The MAKERS Project’s overall goal is to improve social cohesion in partner municipalities, by improving municipal governance practices on public participation, supporting community activism and capacitating youth for leadership in their communities and beyond, and promoting joint action on shared priorities.

The Project’s goal will be achieved by working on several dimension of social cohesion, most notably: civic participation, trust in people and institutions, acceptance of diversity and solidarity and voluntarism.

MAKERS will work to strengthen and institutionalize the local dialogue platform mechanism in partner municipalities targeted by the UN Dialogue for the Future project. This will be done through mentoring of the local dialogue platforms and empowerment of young activists to co-facilitate platform meetings in the municipality. Additionally, UNDP will work the local government to ensure local dialogue platform methodology is endorsed by the municipal council and becomes a recognized consultative mechanism. UNDP will also train personal in each partner municipality in facilitation and moderation skills. Moreover, work at institutional change will be focusing on integrating priorities of trust building and social cohesion in regular public funding schemes (i.e. calls for proposals issued by the municipality). The project will work with the municipalities to co-fund at least 8 local initiatives that were identified in the platform meetings. The first year will explore conduct of cross-entity and inter-municipal local dialogue platforms to strengthen inter-municipal and community cooperation on common priorities.

Identified youth activists in the community will be supported with skill-building (advocacy, leadership, critical thinking, media and information literacy, innovative crowdfunding, SDGs, gender mainstreaming). To support implementation of platform priorities, strengthen voluntarism and solidarity in the community open Call for Proposals will be announced.

Status

Ongoing

Start date

March 2020

Estimated end date

March 2023

Focus area

Justice and security

Donor

UNDP 

Project value

425,000 USD

Partners 

Municipalities of Centar Sarajevo, Novo Sarajevo, East Novo Sarajevo, Pale, Cities of Trebinje, Doboj, Doboj Istok, Brčko, Bijeljina, Mostar, Bugojno, Trnovo RS (Republika Srpska), Travnik, Novi Travnik. 

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