Capacity Development in Europe & CIS

 

Ivan Milivojevic is Training Centre Manager with the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) in Serbia, a national association of local authorities dedicated to the promotion and development of local governments. The SCTM assists with public administration reform and decentralization, fosters cooperation and dialogue among local authorities and is an information hub on important issues for towns and municipalities. It also supports local governments in their efforts to rebuild legal and financial capacities, and supports their initiatives before central government.

 

 

In 2008, the SCTM Training Centre participated in training on the capacity development approach and capacity assessment methodology, which included a pilot assessment in the town of Sombor.

 

 

A: Capacity assessments have been carried out, including Sombor, in eight pilot towns and municipalities. Since this was a piloting of the UNDP capacity assessment approach in Serbia, we selected municipalities of different sizes, different geographical areas and capacities to deliver public services. Our intention was not only to assess capacities of single municipalities but to try to extract common conclusions on capacity assets and gaps of different “types” of municipalities in Serbia. For larger and more developed municipalities, this generalization of capacity development needs didn’t work but for smaller and underdeveloped municipalities capacity development needs are almost the same.

 

We have assessed capacities in different core issues, which included business processes, human resources, services to citizens, absorption of EU funds and local economic develop­ment, among others. The methodology at its core, besides different questionnaires, is comprised of interviews and focus group discussions with mayors, heads of municipal administrations, heads of different departments, employees and local government partners and civil society organizations. Thus, we were in a position to collect inputs on specific core issues from different perspectives, and the “truth” was always somewhere in the middle.

 

Speaking in general on the capacity development approach, the impressions are positive due to the opportunity to apply a comprehensive approach that still gives you the possibility to divide and analyze very specific issues from all relevant angles.

 

 

A: As a country which is strategically oriented towards EU integration, Serbian municipalities have been exposed to different capacity assessment and capacity development approaches for almost a decade. Nevertheless, impressions are that the necessity of capacity assessments, before formulating and implementing capacity development strategies, still isn’t fully understood by municipalities. They are somehow eager to emphasize implementation of concrete capacity development actions and the capacity assessment is sometimes understood as a resource and time consuming activity.

 

That is why before any capacity assessment and capacity development activities, the full process should be well communicated with decision makers in municipalities. Once you receive a full understanding on the approach and goals you want to achieve, the process rolls in the right direction.

 

Overall, assisting Serbian municipalities to improve their capacities and to meet rapidly changing legal, social and economical requirements is a long and hard process but at the end, highly appreciated by the beneficiaries.

 

 

A: I’m always positively surprised by the enthusiasm of some individuals in municipalities and their readiness to fully engage themselves in capacity development and establishment of modern, client oriented local administration despite, sometimes insufficient recognition of their efforts and lack of any incentives.  

 

A: Yes. After assessments in pilot municipalities we have developed a set of eight different trainings to address the different needs for capacity development. Some of the trainings were already developed and implemented in some parts of Serbia by other programmes but some of them were rather new for municipalities such as: Development of human resource management system within municipal administration; Municipal property management; Programme budgeting; Monitoring and evaluation of work of municipal administration; and Municipal marketing.

The implementation of these trainings started in March this year, with delivery of one training per week, involving pilot municipalities as well as neighboring municipalities that showed interest in specific topics.

 

Besides, in cooperation with pilot municipalities, we developed small capacity development projects which will contribute to capacity development in specific areas. Those projects are prevailingly designed to address new competencies of municipal administrations that will be required by decentralization and the EU integration process, or to improve existing competencies in the area which has been recognized as a main potential or strategic goal of specific municipal administrations.

 

For example, in Sombor we will implement a project on municipal property management, and in the municipality of Uzice a project will assist them to develop a human resources development strategy for the municipal administration. Thus, we are trying to enable pilot municipalities for new competencies that are foreseen in upcoming legislative processes. These experiences and best practice examples from pilot municipalities will later be used in implementation of similar activities throughout Serbia.  

 

 

 

A: I think the most difficult parts are ensuring local ownership and sustainability once the financial and technical assistance has been diminished.

 

Keeping that in mind, we will primarily try to implement our projects with a broad participatory approach and try to keep them realistic without the intention to achieve more than existing capacities and assets within the municipalities allow.

 

Our main approach is to be focused on improvement of a single or limited number of competencies rather than going too broad; to work only if there is strong commitment of local leadership; to combine projects with capacity development of individuals through relevant sets of trainings and to work with relevant experts from municipal administrations and local communities that are able to produce, sustain and replicate results.

 

 

A: I have been working in the area of training provision for different target groups such as municipal administrations, redundant workers and unemployed individuals for eight years. I also have six years experience in the preparation and management of different capacity development projects at the local level.

 

 

 

A: Basically I’m most interested in different capacity development activities oriented towards human resources development and management in municipalities.

 

 

A: Maybe my point of view is a bit biased, but all our foreign colleagues find it dynamic, wild and sometimes surreal. They generally love it here and usually stay even after their mission has been completed. All in all, both challenging and inspirational.