommendations for qualitative improvement of the municipal regulations in the sector; 3) sharing best practices and increased participation to recommended improvements to regulations and cooperation between municipalities; 4) Define models for empowerment of the role of the MOGEs within the municipalities, between the municipalities and central level, and between municipalities and citizens/groups. The conference conclusions, discussion, and dissonant positions exchanged between municipal representatives and the Agency for Gender Equality reiterate the need for improved coordination and cooperation between municipalities and central level institutions in the development and implementation of gender policies. It was specifically noted that non-majority municipalities are not participating in coordination meetings facilitated by AGE and have not taken part in the working group for development Kosovo Program for Gender Equality 2019-2023. In the next quarter, LEGA plans to follow-up with specific interventions agreed at the conference such as capacity building activities focused on strategic planning, gender mainstreaming, and gender responsive budgeting. In addition, the Agency for Gender Equality will be supported to play a more substantial role in lobbying municipal leadership to adequately engage in planning and implementation of policies at the local level.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
4 COLLABORATING, LEARNING AND ADAPTING (CLA) Given the complexity of the municipal governance context in Kosovo, LEGA will continually adapt and adjust in response to changes in local and national contexts, relying on a constant feedback loop between USAID and the Chief of Party, and between the RMAs in the field and the Objective Leads, facilitated by the Deputy Chief of Party. Close collaboration with the partner municipalities combined with engagement with central level authorities will allow the LEGA team to remain constantly aware of emerging or sensitive issues and to communicate these issues to USAID to inform risk management. CLA is a critical element of the approach to LEGA to ensure ownership, knowledge sharing, and inter- municipal cooperation. CLA practices are also incorporated across activities. For example, LEGA’s RMAs conduct rapid after-action reviews immediately following completion of all key events or processes to identify what is working, what is not working, and why. The after-action reviews are documented and will be reviewed collectively during annual planning and work plan development. Also, weekly reporting allows the team to continuously share feedback from the field, report on progress and problems, and address issues in a timely manner. During this quarter, USAID approved the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (MELP) for LEGA. The MELP has 17 selected indicators including a Governance Index (reported through official MLGA and NAO data) and an indicator about citizen perception of municipal governance (reported though an independent survey) which will represent the overall work of the Activity.
Reporting on the indicators and through constant monitoring of activities in the field, LEGA will incorporate continuous learning practices as a basis for adaptive management. The implementation of a citizen survey, based on the elements of governance according to the performance indicator #10 (Percentage increase of citizens who are satisfied with Municipal Governance), planned to be performed during next quarter (and following years at this period), will enable LEGA and partner municipalities to receive the citizens’ perception on municipal governance as well as inputs for improvement with a specific attention to non-majority communities among partner municipalities. The information gathered through the survey will serve LEGA and partner municipalities to compare the information as well as results from the Governance Index (performance indicator #1) that is reported completely through Kosovo Government’s official data. A web-based system for approving the activities by management as well as reporting on the completion of activities (post-activity reports) was put in place during this quarter. The post-activity reports include sections for reflections from RMAs and OLs so that they can report on lessons learned as well potential follow-on interventions. Reviewing these sections, LEGA will gain insights that will inform the adoption or adjustment of new approaches that will ensure the project meets its targets. Based on the CLA approach and USAID-recognized adaptive management techniques, LEGA has made a concerted effort to adapt its activities approach in the following ways: • When LEGA began engaging with IWGs in partner municipalities, RMAs were confronted with the reality that municipalities lacked motivation to engage women in formal processes and that many IWGs were dysfunctional or disbanded. As a result, LEGA worked with civil society groups, and the municipality to provide information on the importance of input from female stakeholders and how IWGs could be utilized as official avenues for advocacy. • The involvement, interest, and awareness of Kosovo-Albanian community youth representatives (including woman) at Kosovo-Serbian majority municipalities is very low, despite announcements in Albanian language. This is due to various reasons such as lack of proper representation at municipal level, weak CSO capacity, and no effective outreach available regarding the benefits of
