Kosovo is a democratic Republic based on the principle of separation of powers and control and balance between them. The activity of the bodies of local self-government is based on the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Kosovo and respects the European Charter on Local Self-Government.
Local government institutions and elected officials, often lacking in capacity and experience, fail to establish and implement effective mechanisms and mechanisms that enable dual communication between them and voters, and as a result produce policies and decisions that reflect citizen’s contribution. Citizens, often indifferent to these rights and mechanisms, remain at the margins of decision-making processes. Impact on policymaking becomes even more challenging for rural voters, especially for women and national minorities, and this inevitably hampers democratic development of local self-government.
The Local Government Program and Citizen Participation (LMPC) is designed on this need and aims to intervene to fill this vacuum by maximizing its potential in civic education and civic activism to exert influence on government policies and to ensure a check on local government.
CSLAP through monitoring, advocacy, civic mobilization, drafting of alternative public policies, capacity building of public officials and NGOs aims to open the way for citizen participation in political processes and make their voices heard and translated into decisions useful for them.
CSLW will continue to engage in facilitating and conducting constructive dialogue between voters and electives, and transforming this communication into a culture of participatory democracy and a functional, transparent and inclusive local governance.