Holding workshops in local communities to raise the capacity of citizens for open government (BAMOD0002)

Commitment ID

BAMOD0002

Commitment Title

Holding workshops in local communities to raise the capacity of citizens for open government

Problem

The citizens do not have an adequate level of knowledge regarding the functioning of local self-government, which is reflected in their involvement in the decision-making process and monitoring process.
The participation of women in the decision-making process is deficient and affects the inclusiveness of policies.
There is a low representation of women in leadership roles in order to influence decisions and encourage women's empowerment.
One of the strategic commitments of the management of the municipality of Modrič is to promote the inclusion of citizens in the decision-making process.
The municipality of Modriča has participated in several projects and programs both at the regional and international level: BFC SEE program-"Business Friendly Certification“, "Local Governance Assistance Activity“-LGAA, "Dialogue for the future“-DFF, "Ozone-Open and responsible municipalities“, "Europe goes local“ EGL, "Strengthening the role of local communities in BiH" etc.

Status quo

High-quality creation of public policies leads to the achievement of policy results and the desired impact on the user's policy. But achieving and measuring impact is very difficult, due to the challenges of the policy-making process.
Closedness in work and lack of resources and capacity contribute to this, which avoids focusing on risk prevention in the application of public policies, and it is more likely that short-term solutions will be implemented.
Many policies are difficult to formulate and implement because they depend on the level of knowledge and consistent application of the principles of good management, control, and monitoring.
For any public policy that is created, there should be visible information about preliminary consultations, public hearings, and other methods of public participation. One of the reasons for citizens' lack of motivation is their content and the possibility of transparency and availability.

Action

The Department for Reception and Information and the Department for Economy and Social Activities in cooperation with the Mayor's Office will form a team for the implementation of workshops in local communities with the aim of increasing the capacity of citizens to use the mechanisms of the Open Government Partnership.
Five one-day workshops will be organized in the area of ​​the municipality of Modriča at the level of the local community for a duration of 3 hours. Occasionally local communities will be chosen taking into account equal representation according to the type of settlement (urban/rural area), national structure, geographical distribution, demonstrated readiness for cooperation, and local involvement of communities) and the like.
The obligation to improve the application of efficient creation of public policies and decision-making aims at the proactive action of institutions and citizens and the strengthening of mutual cooperation and trust.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?

Bearing in mind the efforts of the municipal administration of Modriča to increase the participation of citizens in the decision-making process, there is a need to educate citizens about the mechanisms, procedures, and possibilities of direct participation in the decision-making process at the local level. This obligation will ensure the raising of citizens' capacities in terms of acquiring skills to participate in this process.
For each public policy, it should be pointed out why it is important, how it affects citizens, what are the reasons for initiating the adoption, modification, or amendment of the policy.
In order to reach different target groups, it is necessary to apply different methods of citizen involvement.
This commitment reflects a strategic and visionary approach to addressing the challenges of lack of knowledge, capacity, and insecurity among citizens who wish to participate.

What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?

The education of citizens on how they can take part in the decision-making process at the local level is fully in line with the principles of Open Government, which is also proclaimed by the Partnership for Open Government. Raising the capacity of citizens in terms of their active use of mechanisms in the decision-making process will lead to an increase in the number of citizens and the quality of the consultative process itself.
The fact that this measure will be implemented in such a way that representatives of the local self-government who will be responsible for the implementation of this measure, leave the premises of the local self-government and meet with citizens in their premises of local communities, further contributes to the realization of the principle of Partnership for Open Government.
By strengthening the skills of citizens in the process of creating policies, new values ​​and services of public administration at the local level will be developed.

Primary Policy Area

Civic Space, Other/NA

Primary Sector

Education, Other/NA

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?