Форуми во заедницата

During the first forum session within the frames of the Community Forum Programme, the Skopje’s Cair municipality population out of the three proposed topics selected municipality environmental improvement.
About 120 people participated in the session, held on Tuesday, in the local primary school “Rajko Zinzifov”. They were members of the local administration, donor representatives, as well as organizers.
The population accepted with pleasure the decision that during the following months they will debate and provide their ideas for the improvement of the environment and voted against the other two proposals – restoration of the Skopje Old Bazaar and improving the conditions of the schools education space.

After they selected the topic, Artan Grubi, from Cair municipality, inhabitant and the President of the Civic Movement “Wake up” stated that due to the development of this session he will no doubt participate in the following session.
    „I, as an inhabitant of this municipality, voted for improving the environment since I believe that I can best contribute in this area. Since the project is long-term it can encourage municipal population to build a culture of environmental protection“, says Grubi.According to Cair municipality mayor, Izet Mexhiti, the most important part is that the inhabitants themselves decided what projects will be implemented.
“The approach of this project enables inhabitants to be informed where and how the municipal budget money are spent “, stated Mexhiti at the beginning of the session. The representative of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Ibrahim Memeti, presented the goals of the programme and stated that the programme benefits the inhabitants and improves their lives.
Slavica Indzovska, deputy director of the Open Society Institute – Macedonia, said that she hopes that during the following months the needs of this municipality would be fulfilled. The participants determined the areas which hold special interest for them within the area of improvement of the environment. Those are the education and environment, although there were inhabitants who selected other areas – sport, youth, culture, business, streets and roads.
The sessions had a goal to locate the municipal needs through citizens’ ideas, followed by project implementation with financial support from the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency amounting four million denars, and two million denars from Cair municipality.

    In this phase the Community Forum Programme is implemented by the Foundation Open Society Institute – Macedonia (FOSIM), the Center for Institutional Development (CIRa), and the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation (MCIC).
The programme is coordinated by the Forum Coordination Unit / Consulting for Strategic Development, with active involvement of the Association of Local Self-Government Units (ZELS).