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
participation into local governance structures, in this case LYAC. LEGA is now working directly with stakeholders from Kosovo-Albanian communities (CSOs and active citizens) and coordinating directly with MOCRs and local departments of youth, sports and culture to inform, gain interest, and attract higher representation of women and youth in getting more engaged with LYAC and other local structures. Actions like these will be more intense as activities are implemented, and as more learning feedback is received from the field in the next quarter.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
5 COOPERATION AND COORDINATION WITH USAID AND OTHER DONORS’ PROGRAMS During the reporting quarter, LEGA organized a series of meetings with USAID’s implementing partners that play a major role under USAID’s Democracy and Governance USAID’s portfolio. The aim of each meeting was to inform each other of our specific objectives and areas of intervention. Based on these discussions potential areas of cooperation were identified: 1) USAID’s Transparent, Effective and Accountable Municipalities (TEAM): LEGA will coordinate with TEAM on interventions related to the Municipality Transparency Plan, that includes the public procurement. 2) USAID’s Responsive Effective and Accountable Governance (READY): READY organized a series of meetings to coordinate activities in conjunction with the Week of Women event that LEGA participated in. LEGA also participated in the Youth and Women Leadership Academy sessions to present the program and gauge interest of participants to take part in LEGA activities. 3) USAID’s Up to Youth: LEGA shared the capacity assessment of youth groups in our target municipalities to inform Up to Youth community selection. 4) USAID’s Kosovo Economic Governance Activity: LEGA could coordinate with Kosovo Economic Governance Activity on matters related to Public Financial Management and Kosovo Legalization Process in pilot municipalities. KEGA is currently in its inception phase, therefore closer coordination will take place after KEGA’s workplan gets approved. Additionally, LEGA met with SDC/DEMOS on several occasions to discuss joint opportunities and avoid overlap. Among other things, the performance grant (co-financed by SDC/DEMOS, GoK/MLGA and recently other donors as well) which both projects complement each other on, was discussed. LEGA has a few activities designed to help its partner municipalities improve in areas measured by the performance grant which is expected to lead to their improvement in the upcoming assessment cycle, thus resulting in (more) funds being awarded to LEGA partner municipalities. The results are expected to come out towards autumn 2019. Collaboration and coordination with SDC/DEMOS will continue on other matters of joint interest as well (Law on Local Finances, DEMOS’ training program, etc.) Along with the GIZ, UN Habitat and British Embassy, LEGA also attended a World Bank meeting on engagement in Kosovo-Serb-majority municipalities, where the World Bank’s recent study was discussed. Provided that the World Bank goes ahead with its plan for Kosovo-Serb-majority municipalities engagement, LEGA will observe its intervention to avoid duplication and encourage complementarity.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
6 COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH During the reporting period, the communications department engaged in several activities with the aim of promoting LEGA’s initiatives and informing target audiences of our presence in partner municipalities. Various communication channels via brochures/leaflets, business cards, promotional materials, partner webpages and social media pages have been used to achieve optimal results and reach as many relevant stakeholders as possible. During this quarter, LEGA finalized the domain name migration to usaidlega.org. LEGA also drafted a brochure, included in Annex 2, which are available in English, Albanian, and Serbian. The brochure will be finalized and printed in the upcoming quarter. Web and Social Media During the quarter, LEGA staff continued to focus on promoting our activities through USAID Kosovo’s Facebook page, which effectively disseminates information on the project’s events and news to a broader audience. LEGA worked closely with USAID Mission communications staff on social media posts which include weekly promotional posts to raise awareness of initiatives across partner municipalities. LEGA has used a standardized selected list of hashtags by relevance to the Activity on the Mission’s Facebook page. This will minimize users’ search for our work and events by separating our posts according to the relevance to our Activity. Please see Annex 1.1 for some of the recent posts. LEGA successfully cooperated and coordinated with partner municipalities’ PR & communications departments in promoting LEGA activities via official Facebook and web pages. MLGA has also posted LEGA content on their official website, examples included in Annex 1.2.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
