Capacity building in local self-governments

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Capacity building in local self-governmentsLessons learned through the ten-year experience

of the Municipal Support Programme (MSP)

Razvijanje kapaciteta u lokalnim samoupravamaPouke izvedene iz desetogodi{njeg rada

Programa podr{ke op{tinama (MSP)

I Foreword

The Municipal Support Programme (MSP) was initiated by the Swiss Agency for De-velopment and Cooperation (SDC) in 2001. Since then, it has supported a group of mu-nicipalities from Central Serbia in upgrading their capacities and responding to the needsand aspirations of their citizens. Thanks to a strong Swiss financial investment, impor-tant matching efforts from the partner municipalities and, last but not least, an excep-tional commitment of the MSP implementing team, citizens can now witness improvedmunicipal services in Arilje, Cajetina, Cacak, Kraljevo, Pozega, Uzice and Lucani.

The major instrument used within the MSP to improve municipal capacities wasknowledge transfers, direct and indirect. Direct knowledge transfers took place when mu-nicipal staffs were simply trained by the MSP implementers; indirect transfers occurredwhen partner municipalities took up new responsibilities, say in organizing training ses-sions, designing trainees or hiring trainers. A third, even more indirect learning was madeby the MSP team itself, as implementing knowledge transfers meant learning-by-doing,hence acquiring knowledge too! Capitalization of this learning is the subject of the pres-ent publication. SDC is proud to have been associated with this success.

Beatrice Meyer,

Country DirectorSwiss Cooperation Office Serbia

Capacity building in local self-governments

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I Predgovor

[vajcarska agencija za razvoj i saradnju – SDC je 2001. pokrenula Program podr{keop{tinama – MSP. Od tog vremena, ovaj Program pomaè odre|enom broju op{tina igradova u Centralnoj Srbiji da unapre|uju svoje kapacitete i na najbolji na~in reaguju napotrebe i ̀ elje svojih gra|ana. Zahvaljuju}i veoma zna~ajnom finansijskom ulaganju [vaj-carske, isto tako zna~ajnom trudu partnerskih samouprava i ni{ta manje zna~ajnojposve}enosti tima koji sprovodi ovaj Program, gra|ani Arilja, âjetine, â~ka, Kraljeva,Poège, Uìca i Lu~ana danas imaju mnogo bolje usluge svojih lokalnih samouprava.

Glavni instrument koji je MSP primenjivao na unapre|ivanju op{tinskih kapacitetabilo je neposredno i posredno preno{enje znanja. Neposredno preno{enje znanja odvi-jalo se tako {to su implementatori Programa jednostavno organizovali obuke za zapo-slene u lokalnim samoupravama. Posredno preno{enje znanja je usledilo kada supartnerske samouprave preuzele nove nadle`nosti, na primer u organizovanju obuka,odabiranju kandidata za pojedine vrste tih obuka ili angaòvanju trenera. Tre}u, jo{ ne-posredniju, vrstu preno{enja znanja ostvarivali su sami ~lanovi tima MSP-a. Njihovopreno{enje znanja prakti~no je zna~ilo u~enje i sticanje znanja u toku rada. Predmet ovepublikacije je kapitalizacija tog u~enja. SDC je ponosan {to je imao svoj udeo u ostvari-vanju tog uspeha.

Beatrice Meyer,

Direktor za Srbiju[vajcarska agencija za razvoj i saradnju

Razvijanje kapaciteta u lokalnim samoupravama

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II Introduction

A. Short introduction of MSPFollowing the political change in the year 2000, the Swiss Agency for Development

and Cooperation (SDC) launched immediate support measures and began a long-termprogramme of technical cooperation with the then State Union of Serbia and Montene-gro. The main aims of this programme were to support political change and transitionprocesses and to promote the accession of Serbia to the European Union. Recognizing thekey role of local self-governments in meeting Serbia’s outstanding challenges of transi-tion and development, SDC decided to include municipal development as major com-ponent of its programme in Serbia through the Municipal Support Programme(MSP)(now in its third phase, 2008–2011).

The purpose of MSP is to promote reforms and development in partner municipali-ties and cities, with the aim to make Programme participants become examples of au-tonomous, efficient and accountable local self-governments. The objective is thatmunicipalities and cities, MSP partners, become examples of good practice in local self-governance, ready to convey their gained knowledge, experience and skills to other localself-governments.

The Programme supports the development of local self governments (LSGs) in theareas of strategic planning, the modernisation of LSGs and other local institutions, im-provement of public services delivered to citizens, improved financial management andimproved citizens’ participation.

The MSP is implemented through a mix of co-funding of common development proj-ects, assistance in strengthening municipal capacities and technical consulting. The firsttwo phases of the Programme were implemented by the Swiss organisations Iteco and In-tercooperation, and the implementation of Phase III is mandated to MSP Consulting Ltd.from Serbia, a company formed by project staff.

B. Purpose and main objectives of this publicationThe purpose of this publication is to document and share the experience that the Mu-

nicipal Support Programme has gained during its ten-year implementation in centraland western Serbia. It is not our intention so much to provide a “how-to“, but rather toshare what MSP and its partners have learned about the most effective ways of deliver-ing professional capacity building support. The brochure is the result of a process inwhich several experiences and good practices have been reviewed and evaluated, as wellas the factors that have had significantly influenced the achievements. The brochure con-tains descriptions of the approach and processes, from the initial assessments, through theestablishment of cooperation, to partner LSGs taking over the responsibility for the sus-tainability of the achieved results.

Representatives of MSP partner municipalities are co-authors of the publication,as they are participants in all key processes of professional capacity strengthening inlocal self-governments.

As one of the most innovative and long-standing local self-government support pro-

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II Uvod

A. Kratko predstavljanje MSP-aPosle politi~kih promena 2000. godine, [vajcarska agencija za razvoj i saradnju (SDC)

je pokrenula mere neposredne podr{ke i zapo~ela jedan dugoro~ni program tehni~ke sa-radnje sa Dràvnom zajednicom Srbija i Crna Gora. Galvni ciljevi ovog programa su bilida se podrè politi~ke promene i tranzicioni procesi i da se pomogne pristupanje SrbijeEvropskoj Uniji. Prepoznav{i klju~nu ulogu lokalnih samouprava u tome da Srbija ostvariozbiljne zadatke tranzicije i razvoja, SDC odlu~uje da op{tinski razvoj u~ini glavnomkomponentom svog programa u Srbiji, i to kroz Program podr{ke op{tinama (MSP), kojije sada u svojoj tre}oj fazi koja treba traje od 2008. do 2011. godine.

Namera MSP-a je da, u op{tinama i gradovima u kojima se ovaj Program primenjuje,promovi{e reforme i razvoj, sa ciljem da op{tine i gradovi koji u Programu u~estvuju po-stanu primeri autonomne, efikasne i odgovorne lokalne samouprave. A neposredni cilj jeda te op{tine i gradovi, kao partneri MSP-a, postanu primeri dobre prakse lokalne sa-mouprave, spremni da ste~ena znanja, iskustva i ume}a prenose na ostale lokalne sa-mouprave.

Ovaj Program pomaè razvoj lokalnih samouprava (LSU) u oblastima strate{kog pla-niranja, osavremenjavanja op{tinskih i gradskih uprava i ostalnih lokalnih ustanova, una-pre|ivanje javnih usluga koje se pruàju gra|anima, upravljanje finansijama i aktivnijeu~e{}e gra|ana u svim ovim poslovima.

MSP se implementira kroz sufinansiranje projekata iz domena op{teg razvoja, krozpomo} u razvijanju op{tinskih kapaciteta i tehni~ki konsalting. Prve dve faze ovog Pro-grama implementirale su {vajcarsske organizacije Iteco i Intercooperation, dok je imple-mentacija Faze III poverena firmi MSP Konsulting Ltd iz Srbije, koju je osnovao lokalnitim koji radi na Programu.

B. Namena i glavni ciljevi ove publikacijeNamena ove publikacije je da dokumentuje i na druge prenosi iskustvo koje je ste~eno

tokom dosada{nje, desetogodi{nje implementacije Programa podr{ke op{tinama u cen-tralnoj i zapadnoj Srbiji. Namera pisanja publikacije nije toliko da sugeri{e kako ne{to ra-diti, ve} vi{e da drugima prenese ono {to su MSP i njegovi partneri nau~ili o tome kakose nabolje moè pruàti podr{ka u razvijanju profesionalnih kapaciteta. Bro{ura je re-zultat procesa u kome su sagledani pregled i evaluacija nekoliko iskustava i primera dobreprakse, kao i faktora koji su u velikoj meri uticali na ono {tp je ostvareno. U njoj se opi-suju neki pristupi i procesi, po~ev od prvih procena, preko uspostavljanja saradnje, pa dotoga da partnerske lokalne samouprave prezimaju odgovornost za odrìvost ostvarenihrezultata.

