The aim of “Analyzing the roles and functioning of local communities in the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina” is to provide an overview of information on the roles and importance of local communities, focusing on the rights and benefits that citizens – especially young people and women, can have through local communities. Additionally, the Analysis provides information on the legislative structure of local communities and the elections for local communities councils in the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
The findings of the Analysis will be used in the promotion of local communities as a significant mechanism for citizen participation in decision-making processes at the local level in cities and municipalities in BiH.
The importance of this Analysis is what local communities in BiH consider to be a legacy of the Yugoslav past, because in the former system these were important spaces for citizen participation in solving community problems. In the former Yugoslavia, local communities had the status of a legal entity with their own property and bank account and the right to manage their own financial resources, which were provided from several sources. The most common source of funding was self-contribution, i.e., personal participation of the citizens of that local community.
Local communities were once established for one or more neighborhoods or only for certain parts of neighborhood in order to meet the common interests of citizens, but also as a form of citizen participation in decision-making at the municipal level as a socio-political community through their elected representatives in municipal bodies.
However, today, local communities in BiH do not have previously mentioned competencies, although recently they have received more attention from international and non-governmental organizations, which take into account the great potential of local communities to encourage citizen participation.
For example, a 2012 survey conducted in 14 municipalities in BiH and implemented by the Centers for Civic Initiatives showed that the local community was among the most frequently used participatory mechanisms (33.2%). It is the basis for launching numerous projects aimed at strengthening of local communities. So far, some initiatives have called for a change in the legal status and advocated for the improvement of local acts for the functioning of local communities, while others are aimed at strengthening the capacity of individuals and local community bodies.
There are a number of obstacles to the proper functioning of local communities. In the Republika Srpska, there are no formal competencies of these bodies, and in the Brčko District, local communities have the status of non-governmental organizations. In general, local communities do not have financial autonomy and there is a large influence of political parties, council members and local community presidents. Therefore, the capacities and activism of local communities are inconsistent in practice. Although most citizens recognize the great potential of local communities to channel the interests and needs of citizens towards local authorities, citizens still express dissatisfaction with the current efficiency of local communities in performing this role. The fact that young people and women are rarely involved in the work of local community bodies causes additional concern.
Please read the complete research on the following LINK – Analysis – functioning of local communities_RS and BD BiH.
