Skopje, September 2025 – Within the framework of the project “Municipalities as Drivers of Sustainable Development”, the Second Call for Inter-Municipal Cooperation Projects was officially announced on 3 June 2025 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Bureau for Regional Development (BRD).

The call was published through the official websites and social media channels of UNDP, BRD, and the Association of Local Self-Government Units (ZELS), ensuring maximum outreach and visibility. I

The call attracted 7 project applications involving a total of 16 municipalities.

The evaluation process was conducted in two phases:

• Pre-selection phase – verification of the administrative compliance of applications against the checklist defined in Section 17.1 of the Operational Guidelines.
• Selection phase – technical evaluation of the applications based on the criteria outlined in Section 17.2, with scores assigned by the evaluation team.

Following the evaluation, the Committee proposed the following projects for funding:

1. Municipality of Ohrid, Municipality of Bitola, Municipality of Resen – “Smart Solutions for Regional Cooperation and Modern Waste Management”
2. Municipality of Bosilovo and Municipality of Novo Selo – “Maintenance of Stormwater and Sewerage Networks in Bosilovo and Novo Selo”
3. Municipality of Gevgelija and Municipality of Bogdanci – “Inter-Municipal Cooperation for Safe Communities”

The implementation of these projects will foster strengthened cooperation among municipalities and contribute to balanced regional development, improved public services, and long-term sustainability.
These initiatives once again confirm that inter-municipal cooperation represents a key mechanism for delivering more efficient and innovative solutions at the local level. The supported projects will contribute to enhancing the quality of life of citizens and to stronger, more inclusive, and sustainable local development.

The call is part of the project “Municipalities as Drivers of Sustainable Development”, implemented by UNDP in cooperation with the Bureau for Regional Development.