7 CHALLENGES AND MITIGATION MEASURES Operational/Management Challenges LEGA made substantial staffing changes during the quarter. Due to shared concerns between USAID and ICMA regarding the trajectory of the project, ICMA took decisive action to change leadership across LEGA. The new Chief of Party Daniel Serban was mobilized on April 22, 2019, and the Deputy Chief of Party Viktor Popovic was mobilized on May 6, 2019. Several key actions were taken by new management including: • Staff appraisals that will allow LEGA to build on the individual strengths of team members and actively encourage areas for professional improvement. • The establishment of clear lines of communications and reporting between staff, the ICMA home office, and USAID. • The establishment of individual and staff team meetings that are regularly organized to inform the team on project progress and to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard. • Quality and timelines of deliverables was improved, offering each team member a fair chance to equally contribute to LEGA’s activities. • While daily communication is maintained between the ICMA home and field offices, weekly meetings were established to discuss programmatic and operational issues. • Weekly meetings are held with the COR and ACOR that monitor specific interventions in the field to help improve communication with the client. Programmatic challenges Relationships with the NSMMs have been significantly improved. As of the date of reporting, three out of the four NSMM’s newly elected mayors (from Zvecan, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok) have been met by the new LEGA management while the remaining mayor from North Mitrovica will be visited during the third week of July. All mayors have acknowledged LEGA’s intention to strengthen the operations and inclusiveness of municipal governance in their municipalities and clearly expressed the commitment to continue to work with LEGA in the years to come. They will also sign the Memorandum of Understanding that states the principles of cooperation with LEGA on July 24th, 2019. However, due to continued political sensitiveness area, LEGA will continuously monitor the developments in the NSMMs through the dedicated RMAs and inform USAID accordingly. In addition, as presented throughout this report, during the municipal election period that ended in June, LEGA succeeded to implement activities related to Objective 2, such as working with LYACs in Leposavić/Leposaviq and Zvečan/Zveçan and with the Village Councils in Zvečan/Zveçan.
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
8 PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR THE NEXT QUARTER Objective 1: Improved equitable, efficient, and transparent municipal governance which responds to citizens’ priorities with a focus on non-majority participation in democratic structures.
Activity 1.1.1 Facilitate integrated municipal planning, budget execution and oversight ● Implement the self-assessment tool for three partner municipalities (Gračanica/Graçanicë, Štrpce/Shtërpcë and Novo Brdo/Novobërdë). ● Design the conceptual framework for Integrated Municipal Annual Work Plans
Activity 1.1.2 Facilitate inclusive municipal service delivery performance assessment, planning and improvement ● Conduct citizen survey in fourteen partner municipalities
Activity 1.1.3 Improve municipal efficiency and availability of citizen services ● CSCs analysis in partner municipalities in terms of operations, staffind and needs for establishment/improvement
Activity 1.1.4 Strengthen municipal government support for local economic development ● Facilitate a regional local economic development roundtable and draft the findings report reflecting economic opportunities identified, potential of inter-municipal cooperation on joint economic development and improved competitiveness ● Analyze the findings of MCI and identify possible support for partner municipalities to improve
Activity 1.2.1 Strengthen Intergovernmental Relations through the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) ● Formalize the collaboration with AKM, and facilitate intergovernmental action planning and implementation ● Provide input and support to AKM to produce a concept paper on intergovernmental relations in Kosovo
Activity 1.3.1 Strengthen inclusive municipal budgeting process ● Support establishment of Municipal Budget Development Working Groups in remaining partner municipalities (Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, Klinë/Klina, Klokot/Kllokot, Ranilug/Ranillug) ● Facilitate development and implementation of Action Plan for Inclusive and Transparent Budgeting Process in remaining partner municipalities (Gračanica/Graçanicë, Novo Brdo/NovobërdëKlinë/Klina, Klokot/Kllokot, Ranilug/Ranillug and Parteš/Partesh) ● Continue facilitation of budget hearings in non-majority communities (See 2.2.1)
Activity 1.3.2 Strengthen Municipal Offices for Communities and Returns (MOCRs) ● Continue with on-the-job training and mentoring sessions for MOCRs in all partner municipalities ● Facilitate meetings between MOCRs and non-majority communities in respective municipalities ● Meet with other donors (including DRC) to explore the possibility and rationale of organizing a knowledge-sharing event for MOCRs
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Activity 1.3.3 Strengthen municipal transparency and accountability ● Continue with on-the-job training and mentoring sessions for PIOs and acting PIOs in all partner municipalities ● Support the remaining partner municipalities to draft and adopt MAPT (Istog/Istok, Obiliq/Obilić, Parteš/Partesh, Ranilug/Ranillug and Mitrovica north).
