Action plan – Kisela Voda, North Macedonia, 2025 – 2025

At-a-Glance

Duration

Nov 2025

Date Submitted

1st February 2025

Foreword(s)

Macedonia became a member of the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) in 2011, aiming to promote transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, accountability and citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More in government. Five action plans have been implemented so far, while the sixth is under implementation.

Local governments directly influence the daily lives of citizens through services, policies and community development. By joining the OGP Local, municipalities can unlock the potential for improving transparency, accountability and citizen engagement at the local level, which also was a key reason for the Municipality of Kisela Voda to join OGP.

A participatory process and co-creation in the development of an OGP Local Action Plan implies a collaborative approach designed to ensure inclusiveness, transparency and accountability in the development of government measures, reforms, policies and strategies. This process involves multiple stakeholders such as government institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), citizens and other relevant actors, in the design and implementation of action plans aimed at improving the openness, transparency and accountability of local government.

Transformative and sustainable changes require the efforts of co-creators who are composed of different sectors and groups, including municipal departments, local civil society organizations, residents, academics, and the media. Public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio... and participatory decision-making processes are a fundamental component and essential element of OGP.

Monitoring, reporting and lessons learned from the implementation of the First Local OGP Action Plan of the Municipality of Kisela Voda will be done through Independent monitoring body where the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... will provide guidance to local jurisdictions in the monitoring and reporting process.

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

This subsection details the Open Government Strategic Vision in your local area that should guide the commitments for the action plan period.

What is the long-term vision for open government in your context and jurisdiction?

The strategic vision of the OGP Local Action Plan focuses on creating a collaborative, transparent, inclusive and an open environment where citizens, civil society and local authorities are actively involved in decision-making, policy development and the delivery of public services.

The strategic vision serves as a compass for navigating operational planning, defining priorities and focus for the realization and achievement of long-term outcomes and identifying medium-term results.

Long-term vision: By creating a culture of openness and communication between citizens and local authorities for opportunities to engage in decision-making process of their interest, and by facilitating the use of e-services, the municipality of Kisela Voda is creating long-term paths for changing the awareness and habits of its citizens towards accepting modern times, globalization and improving the quality of life of the entire community.

What are the achievements in open government to date (for example, recent open government reforms)?

Open government refers to a model of governance where transparency, accountability, and public participation are central values such as open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... initiatives, freedom of information, e-government services, citizen engagement and international cooperation.

Since Mr. Orce Gjorgjievski took office as mayor of the Municipality of Kisela Voda, according to the Active Transparency Index conducted by the Center for Civic Communications, a civil society organization from Skopje, the transparency of the municipality has increased up to 98.6% in 2024.

Also, in May 2024, the Municipality of Kisela Voda promoted its new, modern and digitalized website. The website contains information about current events and activities, information about the work of the Municipal Council and relevant sectors, strategic documents, programs and action plans as well as electronic services for citizens.

The Municipality of Kisela Voda will continue to advocate for open and transparent operations in the future.

What are the current challenges/areas for improvement in open government that the jurisdiction wishes to tackle?

Nowadays, citizens rely more and more on the Internet and e-services for a lot of administrative procedures. The solutions for e-government offer a wide range of benefits both for the local authorities and for the citizens.  At the moment, the e-services for the citizens of the Municipality of Kisela Voda are not finalized: citizens can make payments electronically, submit requests, but cannot receive an electronic version of the final document due to the lack of an electronic seal of the municipality for document certification.

The commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... for transparency and openness of the local government is a fundamental principle that guarantees that the activities performed by the Municipality of Kisela Voda are accessible, accountable and ​reflect the needs and the will of the community. The core focus of this commitment is bringing the work on the local government closer to the public, in order to enable them to participate in the processes on decision-making and to nurture trust between residents and local public administration. By embedding transparency and openness into the structure of local government, the Municipality of Kisela Voda promotes a high level of informed, engaged, and empowered citizens. This, in turn, fosters a more accountable and efficient local administration that truly reflects the values and priorities of the people it serves.

What are the medium-term open government goals that the government wants to achieve?

Transparent operations, open local government and complete digitalization in the work of the municipality in terms of services to citizens and the community are the targets towards which the Municipality of Kisela Voda is directing its development to promote modern, effective, inclusive and efficient local self-government.

How does this action plan contribute to achieve the Open Government Strategic Vision?