Koautori publikacije su predstavnici partnerskih op{tina MSP-a koji su u~estvovali susvim najbitnijim procesima ja~anja profesionalnih kapaciteta u lokalnim samoupravama.

Kao jedan od najinovativnijih i najdugotrajnijih programa podr{ke lokalnim samou-pravama u ovom regionu, MSP je stekao veliko i raznovrsno iskustvo u podràvanju raz-voja profesionalnih kapaciteta u op{tinama i gradovima. Zbog toga }e ova publikacija,

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grammes in this region, MSP has acquired a wide and varied experience in capacity build-ing support. That is why this publication, capturing and distilling this experience in anaccessible synthesis, will be of interest to public administration practitioners, to local pol-icy makers, to donors and donor funded projects in Serbia and in the region. Given thatthis is the last phase of the Programme, documenting and disseminating MSP’s experi-ence is important in ensuring that all knowledge and skills gained through the imple-mentation of the will be widely shared and become rooted in local self-governmentpractice in Serbia.

III From experience to capitalization

Experience capitalization can most clearly be defined as a transition from experienceto shareable knowledge. In practical terms, experience capitalization involves describing,reflecting upon, analyzing and documenting, in a participatory manner, the process andresults of a particular project or activity. In order to capitalize the experience gained insupporting local self-governments’ capacity building, we organized a write-shop togetherwith Intercooperation (former project implementer, now mandated as a backstopper toMSP Consulting Ltd). A write-shop is an intensive workshop aimed at bringing togethera range of relevant stakeholders to produce a written output. A write-shop is an effectiveway of bringing together different actors (project staff, consultants, partners from mu-nicipal administrations) who have different perspectives on a subject. With this method,written materials can be produced very quickly by people who do not have time to writeextensively (including project staff and local self-government administration!). A write-shop allows inputs from all participants to be incorporated, taking advantage of diverseexperience and expertise of all the present). It allows ideas to be validated by other par-ticipants based on their own experience and knowledge. The method was developed bythe International Institute of Rural Reconstruction in the Philippines, but it has beenwidely replicated in other contexts. The present brochure was produced during a write-shop on July 14 and 15, 2009, attended by MSP and Intercooperation staff and represen-tatives of partner municipalities/cities.

IV Inspiring beginning

The activity areas the Programme has been covering are conditioned by the political,legal, economic, financial and social contexts in partner local self-governments, as well asby the problems in their internal organization and work.

Initially, the Programme faced a rather poor situation in local self-governments causedby the many years of highly centralised governance in Serbia and the limited professionalcapacities of local administrations’ employees.

One of the results of the political changes brought about in 2000 was the adoption ofa range of new system of laws providing the legal basis for decentralisation, including thetransfer of responsibilities from the central government to local self-governments. The

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koja saìma i uobli~ava ta iskustva u jedan dosta pristupa~an sinteti~ki okvir, biti intere-santna svima koji se bave javnom upravom i kreiranjem lokalne politike, donatorima ionim koji realizuju projekte koji se finansiraju iz donacija, kako u Srbiji tako i u {irem re-gionu. Po{to je ovo poslednja faza Programa, dokumentovanje i preno{enje iskustva MSP-a je zna~ajno, da bi sva znanja i ume}a, ste~ena kroz implementaciju, mogla da se prenosei ukorene u praksi lokalne samouprave u Srbiji.

III Od sticanja do sposobnosti preno{enja iskustva

Najve}a korist od ste~enog iskustva („kapitalizovanje”) je ukoliko se ono pretvori uznanje koje moè da se prenosi drugima. Prakti~no, kapitalizovanje iskustva obuhvataopisivanje, analiziranje i dokumentovanje procesa i rezultata nekog konkretnog projektaili aktivnosti, uz u~e{}e {to ve}eg broja aktera. Da bismo kapitalizovali iskustvo koje jeste~eno tokom podràvanja razvijanja kapaciteta loklanih samouprava, zajedno sa fir-mom Intercooperation (koja je ranije bila jedan od implementatora Programa, a sada jeangaòvana da, kao stalni savetnik MSP konsaltinga d.o.o. usmerava Program ka ostva-rivanju ciljeva), organizovali smo radionicu za izradu bro{ure. Radionica pisanja je dobarna~in da se okupi ~itav niz odgovaraju}ih aktera (osobe koje rade na projektu, konsultantii predstavnici op{tinskih uprava) koji na odre|enu materiju gledaju iz razli~itih per-spektiva, a nemaju vremena za op{irno pisanje. Takva radionica omogu}ava ugra|ivanjepriloga od svih u~esnika, a to zna~i kori{}enje njihovih razli~itih iskustava, znanja i ume}au okviru njihovih stru~nih doprinosa. Ona tako|e omogu}ava da ostali u~esnici, na bazisvog iskustva i znanja, vrednuju sve ideje koje se pojave. Metodu je usavr{io Me|unaro-dni institut za ruralnu obnovu na Filipinima, ali se ona na{iroko primenjuje i u ostalimsredinama i oblastima rada. Na{u bro{uru su 14. i 15. jula 2009. izradili predstavnici MSP-a, firme Intercooperation i partnerskih op{tina i gradova.

IV Inspirativni po~eci

Oblasti u kojima MSPpruà podr{ku uslovljene su politi~kim, pravnim, ekonomskim,finansijskim i socijalnim uslovima u partnerskim lokalnim samoupravama, kao i i njho-vom internom organizacijom i problemima sa kojim se susre}u u radu.

Program se u po~etku suo~avao sa prili~no lo{im stanjem u lokalnim samoupravamakoje je bilo uzrokovano dugogodi{njom jakom centralizacijom uprave u Srbiji i or-gani~enim profesionalnim kapacitetima zaposlenih u lokalnim samoupravama.

Jedan od rezultata politi~kih promena do kojih je do{lo 2000. godine je bilo dono{enjeniza novih zakona koji su pruàli osnov za decentralizaciju, uklju~uju}i i preno{enjenadle`nosti sa republi~kog nivoa na lokalne samouprave. Glavni pravni osnov za decen-tralizaciju, osim novog Ustava Republike Srbije i smernica za decentralizaciju u oblastidràvne uprave, dat je u Strategiji reforme dràvne uprave, a nov na~in organizovanja ifunkcionisanja loklanih samouprava je uveden usvajanjem Zakona o lokalnoj samou-pravi 2002. godine. Primena ovog i ostalih zakona koji reguli{u ovu materiju i nadle`nosti

main legal basis for decentralization (in addition to new Constitution of the RepublicSerbia, and decentralization directions in the area of state administration are given in theStrategy of State Administration Reform) and the new manner of the organization andfunctioning of local self-governments was the adoption of the Law on Local Self-Gov-ernment (2002). The implementation of this Law and of other related laws dealing withthe jurisdictions and responsibilities of local self-governments was rather difficult dueto the insufficient and inadequate capacities of professional departments at the local level.In the initial implementation of new laws, the insufficient professional capacties and ex-perience within republican (central) institutions was also a factor, as well as insufficientand difficult communication between the local self-governments and the relevant serv-ices and institutions at the central level.

The efficiency of local self-government reform was also influenced by internal diffi-culties and working practices. The administration was understood as a bureaucratic in-stitution with without a sense of responsibility, transparency and responsibility towardscitizens as beneficiaries of provided services. The situation was due to a lack of creativ-ity also, the lack of an innovative approach, resistance to change and new technologies,and resistance to the employment of young professionals. Local self-governments wererather unmotivated to strengthen institutional cooperation with each other. Coopera-tion was confined to personal contacts, and rarely directed to the realisation of joint proj-ects or jointly addressing the central government on issues of common concern. Examplesof good practice and positive experience were not promoted, neither were they accessi-ble to the wider public.

