Social Contract is a five-year activity that introduces sustainable public participation practices to strengthen the citizen-municipal government partnership, raise and address citizen needs, and ultimately improve Kosovo citizens’ quality of life. This activity strengthens the social contract - the implicit agreement among people to cooperate for the social good - by positively influencing the attitudes and norms that govern interactions between citizens and their municipal representatives. By doing so, this activity contributes to USAID’s overall goal of better serving citizens’ needs through accountable and effective governance.
Activities
- -Establish regular consultation processes between citizens and their municipal representatives in order to share government information and encourage citizen feedback on issues that affect their lives.
- Empower more citizens to engage in collaborative representation with municipalities by supporting the development of actionable demands, implementing participatory exchange opportunities, and promoting social contract agendas.
- Empower municipal actors to engage with the public by jointly crafting action plans to address identified problems and working side-by-side to implement these plans.
Key Results To Date
- Drafted Social Contract Agendas in each partner municipality to collaboratively address community issues, which enhanced interactions between citizens and municipal officials.
- Mayors in five partner municipalities publicly pledged to implement the Social Contract Agenda within two years to improve public participation.
- Strengthened collaboration between municipal officials and community groups by facilitating 37 meetings to resolve community issues, resulting in joint agreements to resolve eight community issues.
- Improved public consultation processes by assisting five partner municipalities in applying participatory budgeting methods across 17 communities.
- Improved facilitation skills of officials in five partner municipalities through training programs.
- Improved social media and communication skills of 35 municipal officials through coaching sessions.
- Delivered information sessions in 20 neighborhoods and villages to inform citizens about how to engage in municipal budgeting processes.
- Improved internal protocols to more effectively and efficiently track citizen requests in three partner municipalities through technical assistance.
Additional Information
Project Funding
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID/Kosovo)
Project Duration
December 2021 – December 2026
Implementing Partner
Democracy International, Inc.
Total Funding
$13,499,984
Key Counterparts
Municipalities, citizens, and communities
Where We Work
Gjilan, Obiliq, Pristina, Prizren, and Suhareka
Contact
Perihan Ymeri Ustaibo, Project Management Specialist
USAID Kosovo