The introduction of the electronic signature through the creation of an electronic seal will complete the process of e-services of the Municipality of Kisela Voda. After applying for a certain document online, citizens will also receive the requested document electronically, thus the whole process will be entirely digitalized. In this way, citizens will obtain the documents needed in a much faster and easier manner, and at the same time the efficiency of the municipality will be enhanced. Moreover, the public trust in the process will be increased and at the same time this will contribute to expanding the horizons of the community for the era of digitalization that is here, and that overcomes traditional ways of functioning.

The commitment for transparency and open local government plays a key role in meeting the needs of citizens in several ways such as increased accountability, increased civic engagement, improved decision-making, better public services, trust and social cohesion, preventing inequality and encouraging the development of innovative solutions.

The Municipality of Kisela Voda is working intensively on a transparent and open local government that strengthens democratic governance, aligns policies with the needs of citizens, and creates a constructive relationship between the local government and the public.

How does the open government strategic vision contribute to the accomplishment of the current administration’s overall policy goals?

The OGP Local brings together local governments, citizens, civil society organizations, academia and the private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... to promote more transparent, responsive, accountable and inclusive governance. OGP achieves its vision by recognizing the key role that local governments play in bringing the governance closer to the people they serve. Municipalities, cities, states, regions, provinces, counties and other jurisdictions provide key services that require effective and accountable local governments. OGP therefore strives to support local government efforts in adopting innovative reforms. Collaboration, transparency and citizen participation are essential pillars for any modern, responsive and agile local government.

The Municipality of Kisela Voda is focused on implementing activities to increase transparency, inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr..., digitalization, accountability and openness in its work and relations with citizens.

The first OGP Local Action Plan for the Municipality of Kisela Voda includes medium-term activities (2024-2025) aimed at promoting and strengthening the values and principles of good governance, contributing to the consolidation of a broader strategy that will undoubtedly continue in the years to come.

Engagement and Coordination in the Open Government Strategic Vision and OGP Action Plan

Please list the lead institutions responsible for the implementation of this OGP action plan.

• Municipality of Kisela Voda
• International Republican Institute (IRI)
• Center for Youth Activism (CYA)

What kind of institutional arrangements are in place to coordinate between government agencies and departments to implement the OGP action plan?

In order to meet the standards of implementation the OGP Local action plan such as institutional arrangements, co-creation, coordination and participation among different stakeholders, the Municipality of Kisela Voda implemented a series of activities:

1. Partnered with the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the Center for Youth Activism (CYA) for support in the action plan development process;
2. Established an OGP working group with representatives from relevant departments of the municipality and representatives from the partner organizations,

In the area digitalization and transparency , representatives were invited from:

• Metamorphosis Foundation
• Center for Change Management (CUP)
• Center for Civic Communications
• Association for Research and Analysis (ZMAI)
• Center for Economic Analysis 

What kind of spaces have you used or created to enable the collaboration between government and civil society in the co-creation and implementation of this action plan? Mention both offline and online spaces.

Facilitated a public consultation event with representatives from civil society organizations. The aim of the event was to obtain recommendations, suggestions and opinions regarding the work of municipal authorities on how the municipality can improve its performance in the areas of transparency and open local government and improving digital services for citizens.

The first draft version of the Action Plan was sent to the partners and organizations whose representatives attended the public consultation meeting. Their suggestions, proposals and recommendations have been incorporated into the OGP Action Plan of the Municipality of Kisela Voda.

What measures did you take to ensure diversity of representation (including vulnerable or marginalized populations) in these spaces?

The Local Communities, as a form of organization of the citizens in the Municipality, including vulnerable or marginalized populations, represent a bridge of communication between the citizens and the local government. The activities under this commitment include a more intensive, two-way and purposeful communication between the LCs and the citizens: the residents of the Municipality will present their needs, priorities and ideas for their LC in a given period of time.

The digitalization and e-services contribute to increased practicality and convenience; increase the efficiency and the speed of services; enable citizens to access municipal services at any time and from anywhere (24/7) overcoming the limitations of existing working hours; enable geographical inclusivity: e-services ensure that people living in more remote areas have access to the same services as those in urban areas; offer effective solutions; improve transparency and accountability; promote the inclusion of people with disabilitiesA government is not open unless it is accessible to all, and governments are working to ensure people with disabilities are afforded equitable services and opportunities to participate. Technical spec... and equal opportunities for all; strengthen the economic growth and the development of innovation and contribute to environmental protection.