The outdated approach to local governance and the lack of a documented strategic visionresulted in uncoordinated and unplanned development. Local self-governments mostly didnot have defined development priorities, or these were defined in narrow political circles. Theparticipation of citizens or of civil society in decision-making processes was sporadic in allthe areas of local self-government, and awareness of on the part of local self-government of-ficials and of citizens themselves about this participation was at a very low level.

The slow speed of the change process in the functioning of local self-governments can alsobe partly attributed to the reserved attitude towards cooperation with donors, who sup-ported change but whose approach sometimes did not fit the specific situations in the field.

Some local self-governments did have a number of experts prepared to use theirknowledge and experience for development and necessary change. In most cases, localself-governments faced insufficient professionalism and insufficient readiness of em-ployees for personal development, especially with the issues connected to management(team work, communication, human resources management, etc). Trainings were mainlyreduced to attendance at big conferences with a theoretical and academic approach dom-

„Without MSP, we would not be able to move away from our old practices. They havehelped us initiate many new projects, but most of all, MSP has broadened our viewsand changed our way of thinking.”

Representative from Kraljevo LSG


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i obaveze lokalnih samouprava je bila dosta oteàna usled nedovoljnih i neodgovaraju}ihkapaciteta u stru~nim slu`bama na lokalnom nivou. Tokom po~etne primene novih za-kona, ogranu~avaju}i faktor su bili i nedovoljni stru~ni kapaciteti i iskustvo u republi~kimustanovama, kao i nedovoljna i oteàna komunikacija izme|u lokalnih samouprava i od-govaraju}ih slu`bi i ustanova na republi~kom nivou.

Na efikasnost reforme lokalne samouprave negativno su delovale i unutra{njepote{ko}e i na~in rada. Uprava je shvatana kao birokratska ustanova bez smisla za odgo-vornost i transparentnost u odnosu na gra|ane kao korisnike usluga. Takvo stanje je bilouslovljeno i nedostatkom kreativnosti i inovativnog pristupa, otporom prema prome-nama i novim tehnologijama i otporom prema zapo{ljavanju mladih profesionalaca. Lo-kalne samouprave su bile prili~no nemotivisane za ja~anje me|usobne institucionalnesaradnje. Saradnja se svodila na li~ne kontakte i retko je bila usmerena na realizovanje za-jedni~kih projekata ili zajedni~ko obra}anje Vladi Republike Srbije po pitanjima od za-jedni~kog interesa. Primeri dobre prakse i pozitivnih iskustava nisu promovisani, niti bilidostupni {irokoj javnosti.

Zastareo pristup lokalnoj upravi i nedostatak dokumentovane starte{ke vizije su re-zultirali nekoordinisanim i neplanskom razvojem. Lokalne samouprave uglavnom nisuimale definisane prioritete razvoja, ili su ovi bili definisani u okviru uskih politi~kih kru-gova. U~e{}e gra|ana ili civilnog dru{tva u procesima dono{enja odluka u svim obla-stima lokalne samouprave je bilo sporadi~no u svim oblastima lokalne samouprave, asvest zvani~nika i samih gra|ana o potrebi tog u~e{}a je bila na veoma niskom nivou.

Sporost u uvo|enju promena u funcionisanje lokalne samouprave moè delom da sepripi{e i rezervisanom stavu prema saradnji sa donatorima koji su promene podràvali,ali ~iji se pristupi nisu uklapali u specifi~ne situacije na terenu.

Neke od lokalnih samouprava jesu imale izvestan broj stru~njaka spremnih da svojeznanje i iskustvo uloè u razvoj i rade na neophodnim promenama. Ali, u ve}ini slu~ajeva,lokalne samouprave su se suo~avale sa nedovoljnim profesionalizmom i nedovoljnomspremno{}u zaposlenih da se li~no usavr{avaju, naro~ito u oblastima vezanim za uprav-ljanje – timski rad, komuniciranje, upravljanje ljudskim resursima itd. Obuke su uglav-nom bile svedene na prisustvovanje velikim konferencijama sa prete`no teoretskim iakademskim pristupom. Broj institucija koje su nudile obuku u profesionalnomusavr{avanju i podr{ku razvijanju kapaciteta za lokalne samouprave – je bio ograni~en.Sadràj i kvalitet obuka ~esto nisu bili prilago|eni potrebama lokalnih samouprava.Angaòvanje eksterne podr{ke nije praktikovano usled nedostatka odgovaraju}e ponudedobrog kvaliteta, ni trenera, ni konsultanata.

„Bez MSP-a, ne bismo bili u stanju da se otrgnemo od starog na~ina rada. Pomogli sunam da zapo~nemo mnoge nove projekte, ali je MSP, iznad svega, pro{irio na{e vidikei promenio na~in na koji razmi{ljamo.”

Predstavnik LSU Kraljevo


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inant. The number of institutions that delivered professional development and supportto capacities building of local self-governments was limited, and the contents and qual-ity of trainings were often not adjusted to local self-government needs. There was nopractice of engagement of external support due to the lack of adequate offers of goodquality standard trainings, trainers or consultants.

V Key assumptions on support planning

The following assumptions of successful capacity building were identified:– Establishment of good cooperation with partner municipalities and the support

of political leadership and the management level of the LSG administration, which aimedto build confidence and interest in all forms of cooperation in the area of capacity de-velopment.

– A good insight into and analysis of actual needs for training and developmentwith the accent on professional training and topics that would give quick results in localself-government departments’ work.

– Adjustment of the approach and the selection of topics to local self-governments’ particularities.

– Motivation of employees for acquiring new knowledge through the selection ofappropriate topics and of training forms – adjusted to requirements and to the knowl-edge level of employees in professional departments of local self-governments.

– Involvement of a high number of participants from upper and middle manage-ment positions in trainings.

– Openness and readiness for positive dialogue among participants from withinone municipality/city and among participants from different municipalities/cities.

– Accessibility and selection of appropriate expert trainers and consultants.– Investment in the capacity development of local consultants.– Provision of funds and a readiness to allocate budget items to capacity development.

VI Balanced approach and strategy

The basic characteristics of the Programme approach are represented by a gradualchange of support – from direct support provided and organized by the Programme Sup-port Unit (MSP staff) to the indirect support by the Programme – which means the trans-fer of training responsibility to Programme partners, like selection of topics, definingconcepts, identifying consultants, and organizing trainings. Support to project teams andto individuals was reflected in the direct transfer of knowledge by the Programme expertteam and in ‘on the job learning’. In further communication, general topics of commoninterest for partner municipalities were identified, and the Programme organized jointtrainings on the topics, such as public procurements, project management, public rela-tions, etc. The third type of support, with which the transfer of responsibility for train-ings over to partner municipalities was started, as an obligatory component of capacitybuilding and training within projects, was co-funded by the Programme.

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V Klju~ne pretpostavke za planiranje podr{ke

Za uspe{no unapre|ivanje profesionalnih kapaciteta su utvr|ene odre|ene pretpostavke:– Uspostavljanje dobre saradnje me|u partnerskim op{tinama, podr{ka politi~kog

vo|stva i stav lokalne samouprave koji je usmeren na stvaranje kapaciteta i nalaènje in-teresa u raznim formama saradnje u oblasti razvoja kapaciteta.

– Dobar uvid u stvarne potrebe za obukama i njhova analiza u cilju razvoja sa ak-centom na profesionalnim obukama i temama koje bi dovele do brzog ostvarivanja re-zultata u radu slu`bi lokalne samouprave.

– Prilago|avanje pristupa i odabiranje tema u skladu sa specifi~nostima konkretnelokalne samouprave.

– Motivisanje zaposlenih za sticanje novih znanja kroz odabiranje odgovaraju}ihtema i formi obuka koje bi bile prilago|ene potrebama i nivou znanja zaposlenih ustru~nim slu`bama loklanih samouprava.

– Uklju~ivanje u obuke velikog broja u~esnika iz vi{eg i srednjeg rukovode}eg sloja – Otvorenost i spremnost za pozitivan dijalog me|u u~esnicima iz istog grada ili

op{tine ili pak me|u u~esnicima iz razli~itih gradova ili op{tina.– Dostupnost i dobar izbor odgovaraju}ih stru~nih trenera i konsultanata.– Ulaganje u razvoj kapaciteta doma}ih konsultanata.– Obezbe|ivanje fondova i spremnost da se razvoj profesionalnih kapaciteta fina-

nsira iz budèta.

