On Saturday, the Network of Active Communities (MAZ), in partnership with the Tuzla Community Foundation (FTZ), organized the 14th Conference of Active Citizens at the Tuzla National Theater. The focus of this year’s conference was a panel discussion on “Functional councils of local communities, the key to development at the local level” but also the engagement of activists who have traditionally been awarded recognition by the Network of Active Communities.
Emphasizing that functional and efficient local communities, as the first bridge between citizens and government, are the key to the development of local communities, Anita Šimić, Secretary General of the Network of Active Communities, believes that this is the chance for success: this Conference is very important to us, because we publicly and loudly talk about the real problems of the citizens. The work of the Network of Active Communities is based on democratic values and principles, and we want to further expand them to our local communities, and together with the citizens create a more beautiful environment and create better living conditions. Citizens sometimes forget what power they have and today at this conference we want to remind the citizens, but also the representatives of local authorities that by joining resources we get enormous power and the opportunity to create positive change.”
Given that local communities by their function should be places for direct involvement of citizens in community life and drivers of change at the micro-local level, their purposefulness, action and even the legal-organizational structure is often questioned. The panel discussion was a space for representatives of civil society organizations, local governments and local community councils to have a constructive dialogue, discuss all the advantages and disadvantages of this segment of local government, create recommendations on work, selection and operation of functional local communities.
Ismet Sokoljanin, Program Development Manager of the Tuzla Community Foundation, believes that local communities, as part of the local self-government apparatus, today do not have a particularly active role in creating better living conditions for citizens at the micro level. He states that the reasons for this are multiple, from political interests, through the apathy of citizens, to the lack of interest of local governments: “I think that local governments should pay more attention to the efficiency of this apparatus, and one of the first steps is to depoliticize local community councils, because political obstructions and lack of capacity elected to perform this function are often one of the first reasons why councils do not work. We all agreed that it is necessary to ensure the possibility of direct election of citizens to the councils of local communities, but also to establish a better organizational system of work and flow of information between the local community and the competent authority.”
This topic is especially important for local communities in the City of Tuzla, where the Statute of the City of Tuzla was adopted in May, which states that in the next six months, the City Council should make a decision that the councils of local communities are obliged to adopt the statutes of local communities and perform all tasks related to organization of their work. Jasminka Mijatović, a member of the Statutory Commission of the City of Tuzla, believes that this problem will require an extension due to its complexity: “Given that the problems and neglect of local communities in Tuzla are already so visible, it is almost impossible to believe that 6 months for the adoption of the Decision on the regulation of the election process for local community councils, in accordance with Article 169 of the Statute is enough. An analysis of the current situation with communal infrastructure, all investments and implemented projects in all 40 local communities for the last 5-10 years should be made, which would expose the long-term neglect of peripheral local communities and uneven development, as well as discrimination in capital investments.”
Traditionally, the conference is an event that celebrates successes and pays tribute to active citizens, activists of the Network of Active Communities for engagement in the previous year. This year, the awards were presented to:
The best organized community: Gornja Tuzla
The best organizer in the community: Ibrahim Hadžić from Seljublje
The best volunteer in the community: Mustafa Mosorović from Turija
The best fundraiser in the community: Fadil Smajić from Seljublje
The biggest change in the community: Active community Grabovica
The best ECO activist/organization/institution: Udruga Mladih Par Selo-Dubrave
“In the beginning, it was very difficult to organize people in such a small community, given that volunteerism has stagnated here for almost two decades. However, the group is now growing, with locals joining us in the actions, and even those who have never did that before. My desire is to make some change, to leave something behind, something good that will be inherited by the younger generations. This recognition makes me fulfilled, happy and ready to dedicate myself even more to my community and solve many problems we have”, said Ibrahim Hadžić, coordinator of the local group for development Seljublje and winner of the award for the best organizer of the community in 2020.
The conference of active citizens was organized within the project “Democratic and economic empowerment of underdeveloped communities in Tuzla Canton”, which is implemented by the Tuzla Community Foundation in partnership with the Network of Active Communities.
