Support to Association of Kosovo Municipalities- AKM 2019-2025

The Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) is a non-governmental, non-profit and membership based organization to which municipalities can adhere on a voluntary basis. The organization was established in 2001 based on the Law on Local Self-Government in Kosovo, the European Charter of the Local-Self Government, and the Law on Freedom of Association in Non-Governmental Organization of the Republic of Kosovo. AKM with its strong constituency, successfully advocates for municipal interests at the national level and represents a platform for peer learning among municipalities. AKM has a network of 15 Collegia (comprised of municipal departments), through which it scrutinizes related draft policies and establishes its lobbying position vis-à-vis central government. Through the Collegia, AKM conducts capacity-building activities for municipal Assembly members and political staff. AKM has ambition to continue its intensive advocacy further and at the same time wants to strengthen its capacity-building role by developing more structured trainings. As a result, AKM drafted its Strategic Plan 2016-2020 emphasising that establishment of a Training Unit as a facility for capacity development at local level, is one of the key strategic pillars of the Organization. Given the above, Sida has allocated SEK 6 150 000 to finance the proposal for financial support for establishment of Training Unit (TU) for the project ""Enhancing Capacities of Local Elected Officials towards Improved Service Delivery in Kosovo Municipalities" for the period of 2019-2022. The proposed intervention is closely related and will add the value to Sida's supported project "DEMOS II" that aim to stimulate municipalities to increasingly implement the legal framework, improve performance and address the development of a policy framework which is more favourable for decentralised governance. Project theory of change: AKM/TU offers optimized capacity development services to local elected and appointed officials (LEAO) by offering comprehensive training modules. LEAO's will be equiped with new skills and able to contribute to public administration reform in a more transparent and accountable manner. In this way, LEAO's will perform better, transparency and accountability towards citizens will improve and as a result the democratization of the local level government will be strengthened. It is Sida assessment that the intervention's theory of change is relevant and corresponds to the Sida thematic priorities and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda as follows: Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Target 5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and Sustainable. Target 11.3 By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries. Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels Target 6.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. In this project Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) contributes financially with Euro 200 000 for four years. Against this background it is proposed Sida to fund the project for the period 2019-2022 with SEK 6 150 000.