VI Uravnoteèn pristup i strategija

Osnovne karakteristike pristupa MSP programa se vide u postepenim izmenamapodr{ke koju on pruà – od neposredne podr{ke koju obezbe|uje i organizuje lokalnitim, do posredne podr{ke, odnosno preno{enja odgovornosti i nadle`nosti za obuke napartnerske op{tine i gradove. To obuhvata utvr|ivanje i biranje tema, definisanje konce-pata, pronalaènje odgovaraju}ih konsultanata i organizovanje. Podr{ka projektnim ti-movima i pojedincima se ogledala u direktnom preno{enju znanja od starne eksperataPrograma i u~enju kroz rad. U nastavku su defdinisane op{te teme od zajedni~kog inte-resa za lokalne samouprave i Program je organizovao zajedni~ke obuke na razne potre-bne teme, kao {to su javne nabavke, upravljanje projektima, odnosi s javno{}u itd.Program je sufinansirao i tre}i tip podr{ke, kojim je zapo~elo preno{enje nadle`nosti zaobuke na partnerske op{tine, kao obavezna komponenta razvijanja kapaciteta i obukau okviru projekata. U ovom tre}em tipu, odgovornost za implementaciju projekata iobuka definisanih u projektnim predlozima je bila na partnerskim op{tinama.

U implementaciji Faze III Programa, partnerske lokalne samouprave su shvatilezna~aj kontinuiranog u~enja, pa su stvoreni uslovi za institucionalizovanje takve pra-kse kroz godi{nje programe obuka za zaposlene u lokalnim samoupravama. Tokom svetri faze Programa, pruàna je kontinuirana podr{ka ja~anju profesionalnih kapaciteta,{to je doprinelo razvijanju svesti o zna~aju obuka za osavremenjavanje i reformu lo-kalnih samouprava.

In this third type, the responsibility for the implementation of projects and trainingsdefined in project proposals was with partner municipalities. In Phase III of Programmeimplementation, the partner municipalities recognized the importance and the effectsof continuous learning and the conditions were made to institutionalize the practicethrough annual training programmes for local self-government employees. During theall three phases of the Programme, continuous support to activities on capacity strength-ening was provided, which contributed to awareness building on the importance of train-ing for modernization and reform of local self-governments.

Regarding the specific needs of some departments of local self-governments and ad-ministration for highly professional training and for support in the implementation ofsome specific laws and regulations, the Programme worked on their efficient and opti-mal identification in order to meet such demands. The joint definition of topics and jointapproach to the organization of training lead to the establishment of thematic inter-mu-nicipal working groups (IMWG). The inter-municipal working groups gathered the rep-resentatives of professional departments (departments for city planning and spatialplanning, LSG finance, legal issues and the like). Through discussions, topics of mutualinterests were defined. In the initial phase of IMWGs’ work, activities were mainly con-centrated on providing various trainings. Subsequent activities ranged from the elabo-ration of quite a number of model documents and publications, to the implementationof pilot projects that additionally contributed to improving the work of local self-gov-ernments. With the success of the IMWGs’ work, the degree of confidence, interest anddedication to this work increased. Conditions were created to transfer the responsibilityfor the implementation of activities over to local self-governments, IMWG members.

Apart from trainings, organized or supported by MSP, municipal representatives alsohad the opportunity to participate at trainings organized by other institutions and about

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S obzirom na konkretne potrebe nekih slu`bi ili odeljenja u lokalnim samoupravama zavisoko profesionalnom obukom i podr{kom u primeni nekih konkretnih zakona i propisa,Program je podràvao njihovo sagledavanje i definisanje optimalnih na~ina da se takve po-trebe zadovolje. Zajedni~ko definisanje tema i zajedni~ki pristup organizovanju obuka surezultirali uspostavljanjem tematskih me|uop{tinskih radnih grupa. Me|uop{tinske radnegrupe (MORG) su okupile predstavnike stru~nih slu`bi – za urbanizam, za prostorno pla-niranje, za finansije, za pravna pitanja itd. Kroz diskusije su definisane teme od zajedni~koginteresa. Na po~etku rada MORG, aktivnosti su bile koncentrisane uglavnom naobezbe|ivanje raznih obuka. Kasnije aktivnosti su se kretale od izrade velikog broja modeladokumenata i publikacija – do implementacije pilot projekata koji su jo{ vi{e doprinosiliunapre|ivanju rada lokalnih samouprava. Sa uspehom rada MORG rasli su poverenje, in-teresovanje i posve}enost ovom radu. Stvoreni su uslovi za preno{enje nadle`nosti za im-plementaciju aktivnosti na lokalne samouprave, ~lanice MORG.

Osim obuka koje je MSP organizovao ili podràvao, predstavnici op{tina su imalimogu}nost da prisustvuju obukama koje su organizovale druge institucije na teme odposebnog interesa za lokalnu samoupravu. Tro{kove takvog u~e{}a je tako|e pokrivaoMSP. Stalna konferencija gradova i op{tina, Inènjerska komora Srbije, Revizorska agen-cija i druge organizacije su organizovale obuke sa najrelevantnijim temama. To je jo{ vi{edoprinelo razvijanju profesionalnih kapaciteta i uspostavljanju prakse u~estvovanja uprofesionalnim obukama.

Uspeh u razvijanju op{tinskih kapaciteta je postizan pa`ljivim planiranjem obuka,odabiranjem tema, odabiranjem primera za prezentovanje, odabiranjem ciljnih grupa zau~estvovanje u obukama i radnih pristupa – radionice, rad u malim grupama, kombi-novanjem obuka i studijskih poseta itd. Jedno od glavnih pravila je bilo da se iz svakod-nevne prakse op{tina u~esnica odaberu konkretni problemi koji se obra|iju kao radni

the topics of particular interest for local governance. Such participation was also sup-ported by MSP. Trainings with most relevant topics were organized by the Standing Con-ference of Towns and Municipalities, the Serbian Chamber of Engineers, the Centre forBusiness Education in the Chamber of Economics of Serbia, the Association of Auditorsand other organizations. This approach additionally contributed to capacity building andthe establishment of a practice of participating in professional training.

Success in municipal capacity building was achieved through the careful design oftraining, selection of topics, selection of examples to be presented, target groups of train-ing participants and working approach (workshops, work in small groups, combinationof training and study visit, etc.). One of the main principles was the selection of concreteproblems from the daily practice of participating municipalities and elaborating themas working material used at the training. Examples of such trainings are specific problemsin the elaborations of: spatial and urban plans, municipal/city statute models, public pro-curement rule book, project management training through the elaboration of a concreteproject proposal, accounting policies model, etc. Another training principle was that everytraining event had to have a concrete result in form of: guidelines for procedures, modeldocuments for local self-government, initiatives for the improvement of legal solutions,etc. The selection of middle management and direct implementers as training partici-pants proved to be successful as these employee categories in local self-governments arethe most stable and seldom leave the administration. This way, the institutionalization ofacquired knowledge, experience and concrete training results is achieved.

To familiarize municipal representatives with new and innovative approaches in localself-government management and with new technologies in services provision, MSP en-abled the presentation of relevant international experiences implementable in the con-text of Serbian municipalities. In addition to presentations of examples and participationof international lecturers, study tours and visits to local governments abroad were alsopracticed, aimed to introduce good practice. Very positive effects were achieved with the-matic study tours to Slovenia and Switzerland on strategic development of municipali-ties and the elaboration of local development strategies. The interest to elaboratestrategies intensified and knowledge and experiences gained during the study trip wasapplied in practice.

VII What was concretely done

In this section we provide two examples of training programmes to illustrate howMSP’s approach functioned in practice. The examples are: A. Technical capacities in in-formation and communications technologies (ICT) and B. Technical capacities in strate-gic planning.

„Thanks to MSP I’m finally working within the scope of my vocation. MSP has finan-ced the development of the urban plans (general, detailed) and I am able to finally beactively engaged within the area of my expertise”.

Urbanism Unit Officer, Po`ega

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materijal i koriste u obukama. Primeri takvih obuka su konkretni problemi u izradi pro-stornih i urbanisti~kih planova, izradi modela statuta op{tina ili gradova, pravilnika ojavnim nabavkama, koncipiranje obuka o upravljanju projektima kroz izradu konkretnihpredloga projekata, izrada modela ra~unovodstvene politike itd. Jo{ jedno pravilo je dasvaka obuka mora da ima konkretan rezultat u formi smernica za procedure, modela do-kumenata za lokalnu samoupravu, inicijativa za pobolj{avanje zakonskih re{enja itd. Izborsrednjeg rukovode}eg sloja i neposrednih izvr{ilaca za u~e{}e u obukama se pokazao do-brim, jer je ova kategorija slu`benika u lokalnim samoupravama najstabilnija i retkomora da napu{ta administraciju. Na ovaj na~in se posti`e institucionalizovanje ste~enogznanja, iskustva i svih rezultata obuke.

