As part of the project “Strengthening the Role of Local Communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” four regional two-day workshops were held in June and early July 2025 under the theme “Operational Plans and the Final Event.” The workshops took place in Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Teslić, and Jablanica, gathering 60 representatives from partner local governments (LGUs) across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The aim of the workshops was to enhance localized development visions of local communities, exchange experiences related to operational plans, and strengthen collaboration among participants. Attendees had the opportunity to present their achievements and jointly work on drafting operational plans for the 2026–2028 period.

Implementation assessments show that around 50% of planned activities for the 2023–2024 period have already been completed. This is considered a high level of implementation and an indicator of realistic and responsible planning within the LGUs.

The workshops highlighted several key needs:

• Strengthening advisory engagement with decision-makers at the LGU level,

• Providing continuous education for local councillors,

• Adopting regulatory frameworks that support the sustainable functioning of local communities, and

• Applying good practices from other local communities.

Participants emphasized the importance of the support provided by the MZ Project, particularly through capacity-building activities and opportunities for networking.

Dragan Mišić, Head of the Department for Local Economic Development and EU Integration in the Municipality of Teslić, stated:

“The workshop was a great opportunity to exchange experiences related to project implementation, and it became clear that the challenges faced by implementation teams were very similar. A particular issue raised was aligning operational plans with annual budgets, which will remain a challenge in the future. We also had the chance to assess the relevance of certain planned activities and, through interaction with colleagues, draft more realistic operational plans for 2026–2028.”

Jelena Savović-Todorović, MZ Project Coordinator in the Municipality of Višegrad, added:

“We presented our operational plans and reports, and the exchange of experiences with other participants helped us identify and improve shortcomings from previous plans. Through joint work, we defined activities that should be permanently included in future plans.”

The “Strengthening the Role of Local Communities in BiH” project is jointly funded by the Government of Switzerland and Sweden, and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project works directly with 41 local governments and 199 local communities across the country.