Bosnia and Herzegovina Governance Accountability
On April 9, 2009 the Bosnian municipality of Visoko opened its first modern and highly functional Citizen Service Center (CSC) and Urban Permit Center (UPC). This achievement was made possible by the joint effort of Visoko’s municipal staff and technical and monetary assistance from the Governance and Accountability (GAP) project. Already, these two local centers have resulted in a dramatic improvement in the level of service delivery to Visoko citizens. Whereas before it was common to hear people complain of wasting time at the municipality in long lines, or waiting for the right person to come back from a work break, now the necessary information is readily available, and often just a mouse click away!
Picture 1. Reconstruction of the 100-year old building
The process of establishing the Visoko CSC and UPC began with the reconstruction of the municipal building’s interior and exterior (see before and after photos), followed by training of municipal staff, and installation of hardware and software prescribed by the GAP project. Aside from the obvious benefits of automating and streamlining municipal services, the newly opened CSC and UPC are also increasing the transparency in which these services are delivered to citizens. Fewer opportunities for corruption and bribery exist, enabling an environment where citizens are treated with fairness and equality. Meanwhile, GAP-funded trainings of CSC and UPC employees significantly improved their technical skills, work performance, and professionalism, leading to greater productivity and less variation in processing times. By streamlining departmental communications to a few effective interlocutors, the municipality now gives Visoko citizens high quality and consistent answers, leading to less confusion, and, as a result, more effective governance.
 “No more wasted trips for citizens”