Da bi se op{tinski predstavniici bolje upoznali sa novim pristupima u vo|enju lokal-nih samouprava i sa novim tehnologijama u pru`anju usluga, MSP je omogu}io prezen-tovanje odgovaraju}ih me|unarodnih iskustava koja mogu da se primene u uslovimakakvi postoje u op{tinama Srbije. Osim prezentovanja primera i gostovanja me|una-rodnih predava~a, praktikovana su i studijska putovanja i posete lokalnim upravama uinostratnstvu sa ciljem da se predstavnicima lokalnih samouprava prezentuju novi, dobrina~ini organizovanja i rada na lokalnom nivou. Veoma pozitivni efekti su postignuti stu-dijskim putovanjima u Sloveniju i [vajcarsku. Strate{ki razvoj op{tina i izrada lokalnihstartegija razvoja su bili tema tema ovih studijskih putovanja. Interesovanje op{tina za iz-radu strategija je poraslo, a znanje i iskustvo koji su ste~eni na studijskim putovanjima seprimenjuju u praksi.

VII [ta je konkretno u~injeno?

U ovom odeljku navodimo dva primera programa obuka, da bismo ilustrovali kakoje pristup MSP-a funcionisao u praksi. To su primer A – Tehni~ki kapaciteti u informa-cionim i komunikacionim tehnologijama (ICT) i primer B – Tehni~ki kapaciteti ustrate{kom planiranju.

A. Tehni~ki kapaciteti u ICT

A. Technical capacities in ICT

In 2001, at the beginning of the implementation of MSP, modern ICT solutions wererarely used in daily practice in municipal administrations. Apart from the absence oftechnical means, the lack of general knowledge for working with computer equipmentwas also notable. Municipal administrations did not have organizational units or em-ployees in this field that could develop ICT solutions and support their colleagues in theirimplementation.

The MSP approach was to have general basic trainings on the use of ICTs, includingas many municipal administration and public (utility) companies’ employees and electedrepresentatives of the LSG as possible, in order to meet the necessary precondition for themodernization of the administration. This round of training included nearly 80% of allemployees. Afterwards, depending on their interest and aptitude, and also on job re-quirements, a small number of employees, mainly from middle management of munic-ipal administrations or public companies, were selected to attend advanced ICT courses.In parallel, the need to form separate ICT units was jointly assessed. The unit would bededicated to information and communication technologies and the creation of a train-ing centre within municipal administrations. Supported by MSP and through MSP co-funded projects, most partner local self-governments formed ICT units or sections , inwhich they employed ICT professionals recruited through a standardised procedure.

Adhering to a defined approach for training and administrative modernization, thenext step was to train relevant administration professionals for work with specializedsoftware tools depending on the actual needs of the administration. This way the repre-sentatives of municipal administrations received some of the best quality trainings, suchas Microsoft Certified System Administrator (MCSA) for those employed in ICT orga-nizational units, training for the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) tools of theESRI company, etc.

B. Technical capacities for strategic planningAnother area where capacity development support was provided through MSP was in

strategic planning. In this field, the technical capacities of administration staff and local

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Tokom 2001. godine, na po~etku implementacije MSP-a, u svakodnevnom raduop{tinskih uprava su retko primenjivana savremena re{enja informativno-komunika-cionih tehnologija (ICT). Osim nedostatka tehni~kih sredstava, bio je uo~ljiv i nedo-statak op{teg zanja za rad na kompjuterskoj opremi. Op{tinske uprave nisu imaleorganizacione jedinice te vrste, ni zaposlene u ovoj oblasti koji bi mogli da razvijure{enja u okviru ICT i pomognu kolegama u njihovoj implementaciji.

MSP je smatrao da prvenstveno treba da se rade osnovne obuke za kori{}enje in-formaciono-komunikacionih tehnologija i da one obuhvate {to vi{e zaposlenih uop{tinskim upravama i javnim i javno-komunalnim preduze}ima, kao i izabranih pred-stavnika lokalne samouprave – sa ciljem da se ispune neophopdni preduslovi za osa-vremenjavanje uprave. Tim krugom obuka je obuhva}eno skoro 80% svih zaposlenih.Posle toga, u zavisnosti od interesovanja, stavova i potreba posla, jedan mali broj za-poslenih, uglavnom iz redova srednjeg menadèmnta u op{tinakim upravama i javnimi javnim komunalnim preduze}ima, je odabran za poha|anje vi{ih kurseva ICT. U istovreme su zajedni~ki procenjivane i potrebe za formiranjem posebnih odeljenja ICT.Takva odeljenja ili jedinice bi trebalo da rade na informacionom i komunikacionimtehnologijama i stvaranju centara za obuku u okviru op{tinskih uprava. Uz pomo}MSP-a i projekata koje MSP sufinansira, ve}ina partnerskih lokalnih samouprava jeoformila jedinice ili odeljenja ICT u kojima su zaposleni profesionalci, koji su primljeniuz po{tovanje standardizovanih procedura.

Uz po{tovanje definisanog pristupa obukama i osavremenjavanju uprava, narednikorak je bila obuka odgovaraju}ih profesionalaca u oblasti administracije za rad sa spe-cijalizovanim softverskim alatima, u zavisnosti od realnih potreba svake konkretneuprave. Na taj na~in su predstavnici op{tinskih uprava pro{li kroz neke od najkvalitet-nijih obuka, kao {to su Microsoft Certified System Administrator (MCSA), obuke za radsa alatima geografskog informacionog sistema (GIS) itd.

B. Profesionalni kapaciteti u strate{kom planiranjuJo{ jedna oblast u kojoj je MSP pruào podr{ku razvoju profesionalnih kapaciteta

bilo je strate{ko planiranje. U ovoj oblasti su profesionalni kapaciteti zaposlenih uop{tinskim upravama , kao ii lokalnih konsultanata, bili prili~no slabi. Op{tine su imaleneka iskustva kroz poveravanje izrade op{tinskih planova razvoja (OPR) spoljnim kon-sultantima i u takvim slu~ajevima nije bilo jasno koji podaci u vezi sa op{tinskim raz-vojem su prikupljani, ni kako su obra|ivani. Kona~ni dokumenti su u svim primerimabili prili~no lo{i, op{irni i nekonzistentni, jer se nisu zasnivali na realnim potrebama lo-klanih zajednica. Ti dokumenti ~esto nisu imali ugra|ene instrumente za implemen-taciju, niti su ti instrumenti kasnije definisani. Nije bilo primenjivano ni pravilo da uizradu takvih dokumenata bude uklju~eno {to vi{e aktera. Jedini izuzetak su bili pro-jekti koje su podràvali SKGO i UNDP ili neki drugi donatorski programi.

Iskustvo je pokazalo da takvi op{tinski planovi razvoja naj~e{}e nisu primenjivani,ni kori{}eni, niti su na osnovu njih mogli da se rade urbanisti~ki ili prostorni planoviili neki drugi dugoro~ni planovi po sektorima. Projekti nisu bili definisani po priori-tetima, osim u slu~ajevima kad su bili suvi{e sloèni ili kada op{tina nije bila zaduèna,

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consultants were rather weak. Municipalities had some experiences with mandating theelaboration of municipal development plans (MDP) to external consultants and in thesecases it was not clear what data related to municipal development was collected or howthey were processed. All the examples resulted in rather poor final documents that wereextensive and inconsistent, not based on the realistic needs of local communities. Oftenthe implementation instruments were not incorporated in the documents, nor were theysubsequently defined. Participatory approaches were not applied, except within the proj-ects supported by SCTM, UNDP or some other donor programmes.

These experiences showed that MDPs were not further implemented or used, nor wereinputs provided for the elaboration of urban or spatial plans or other long-term sectorplans. Priority projects were not defined, with exceptions where these were too complexand the municipality was not responsible for concrete projects (for example, in the cityof Cacak – construction of a new highway, crediting facilities for agriculture, etc).

