Last month, five Kosovo municipalities signed pledges with community representatives, officially committing to implement activities based on citizens' needs and inputs. USAID helped to drive this achievement through the introduction of the Social Contract Agenda, which works closely with community groups to build lines of communication between community representatives and municipal officials in Kosovo. These channels of communications enable Kosovans to exercise their democratic rights and actively engage in the decision-making process.
The signing ceremony was the culmination of a ten-month process where community representatives and municipal officials jointly identified community needs and assessed possible interventions. These efforts resulted in the mayors’ commitment, including municipal funding, to support the proposed community-endorsed projects.
In Pristina, Kosovo’s capital, citizens successfully advocated for the expansion and marking of the walking paths in Germia Park, the refurbishment of the Botanika garden in the Mati neighborhood, and other small projects. Mayors of Obiliq, Suhareka, Gjilan, and Prizren signed the pledges to implement similar community-led activities in their municipalities.
Faton Hasani, USAIDKosovo