Policy Interventions
GAP’s work in policy interventions is designed to create a sustainable reform environment, one that helps local government officials, experts and the academic community create a comprehensive vision for reform, assists governments and parliaments in transforming this vision into legislation, and builds strong municipal associations capable of formulating and advocating the interests and needs of cities and municipalities to provide the best services to citizens. The major features of GAP’s Policy Interventions component include:
- Strengthening municipal associations. A strong sense of ownership of the policy agenda by mayors and effective communication with higher levels of government is critical for development of viable associations. GAP works with the associations and all local governments to keep them abreast of issues and brings mayors and other local representatives into entity and country-wide forums. We will channel much of our policy activity through these municipal associations, utilizing their existing policy-making structures and forming our interactions around specific priorities, maintaining robust communication between GAP and the associations.
GAP utilizes its knowledge and experience to help associations prepare advocacy strategies with a specific approach to governments, parliaments, NGOs and the media, enhancing their ability to develop strategic partnerships with other interest groups to promote a common agenda. GAP is assisting municipal association in reversing the process of consultation that places the initiative on the side of government and ministries. Through this work, the associations gain legitimacy as the voice of local government and develop the capacity to drive policy reform beyond the life of the GAP project. - Identifying legislative improvements and priorities. GAP works with municipal associations and government ministries to draft and help implement legislation and rules to further accountable governance. GAP led the effort to develop a reasonable method ofallocation of revenues from the new VATamong governments; the adoption of the laws on revenue allocationeliminated some of the main weaknesses in intergovernmental finance through the introduction of efficient instruments of fiscal equalization in both entities. These changes helped achieve a transparent and predictable financial flow of revenue to municipalities and helped provide for revenue equalization at the cantonal and the municipal level. Similarly, the Law on Principles of Local Self-Government in FBiH took the first steps in strengthening local governments by clarifying the responsibilities of each level of government. The priority now is to harmonize other laws and regulations on local self-government to further improve the position of municipalities.
- Operationalizing the Local Self-Governance Development Strategy. GAP is working to prioritize the Strategy’s objectives and obtain vital input from local governments on the most feasible mechanisms for its implementation through collaboration with both central and local governments and international organizations. To complement this activity, GAP is also closely coordinating its work with all other stakeholders in the reform process, developing coalitions and implementation strategies.
- Establishing a municipal role in the development of legislation. Giving municipalities a place in higher-level decisions that affect them has been another important aspect of GAP’s engagement in strengthening local self-government. Laws under consideration include the Law of Real Rights in FBiH and RS and the Law on Changes and Amendments of the BiH Law on Public Procurement. GAP organized workshops in cooperation with the municipal associations to provide local representatives an opportunity to comment on these issues. These comments were used to prepare proposals of amendments that entity associations forwarded to relevant bodies and institutions for their consideration.
- Strengthening the voice of cities and municipalities. Another GAP priority and a key to sustainable reform requires identifying structures that enable the establishment of efficient communication between higher level authorities and municipalities and also among local communities. Efficient communication is an essential prerequisite for effective advocacy, priority setting, and planning not only at the municipal level but at every level of government in BiH.
GAP assistance is driven by four underlying principles: to maintain the momentum of reform developed by this project, to build institutional and technical sustainability, to foster local ownership of reform, and to facilitate effective communication. These activities, following these principles, will help build lasting reform for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