In the MSP Programme Document for Phase II, strategic planning –and municipal de-velopment planning were defined as key areas of support to partner municipalities. Afterthat, MSP supported a variety of activities from this area, such as a number of introduc-tory workshops, organizing a study tour to Slovenia and Switzerland, promoting the mu-nicipal planning system, presenting the methodology of elaborating strategic documentsin other countries, project management applied in designing development strategies, etc.These activities resulted in the dedication of four partner municipalities to elaboratingtheir development plans with the support and assistance of MSP.

In Phase II, a training of trainers was organized for the elaboration of municipal de-velopment plans/ development strategies.

The objectives of the trainings were:– Local capacity building for the elaboration of a municipal development pro-

gramme and the establishment of a local team of consultants who would participate inthe elaboration;

– Presentation of methodologies to municipalities and introduction of potentialconsultants.

The training was conducted in the form of a workshop. The training program comprised of: – presentation of the municipal planning system;– introduction of relevant approaches and methodologies of municipal develop-

ment programmes in accordance with EU standards;– introduction of the institutional framework for the elaboration of municipal de-

velopment programmes;– designing and implementation of municipal development programmes and

monitoring;– adjustment of the methodology according to the conditions in MSP partner mu-

nicipalities and defining the key elements and approach that would be used in munici-palities for the elaboration and implementation of municipal development programmes.

The trainers engaged in the Training of Trainers were from the Business College inLuzern, Switzerland (Hochschule fur Wirtschaft, Lucerne). At the end of the training,successful participants were given certificates from this school for the accomplished

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ni odgovorna, za konkretne projekte. Primer za ovo je â~ak – izgradnja novog auto-puta, kreditne olak{ice za poljoprivredu itd.

U Programskom dokumentu MSP-a za Fazu II, strate{ko planiranje i planiranjeop{tinskog razvoja su definisani kao klju~ne oblasti podr{ke partnerskim op{tinama.MSP je podràvao ~itav niz aktivnosti – odre|en broj uvodnih radionica, organizova-nje studijskih putovanja u Sloveniju i [vajcarsku, promovisanje op{tinskog sistema pla-niranja, prezentovanje metodologija izrade strate{kih dokumenata iz drugih zemalja,upravljanje projektima primenjeno u koncipiranju razvojnih strategija itd. Navedeneaktivnosti su za rezultat imale posve}enost i odlu~nost ~etiri partnerske op{tine da uzpomo} MSP-a izrade svoje planove razvoja.

U Fazi II je organizovana obuka trenera za izradu planova razvoja, odnosno raz-vojnih strategija op{tina.

Ciljevi tih obuka su bili slede}i:– gra|enje i razvijanje lokalnih kapaciteta za izradu op{tinskih programa raz-

voja i stvaranje loklanih timova konsultanata koji bi u~estvovali u toj izradi;– prezentovanje metodologija i predstavljanje potencijalnih konsultanata op{ti-

nama.Obuke su obavljane u formi radionica. Program obuka se sastojao od:

– prezentovanja op{tinskog sistema planiranja;– uvo|enja odgovaraju}ih pristupa i metodologija op{tinskih programa razvoja

u skladu sa standardima;– uvo|enje institucionalnih okvira za izradu op{tinskih razvojnih programa –

planova razvoja op{tina;– projektovanja i implementacije op{tinskih programa razvoja i monitoringa;– prilago|avanja metodologije uslovima u partnerskim op{tinama MSP-a i de-

finisanja klju~nih elemenata i pristupa koji bi se u op{tinama primenjivali u izradi iimplementaciji op{tinskih programa razvoja.

Konsultanti koji su bili angaòvani za obuku trenera su bili sa Koledà za biznis u Lu-cernu, [vajcarska (Hochschule fur Wirtschaft, Lucerne). Po zavr{etku obuke, uspe{nikandidati su od ove {kole dobili certifikate o zavr{enom kursu. U~esnici su dobili imogu}nost da budu uneseni u bazu podataka Savetodavnog centra SKGO kao konsul-tanti u ovoj stru~noj oblasti.

Uklju~ivanje aktivnosti razvijanja kapaciteta u projekte i puno u~e{}e relevantnogop{tinskog osoblja u implementaciji projekata otvorili su mogu}nosti za neke profe-sionalce koji rade u op{tinskim upravama i za partnerske konsultante da se prijave zadobijanje stru~nih licenci i certifikata i da ih dobiju. Prostorni planeri i urbanisti sudobili mogu}nost da u~estvuju u odre|enom broju izrada planova i u obukama.Stru~ne licence je izdavala Inènjerska komora, kao zvani~no telo za izdavanje stru~nihcertifikata za inènjere, arhitekte i prostorne planere. Osim ovog neposrednog rezultataili ishoda, moduli obuka u oblasti prostornog i urbanisti~kog planiranja, koji su pro-jektovani za Program MSP, ocenjeni su kao veoma dobri, pa ih je Inènjerska komorapreuzela i distribuirala.

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course. In addition, the participants had the opportunity to be entered into the databaseof the Advisory Centre of the SCTM as consultants for this professional area.

The integration of capacity building activities in projects and the full participation of rel-evant municipal staff in the implementation of projects opened possibilities for some pro-fessionals working in municipal administrations and partner consultants to apply for andto receive professional licenses and certificates. Spatial and urban planners got the oppor-tunity to participate in the required number of elaborations of plans and trainings. Pro-fessional licenses were granted by Chamber of Engineers – the official certification body inSerbia for engineers, architects and spatial planners. Besides this outcome, training mod-ules in the area of spatial and urban planning designed for the MSP programme were as-sessed as highly relevant and were taken over and delivered through Chamber of Engineers.

VIII We learned our lessons

MSP analysis and conclusionsThe constant and high quality support provided to Programme partners was assured

through continuously assessing training needs and the quality of the inputs provided bytrainers and consultants, and monitoring the implementation of the new knowledge andskills gained. This was also a way for Programme partners to build a sense of dedicationto implementing the new knowledge and of confidence in the quality of the training.This approach was also found to build confidence in the importance of capacity build-ing and increase the support from the political leadership of local self-governments –thus creating the preconditions for permanent development and the institutionalizationof practices. With this approach awareness was raised among partner municipalities thatcapacity building has to be treated systematically. The resulting awareness led to the elab-oration of annual training programmes and an end to the previous “ad hoc” approach tocapacity building.

The practice was not to have some topics elaborated in a stand-alone way through aone-time training or workshop, but rather to enable the creation of conditions to im-plement the gained knowledge through projects over a certain time ; to provide regularconsultations with relevant consultants, discussions at IMWG meetings, consultativemeetings with the representatives of relevant central government institutions or the ap-proval of projects where the new knowledge can be directly and quickly implemented.

A special importance – and contribution to the quality of the trainings – was giventhrough the participation of representatives of relevant central government institutions,including ministries, governmental agencies, institutes, universities, etc. The participationand contribution of such representatives was engaged through the establishment of di-rect dialogue with local self-governments representatives on required issues. The resultsof such an approach were the involvement of local level representatives in national-levelgovernmental commissions for the elaboration and monitoring of the implementationof laws, the elaboration and launching of initiatives for changes of legal regulations, etc.

Informing partner LSGs about the planned trainings and their content, in a timelymanner, resulted in a high level of participation. The accessibility of trainings to all em-

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VIII Izvukli smo pouke

Analiza i zaklju~ci MSP-aUstaljen i visok kvalitet podr{ke koja se pruà partnerima Programa obzbe|en je kroz

stalno procenjivanje potreba za obukama i kroz kvalitet koji unose treneri i konsultanti,kao i kroz pra}enje (monitoring) primene novoste~enih znanja i ume}a. Ovo je bio ina~in da partneri Programa steknu ose}aj posve}enosti implementaciji novih znanja iose}aj poverenja u kvalitet obuka. Tako|e je utvr|eno da se ovakvim pristupom gradipoverenje u zna~aj razvijanja kapaciteta i obezbe|uje sve ve}a podr{ka od politi~kogvo|stva lokalnih samouprava, ~ime se stvaraju preduslovi za permanentan razvoj i insti-tucionalizovanje dobre prakse. Ovakvim pristupom je u partnerskim op{tinama razvijenai svest o tome da na razvijanju kapaciteta treba da se radi sistematski. Svest o tome je i do-vela do izrade godi{njih programa obuka i ozna~ila kraj ranijem, ad hoc pristupu razvi-janju kapaciteta.