Activity 1.3.4 Utilize new technology to improve transparency and outreach ● Support partner municipalities with updating their website content
Activity 1.3.5 Strengthen the role of the Village Councils (VC) ● Support partner municipalities to revise their local regulations for Village Councils in compliance with the new Administrative Instruction
Activity 1.4.1 Improve communications and coordination between the central level and municipalities ● Support the MLGA to establish the cross-ministerial working group ● Facilitate a round of outreach meetings by the central level to the partner municipalities (to be replicated by MLGA in the remaining Kosovo municipalities)
Activity 1.4.2 Support the MLGA in validating performance management data received from partner municipalities ● Support MLGA in designing the Municipal Performance Management System data validation methodology
Activity 1.5.1 Facilitate effective Inter-Municipal Cooperation ● Conduct the evaluation of existing IMCs to draw out lessons learned and best practices – to be disseminated to all municipalities when completed
Activity 1.5.2 Increase the availability of public information in local languages in partner municipalities ● Meet with the Language Commissioner to discuss possible interventions under this activity
Objective 2: Increased active citizen participation of both majority and non-majority communities in municipal structures.
Activity 2.1.1 Strengthen the functioning and representativeness of Village Councils ● Activity is pending adoption of the Administrative Instruction on Memorandums of Cooperation of Municipalities with Villages, Settlements and Urban Settlements
Activity 2.1.2 Create local capacity for inter-ethnic cooperation ● Publish RFA, selection of grantee and implementation of all activities
Activity 2.2.1 Facilitate community-based participation in public hearings in non-majority communities ● Implement remaining 11 budget hearings (as per municipal schedule in July-August) ● Facilitate community participation ● Support MOCR and non-majority community representatives to address non-majority community priorities in a written form ● Follow up with municipal authorities to monitor adoption of these priorities
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Activity 2.2.2 Support communities’ ability to monitor the implementation of municipal strategic plans
● Sign a subcontract with Community Building Mitrovica to assist citizen groups and local CSOs in the partner municipalities to monitor the implementation of key municipal strategic documents, contribute to annual reports of the municipality and assembly, and work with the Village Councils to ensure that strategic documents are being linked to budgets and implemented.
Activity 2.2.3 Strengthen youth groups and increase non-majority representation in these structures ● Facilitate participation of LYACs in budget hearings ● Support LYACs in addressing youth priorities through submission of written requests ● Support LYACs in organizing debates/consultations with citizens ● Continue on-the-job support/mentorship sessions ● Organize capacity development trainings for LYACs on Community Youth Mapping ● Initiate implementation of Community Youth Mapping ● Open a Request For Applications and identify an organization interested and capable of designing activities that increase the likelihood of inter-ethnic cooperation at the local level.
Activity 2.2.4 Facilitate the participation of women from non-majority communities in joint priority setting, planning, budgeting and oversight of budget execution ● Continue capacity development assistance (through on-the-job mentorship) to IWGs to support internal governance structure and general organizational development ● Support the inclusion of IWGs in the municipal budgetary sessions and support groups in the submission of written inputs to the Annual Municipal Budget ● Organize Gender Responsive Budgeting training for IWG, women’s groups and Municipal Gender Officers ● Support organization of strategic development of IWG Istog/Istok municipality, which requested LEGA expertise to facilitate this process.
