As part of the project “Transparent and sustainable”, on February 24 2023, was held a regional meeting and consultations with officers dealing with youth affairs in local self-government units (LGUs) from three regions in the Republic of Srpska. The meeting was organized in the premises of the City Administration in Istočno Sarajevo. Participation took 21 representatives from 13 LGUs in the Republic of Srpska.
At the meeting we discussed on the improvement of cooperation with youth organizations and youth centers as well as on the importance to identify persons and departments for cooperation with youth in the organization of LGUs. We also talked about the importance of transparency in the process of continuous communication and learning and cooperation between LGUs.
The meeting was also attended by the representative of the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports in the Government of the Republic of Srpska, Mr. Dragan Kuprešanin. Mr. Kuprešanin presented the ministry’s activities, and in particular the newly adopted Youth Policy of the Republic of Srpska for the period 2023-2027. Mr. Kuprešanin emphasized that this Policy is important for being the basis for formation of local policies for youth and its implementation is primarily based on LGUs and cooperation with organizations dealing with youth issues.
Guidelines for increasing transparency on the issue of data availability on LGUs websites, which were created by members of the M.O.C.A.R.T. Network, were presented at this meeting. The participants agreed that these guidelines would improve cooperation with CSOs and raise the level of transparency in the allocation and spending of public funds. In addition, it was agreed that it is necessary to motivate citizens and organizations more to participate in mechanisms for citizen participation in decision-making.