Teme nisu obra|ivane same za sebe na jednokratnim obukama – radionicama, ve} sevi{e radilo na stvaranju uslova za primenjivanje ste~enih znanja kroz projekte i tokomodre|enog vremenskog perioda, na obezbe|ivanju redovnih konsultacija sa odgova-raju}im konsultantima, rasprava na sastancima MORG, savetodavnih sastanaka sa pred-stavnicima republi~kih institucija ili odobravanja sufinansiranja projekata kroz koje novaznanja mogu da se primenjuju neposredno i brzo.

Posebno zna~ajn doprinos kvalitetu obuka ostvaren je kroz u~e{}e predstavnika(uklju~uju}i i ministre) odgovaraju}ih republi~kih instutucija, vladinih agencija, insti-tuta, univerziteta itd. U~e{}e i doprinos takvih predstavnika realizovani su kroz uspo-stavljanje njihovog neposrednog dijaloga sa predstavnicima loklanih samouprava opitanjima koja je trebalo re{avati. Rezultati takvog na~ina rada su bili uklju~ivanje pred-stavnika lokalnog nivoa u republi~ke komisije za izradu zakona i pra}enje njihove pri-mene, u izradui i pokretanje inicijativa za izmene pravnih propisa itd.

Blagovremeno informinsanje partnerskih lokalnih samouprava o planiranim obu-kama i njhovom sadràju imalo je za rezultat veliki broj u~esnika. Dostupnost obuka zasve zaposlene u odgovaraju}im slu`bama i odeljenjima op{tinskih uprava u partnerskimop{tinma tako|e je doprinosila {irenju znanja i iskustva na veliki broj zaposlenih u lo-klanim samoupravama. Ta dostupnost se ~ak i uve}avala mogu}no{}u ponavljanja obukana odre|ene teme, a na osnovu zahteva op{tinskih predstavnika. Na primer, organizovanasu ~etiri seminara o javnim nabavkama, 14 radionica o upravljanju projektima, sedam ra-dionica za pripremu Zakona o planiranju i izgradnji itd. Materijali za obuke su bili stav-ljani na na raspolaganje svim zainteresovanim slu`benicima u slu`bama i odeljenjimakoji nisu mogli da prisustvuju obukama, {to je jo{ vi{e doprinelo {irenju iskustava i re-zultata. Da bi se obezbedila potpuna dostupnost, vodilo se ra~una i o osobama sa po-sebnim potrebama. Jo{ jedna stvar za koju se ispostavio da je zna~ajna za organizovanjeobuka jeste da treba da se obrati pa`nja na glavnu sezonu godi{njih odmora i na dràvnei verske praznike.

Izbor kvalitetnih konsultanata i dobri i odgovaraju}i primeri iz prakse op{tinau~esnica omogu}ili su umreàvanje i razvoj profesionalne saradnje izme|u lokalnih sa-

ployed in the relevant departments and units of the municipal administration of the part-ner municipalities, also improved the dissemination of knowledge and experience to alarge a number of local self-government employees. This accessibility was even increasedwith possible repeating of trainings on certain topics based on the requests of municipalrepresentatives (for example, four seminars on public procurement, 14 workshops onproject management, seven workshops on preparation of the Law on Planning and Con-struction, etc). Training materials were available to all interested department and unitemployees who could not attend the training, additionally contributing to the dissemi-nation of experiences and results. To obtain complete accessibility, the special needs ofparticipants living with disabilities were taken care of. Another issue which proved to beimportant in organization of trainings was that attention should be paid to the vacationseason and to state and religious holidays.

The selection of quality trainers and consultants and good and relevant examples fromthe practice of participating municipalities contributed to the networking and develop-ment of professional cooperation between local self-governments and potential consult-ants from the nearest surroundings or with relevant institutions.

The standard quality of the preparation and organization of trainings and the highstandards of venue selection had a great influence on the permanent interest and high de-gree of participation of municipal representatives, in the sense of confidence built thattraining conditions would allow for the undisturbed achievement of the training’s ob-jectives and results.

Apart from staff of the professional departments of LSG administrations, civil soci-ety and private sector representatives were also invited to participate in relevant trainingsand workshops (Local Ombudsman, Citizens Initiative and Referendum, Access to In-formation, Project Management, etc). MSP also suggested to the local administrations totake into account the gender issue and to avoid age discrimination when selecting par-ticipants for trainings which was always respected by partner municipalities.

IX Challenges we faced

The main challenges the Programme faced were the institutionalization of trainings,and creating the conditions for the implementation of a skills development programmeand training needs assessments in the absence of a human resources management policywithin the municipal administration.

Furthermore, in order to enable continuous capacity building in an organized and sys-tematic manner, it was necessary to gain political support and establish the legal basis forthe institutionalization of capacity building among employees in local self-governments.

„MSP trainings are of good quality because they involve a range of different expertsand have the most professional approach to municipal capacity building of all inter-national programmes in Serbia.”

President of Municipal Assembly from Arilje

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mouprava i potencijalnih konsultanata iz najbliè okoline ili izme|u lokalnih samou-prava i odgovaraju}ih institucija.

Standardni kvalitet pripremanja i organizovanja obuka i visok standard pri odabira-nju mesta doga|aja imali su veliki uticaj na stalno interesovanje i visok stepen u~e{}aop{tinskih predstavnika, {to je u skladu sa ste~enim poverenjem i uverenjem da }e uslovina obukama omogu}iti neometano ostavrivanje ciljeva i rezultata.

Osim zaposlenih u stru~nim slu`bama lokalnih samouprava, na odre|ene obuke i ra-dionice su pozivani i predstavnici civilnog dru{tva i privatnog sektora, kada su obra|ivaneteme kao {to su lokalni ombudsman, gra|anska inicijativa i referendum, slobodan pristupinformacijama od javnog zna~aja, upravljanje projektima itd. MSP je tako|e predloìo lo-kalnim upravama da pri biranju u~esnika za obuke vode ra~una o rodnoj jednakosti i daizbegavaju starosnu diskriminaciju. Partnerske op{tine su prihvatale ovakve sugestije.

IX Zna~ajni zadaci sa kojima smo se suo~avali

Jedan od zna~ajnijih zadataka sa kojima se Program suo~avao je bilo institucionali-zovanje obuka i stvaranje uslova za primenu programa razvoja ume}a (ve{tina), kao iprocenjivanje potreba za obukama u uslovima nepostojanja politike upravljanja ljud-skim resursima u okvirima op{tinskih uprava.

Da bi se omogu}ilo kontinuirano, organizovano i sistematsko razvijanje kapaciteta,bilo je neophodno da se, osim svega navedenog, pridobije politi~ka podr{ka i uspostavizakonski osnov za institucionalizovanje gra|enja kapaciteta me|u zaposlenima u lokal-nim samoupravama.

Dobra reputacija MSP-a kao pouzdanog, transparentnog i odgovornog partnera, uzaktivno uklju~ivanje vo|stava partnerskih op{tina u vo|enje Programa i njegovo plani-ranje, stvorila je pozitivnu klimu saradnje i poverenja. Ozbiljan i profesionalan pristuppripremanju i implementaciji obuka, kao i prilago|avanje tema da bi se odgovorilo stvar-nom stanju u lokalnim samoupravama, kao i njegova zasnovanost na strate{kim doku-mentima kako nacionalnog tako i lokalnog nivoa, jo{ vi{e su doprineli otvorenosti iinteresovanju lokalnih politi~ara i op{tinskog rukovodstva za kontinuirano gra|enje ka-paciteta me|u zaposlenima u op{tinskoj upravi.

Glavno pitanje je bilo ko je u okviru lokalnih samouprava bio zaduèn za pripremu iodobravanje programa obuka, za obezbe|ivanje potrebnih finansijskih sredstava i eva-luaciju efekata i rezultata obuka. U saradnji sa pravnim slu`bama u partnerskim op{ti-nama je utvr|eno da na~elnici op{tinske, odnosno gradske uprave mogu da buduzaduèni za pripremanje i odobravanje obuka.

„Obuke MSP-a su dobrog kvaliteta jer angaùju veliki broj raznovrsnih stru~njaka iimaju najprofesionalniji pristup razvijanju op{tinskih kapaciteta me|u svimme|unarodnim programima u Srbiji.”