Who participated in these spaces?

Local Self Government:

• Municipality of Kisela Voda

Civil Society Organization:

• Partnered with the International Republican Institute (IRI)
• Center for Youth Activism (CYA)
• Metamorphosis Foundation
• Center for Change Management (CUP)
• Center for Civic Communications
• Association for Research and Analysis (ZMAI)
• Center for Economic Analysis
• 15 Local Communities from Municipality of Kisela Voda

How many groups participated in these spaces?

9

How many public-facing meetings were held in the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive...?

1

How will government and non-governmental stakeholders continue to collaborate through the implementation of the action plan?

The benefits of a co-creation and participatory approach of the OGP Action Plan are multiple:

• Enhanced legitimacy: When citizens and other stakeholders are involved in creating the action plan, they are more likely to trust and support the government’s efforts because they feel that their voice is being heard,
• Better policymaking: Incorporating diverse perspectives helps create holistic, well-designed solutions that are more likely to effectively address real-world and community problems,
• Increased accountability: Local authorities that commit to stakeholder engagement are more accountable, as citizens and civil society perceive such authorities as transparent and open in fulfilling the commitments undertaken in the action plan,
• Sustainability: Co-created plans are more sustainable because they build broad support, making it easier to implement and maintain reforms over time,
• Empowered citizens: participatory processes help build stronger civic engagement and encourage citizens to be active participants in governance and policymaking.

Please describe the independent Monitoring Body you have identified for this plan.

Monitoring, reporting and lessons learned from the implementation of the First Local OGP Action Plan of the Municipality of Kisela Voda will be done through Independent monitoring body where the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) will provide guidance to local jurisdictions in the monitoring and reporting process.

For the Municipality of Kisela Voda this means a review of the results and impact of the specific commitments and obligations undertaken in the OGP Action Plan. The IRM will define valuable feedback and recommendations as guidelines for the local administration to improve its practices in the future.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• Danijela Petrusheva, Monitoring and Evaluation Expert, deaandonovap@gmail.com
• Gorana Andonova, Monitoring and Evaluation Expert, gorana.andonova@outlook.com

What types of activities will you have in place to discuss progress on commitments with stakeholders?

Various organizational forms of citizen engagement, such as local communities (LCs), facilitate the flow of information from the community base to municipal authorities, thus promoting participation and the bottom-up approach. Local communities and community leaders are in the best position to understand the unique needs, concerns, and priorities of residents. When these voices are actively included in decision-making processes, it not only improves the quality of decisions, but also makes them more transparent and relevant to the people they affect.

In municipalities where transparency and openness are a priority, citizens are more likely to trust their leaders, knowing that local actions are based on clear principles and that their voices are heard. By fostering public debate, citizen support, and building partnerships between open local government and community organizations, municipalities can create an environment where transparency is not only practiced but also embraced.

Digital services of the municipalities is closely intertwined with citizen participation and represents an important aspect for improvement of governance and implementation of public services. Digitalization enables more fast and efficient delivery of services, while the participation includes the community in the decision-making and planning processes. Combining these two aspects can have a major positive effect on local governance.

How will you regularly check in on progress with implementing agencies?

• Regular online communication among partners
• Regular communication with employees at Local Communities
• Observation of implementation of the digital seal and upgrade of the website in the existing e-services section
• Joint meeting of the representatives of the Local Communities with the Mayor and heads of all relevant departments of the Municipality and presentation of the previously summarized requests of the citizens
• Regular monitoring of the implementation of the selected measure in accordance with the needs of the citizens

How will you share the results of your monitoring efforts with the public?

• Website of the Municipality of Kisela Voda
• Sharing information through social media
• Press release
• Press conference

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Dance Danilovska Bajdevska, Member, Metamorphosis
• Marijana Jancevska, Member, Metamorphosis
• German Filkov, Member, Center for Civic Communications
• Sabina Fakikj, Member, Center for Civic Communications
• Viktor Mitevski, Member, Association for Research and Analysis – ZMAI
• Vesna Gavranlieva Andonova, Member, Center for Economic Analysis
• Neda Maleska Sacmaroska, Member, Center for Change Management – CUP

Mayor Statetent on OGP Action Plan 
Action Plan

Commitments

• Promotion of digitalization in the work on the municipality
• Transparency and openness of local self-government