Activity 2.2.5 Strengthen collaboration between non-majority community actors and municipal officials and representatives ● In each target municipality organize one meeting between key municipal entities dealing with non-majority community rights (MOCRs, Deputy Mayors for Communities, Deputy Chairpersons for Communities, Chairperson of Municipal Assembly Committee for Communities) and non- majority CSOs, citizen groups and Village Councils
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
ANNEXES ANNEX 1.1 Sample Posts and Hashtags for Communications and Outreach Activities
LINK: https://www.facebook.com/usaidkosovo/posts/2247960115288430
LINK: https://www.facebook.com/usaidkosovo/posts/2188146601269782
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
LINK : https://www.facebook.com/usaidkosovo/posts/2194640260620416
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
ANNEX 1.2 Content from MLGA Website
LINK: https://mapl.rks-gov.net/en/news/minister-hodzic-in-a-meeting-with-the-representatives-of- usaid-and-the-representatives-of-the-usaidlega-project/?cptadid=100100035
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
LINK: https://kk.rks-gov.net/obiliq/news/kryetari-xhafer-gashi-priti-ne-takim-drejtorin-e-ri-te-usaid- it-daniel-serban/
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
ANNEX 2 LEGA Brochure
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Annex 3 Indicator Table
Type/Unit of Data Source & Target/Actual Final Indicator Measure/ Reporting Collection Baseline 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 LoA # frequency Method Tar. Act. Tar. Act. Tar. Act. Tar. Act. Tar. Act. Objective 1- Improved equitable, efficient, and transparent municipal governance which responds to citizens’ priorities with a focus on non-majority participation in democratic Current situation/Comments structures 1 LEGA Governance Index Index, Impact MLGA official 55% 60% 61.50% 65% 70% 75% 80% Lega Governance index data is officially released in Indicator data/reports May/June every year. The 2019 reports (for 2018) Activity Custom, are published and ready for reporting. According to Percent Annually the data for the selected indicators, the result is 61.5%. Sub-Objective 1.1- Strengthen local municipal governments and administration to improve service provision to both majority and non-majority communities. 2 Number of solutions adopted by Output Activity CSC data- 0 14 0 28 42 56 70 Implementation is ongoing and results will be partner municipalities with LEGA Custom, Number, Activity reported in the LEGA Y1 Annual Report. assistance that improve citizen service Quarterly and semi- documentation delivery annually and reports 3 Number of mechanisms implemented Output, Activity Activity 0 28 5 56 84 112 140 Working Group on Transparent Budgeting Process in by partner municipalities with LEGA Custom, Number, documentation Štrpce/Shtërpcë, Gračanica/Graçanicë, assistance that promote the Quarterly and semi- and reports Parteš/Partesh and Ranilug/Ranillug (4) participation or address the priorities annually Action Plan for Transparent Budgeting Process in of women and youth Štrpce/Shtërpcë (1) 4 Number of municipalities with Outcome based on Activity 0 0 0 5 9 12 14 Implementation is ongoing and results will be capability to promote local economic selected milestones, documentation reported in the LEGA Y1 Annual Report. development, supported by LEGA Activity Custom, and reports assistance Number, Quarterly and semi-annually Sub-Objective 1.2- Improve the ability of municipalities to articulate their municipal needs to the central-level government. 5 Number of activities that support Output, Activity Activity 0 5 0 5 5 3 2 Implementation is ongoing and results will be municipalities to jointly articulate Custom, Number, documentation reported in the LEGA Y1 Annual Report. needs to the central-level, supported Quarterly and semi- and reports by LEGA assistance annually Sub-Objective 1.3- Strengthen municipal transparency and outreach to all citizens. 6 Number of public consultation Output, Activity Activity 0 14 7 18 22 26 28 Public hearings on Mid-term Expenditure mechanisms used by partner Custom, Number, documentation Framework (MTEF) 2020-2022 in Klokot/Kllokot, municipalities, with LEGA assistance Cumulative, Quarterly and reports Obiliq/Obilić and Klinë/Klina (3) and semi-annually Coordination meetings of all relevant non-majority stakeholders through MOCRs in Dragash/Dragaš, Zvečan/Zveçan, Ranilug/Ranillug and Štrpce/Shtërpcë (4) Sub-Objective 1.4- Strengthen the central-level capacities in outreach and governance to better support municipalities in addressing needs of the non-majority communities and improve municipal service delivery. 7 Number of central solutions that help Output, Activity Activity 0 2 0 4 6 8 10 Work is in progress in Klinë/Klina and Istog/Istok. partner municipalities improve equity, Custom, Number, documentation LEGA anticipates meeting the target and reporting in inclusion and service delivery, with Cumulative, Quarterly and reports the LEGA Y1 Annual Report. LEGA support and semi-annually