Predsednik Skup{tine Op{tine Arilje

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The good reputation of MSP as a reliable, transparent and accountable partner, to-gether with the active involvement of partner municipalities’ leadership in Programmeplanning and management, created a positive climate of cooperation and confidence. Aserious and professional approach to the preparation and implementation of trainingsand the adjusting of topics to respond to the actual situation in local self-governments,as well as its being based on strategic documents on both national and local levels, addi-tionally contributed to the openness and interest of local politicians and municipal man-agement for continuous capacity building among administration employees.

The main issue was about who, within local self-governments, was in charge of thepreparation and approval of training programmes, provision of required financial meansand resources, and the evaluation of training effects. In cooperation with legal depart-ments in partner municipalities, it was identified that heads of municipal/city adminis-trations could be responsible for the preparation and approval of trainings.

One delicate issue was the determination of training needs in the absence of a humanresources management policy. To ensure a meaningful approach, all available pieces of in-formation about training were used:

– available profiles of jobs and required skills and knowledge to meet working postrequirements for certain positions (job profiles for public procurement officers, for theemployees in local tax administrations and in internal budgetary control and auditing);

– trainings defined by the MSP supported Inter-municipal Working Groups insome work areas;

– information gathered through surveys conducted among all administration em-ployees in the form of questionnaires.

Based on a prepared training programme and costs assessment, certain funds wereforeseen and provided in the municipal budget – for trainings and participation in con-ferences and seminars. The funds planned in the budgets can be allocated as a separateitem for trainings and participation in training events or can be within the funds plannedfor the activities of some departments or institutions of local self-governments (such asthe unit for local development). To achieve the goal of capacity building in local self-gov-ernments, it was necessary to install the practice of programme implementation moni-toring regarding the quality of trainings, regular attendance of participants and therelevance of selected topics – up to the assessment of newly gained knowledge and the im-plementation of learned skills by training participants.

To have the effects of capacity building complete, and local self-governments well or-ganized and efficient in services delivery, the context had to be created for the applicationof new knowledge and skills. Adequate working means had to be provided (equipmentand working space) which was done through projects co-funded by MSP and the Pro-gramme partners. The motivation of employees to apply new and innovative approacheswas encouraged by introducing a financial benefit that could be awarded by administra-tion heads to some employees, up to 30% of their regular earnings. Personal motivationwas also encouraged through the possibility to promote some solutions as good practiceexamples, and the option that recognized professionals could be included in further ac-tivities as trainers or consultants.

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Osetljivo pitanje je bilo utvr|ivanje potreba za obukama u nedostatku politike uprav-ljanja ljudskim resursima. Da bi se obezbedio mudar pristup, kori{}ene svu sve infor-macije o obukama koje su bile na raspolaganju:

– Profili poslova koji su na raspolaganju i potrebna ume}a i znanja da bi se zado-voljile potrebe radnog mesta za odre|ene pozicije (profili poslova za referente javnih na-bavki, za slu`benike lokalnih poreskih uprava i za inretne budètske i finansijskereviozore).

– Obuke koje defini{u me|uop{tinske radne grupe, koje ina~e podràva MSP, zaneke oblasti rada.

– Informacije koje se prikupljaju kroz intervjue koji se prave me|u svim zaposle-nim u upravama i kroz upitnike.

Na osnovu pripremljenog programa obuke i procene tro{kova, u op{tinskom budètuse predvi|aju i obezbe|uju odre|eni fondovi – za obuke i u~e{}e na konferencijama i se-minarima. Fondovi koji su planirani u budètima mogu, kao posebne stavke, da se do-deljuju za obuke i u~e{}e u njima ili pak za aktivnosti nekih slu`bi ili institucija lokalnihsamouprava, kao {to su, recimo, odeljenja za lokalni razvoj. Da bi se ostvario cilj gra|enja,odnosno razvijanja kapaciteta u loklanim samoupravama, bilo je neophodno da se usta-novi praksa pra}enja (monitoringa) implementacije Programa, po~ev od kvaliteta obuka,preko redovnosti prisustvovanja u~esnika i primerenosti odabranih tema, pa sve do pro-cene u kojoj meri u~esnici u obukama primenjuju novostena znanja i ume}a.

Da bi efekti gra|enja i razvijanja kapaciteta bili potpuni, a lokalne samouprave dobroorganizovane i efikasne u pruànju usluga, bilo je neophodno i da se stvori povoljnookruènje za primenu novih znanja i ume}a. Trebalo je da se obezbede odgovaraju}astredstva za rad, a to zna~i oprema i radni prostor, {to je i u~injeno kroz projekte koje suzajedni~ki finansirali MSP i same lokalne samouprave kao partneri ovog Programa. Mo-tivisanje zaposlenih da primenjuju nove i inovativne pristupe postizano je uvo|enjemfinansijskog stimulansa koje su na~elnici op{tinskih i gradskih uprava mogli da odobra-vaju nekim slu`benicima, i to do 30% njihovih redovnih primanja. Podsticana je i li~namotivisanost, i to uvo|enjem mogu}nosti da se neka re{enja promovi{u kao primeridobre prakse, kao i mogu}nosti da se uspe{ni profesionalci uklju~e u dalje aktivnosti kaotreneri ili konsultranti.

X Odrìvost i mogu}e kopiranje i ponavljanje

Odrìvost pristupa koji je MSP odabrao je veoma zna~ajna, a Program se njome bavitako {to vodi brigu o tome da se taj pristup zasniva na onim mogu}nostima koje objek-tivno postoje i stoje na raspolaganju, kao i da procesi razvijanja kapaciteta budu ugra|eniu redovne postupke planiranja i odlu~ivanja u lokalnim samoupravama. Zbog toga {tosu ~itav ovaj pristup i instrumenti (upitnik za procenjivanje potreba, baza podataka zaanalizu i jednostavna forma programa obuka) jednostavni i laki za primenu, rukovodstvaop{tinskih uprava smatraju da taj postupak nije komplikovan, niti iziskuje mnogo vre-mena i da se zato moè ponavljati svake godine.

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X Sustainability and possible replication

The sustainability of the approach taken by MSP is an important consideration, onewhich the programme has addressed through ensuring that the approach is based on thepossibilities offered by the legal frame for local self-governments and that the capacity de-velopment processes are integrated into the regular procedures of planning and decision-making in a local self-government. Due to the simplicity and easy application of the entireapproach and instruments (needs assessment questionnaire, database for data analysis,and simple form of training programme), the management of the municipal adminis-trations are of the opinion that this is not a complicated and time consuming exercise andcan be repeated every year.

However, the basic precondition for continuous capacity building and implementa-tion of the approach is that the relevant persons and employees are willing to improvetheir knowledge and the work of the local self-government.

With respect to the replicability of the approach described here, the implementationof such an approach is possible in other programmes or local self-governments as localcapacities for planning and for implementation of the approach have been successfullybuilt among MSP Consulting and strategic partners and they are willing to share these.Indeed, the readiness of MSP partner municipalities to share their experience with col-leagues in other self-governments and establish good cooperation in some professionalareas offer chances to have a similar or identical approach presented and disseminatedthroughout Serbia. The Training Centre of the Standing Conference of Towns and Mu-nicipalities (SCTM) could become one of the main promoters of the positive experienceof this approach.

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Me|utim, osnovni preduslov za kontinuirano gra|enje i razvijanje kapaciteta i pri-menjivanje pristupa jeste da osobe i slu`benici koji na tome rade zaista `ele da unapredei svoje znanje i rad lokalnih samouprava.

[to se ti~e mogu}nosti kopiranja, odnosno ponavljanja pristupa koji smo ovde opisali,implementiranje takvog pristupa je mogu}e i u drugom programima i loklanim samou-pravama, jer su lokalni kapaciteti za planiranje i implementaciju pristupa uspe{no raz-vijeni kako u firmi MSP konsalting d.o.o., tako i u me|u strate{kim partnerima(op{tinama i gradovima) koji ina~e ̀ ele da rade na ovaj na~in. Spremnost partnerskih lo-kalnih samouprava da ste~ena iskustva prenose kolegama u ostalim lokalnim samou-pravama i da u nekim oblastima uspostave profesionalnu saradnju zaista postoji i topredstavlja {ansu da se sli~ni ili potpuno isti pristupi prezentuju i prenose {irom Srbije.Centar za obuku u okviru Stalne konferencije gradova i op{tina bi mogao da postanejedan od glavnih promotera pozitivnih iskustava ovog pristupa.

Capacity building in local self-governments

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