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Sub-Objective 1.5- Facilitate linkages between municipalities. 8 Number of activities supported with Output, Activity Activity 0 8 10 15 30 30 15 A round of consultation and discussion sessions with LEGA assistance that facilitate Custom, Number, documentation all municipalities and MLGA in seven regions (7) dialogue, collaboration and knowledge Quarterly and semi- and reports A round of consultation and discussion sessions with sharing among municipalities annually all Kosovo municipalities and MLGA on Inter- municipal cooperation (IMC) and the IMC Fund (3) 9 Number of Inter-Municipal Output, Activity Activity 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 Cooperation Agreements facilitated Custom, Number, documentation with LEGA assistance Quarterly and semi- and reports annually Objective 2- Increased active citizen participation of both majority and non-majority communities in municipal structures 10 Percentage increase of citizens who Survey, Outcome, Activity 0 0% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% Survey to be conducted during August/September are satisfied with Municipal Activity Custom, documentation 2019. Results will be reported with LEGA Y1 Annual Governance Percentage, Annually and reports Report. 11 Number of citizens participating in Outcome, Activity Activity 0 400 300 700 700 800 900 Activities are ongoing. To date, more than 300 municipal structures and processes in Custom, Number, documentation citizens participated in municipal structures and partner municipalities supported by Quarterly and semi- and reports processes through LEGA support. The final result will LEGA annually be reported in the LEGA Y1 Annual report. Sub-Objective 2.1- Increase interaction between majority and non-majority communities in joint priority setting 12 Number of new non-majority Outcome, Activity Activity 0 20 4 30 20 20 10 Activities are ongoing. To date, four new non- representatives in community Custom, Number, documentation majority representatives have been elected. The participation structures in partner Quarterly and semi- and reports final result will be reported in the LEGA Y1 Annual municipalities, supported by LEGA. annually report. 13 Number of inter-ethnic civic initiatives Output, Activity Activity 0 7 0 14 28 28 28 Activities are ongoing. There is no result to date to supported by USG assistance Custom, Number, documentation be reported. The final result will be reported in the Quarterly and semi- and reports LEGA Y1 Annual report. annually Sub-Objective 2.2- Empower all communities to engage with the municipalities and hold them more accountable 14 Number of citizen oversight and Output, Activity Activity 0 7 0 21 49 77 91 Results for this PI will be achieved through a local accountability tools supported with Custom, Number, documentation partner. To date, there are no results to be LEGA assistance Quarterly and semi- and reports reported. The final result will be reported in the annually LEGA Y1 Annual report. 15 Number of USG-supported activities Output, Activity Activity 0 20 18 30 40 50 60 Activities are ongoing. To date there are 18 activities designed to promote or strengthen the Custom, Number, documentation implemented. civic participation of women and youth Quarterly and semi- and reports annually 16 Average capacity score of Output, Activity Activity 11.50% 30% 0 40% 50% 60% 70% The OCAT will be conducted during September 2019. representative structures for women Custom, Number, documentation The final result will be reported in the LEGA Y1 and youth in partner municipalities Quarterly and semi- and reports Annual report. increased, with LEGA assistance annually 17 Number of media activities conducted Output, Activity Activity 0 3 0 10 20 10 5 Activities are ongoing. There is no result to date to with USG assistance to strengthen Custom, Number, documentation be reported. The final result to be reported in the public awareness of local governance Quarterly and semi- and reports LEGA Y1 Annual report. roles and responsibilities annually
USAID Local Effective Governance Activity – Quarterly Performance Report, April 1st, 2019 – June 30th, 2019
Annex 4
List of technical deliverables: 1. Short report regarding MLGA Annual Report on the Functioning of Municipalities for 2018 2. Short report on Gender Equality Conference organized by LEGA 3. Short report on Local Youth Action Council Gračanica/Graçanicë Elections and Mentoring Session on Activity Plan