Македонски центар за меѓународна соработка - МЦМС

Editors: Dimce Mitreski and Tanja Hafner Ademi
Date: 2006
PDF:   local-development-strategic-plan-of-the-municipality-of-gostivar-2006.pdf

In order to anticipate the future and make it safer, it is necessary to prepare a plan that is lasting and multifaceted which will then attain an attribute of a strategy. A plan can tell us where we are at, where we want to be or where we should be, in what way to achieve this, which recourses are necessary for its application, at what time do we realize certain activities etc.

In short, a strategy is a complete and complex document which contains development directions and priorities, as well as measures, necessary resources and the dynamics of their application.

One of the priorities of the Municipalities in the Republic of Macedonia is the preparing of different “municipal strategies” for the promotion and advancement of economic, social and ecologic well-being in the Municipalities in order to contribute to sustainable development.

The new Law for Local Self-Government was passed at the beginning of 2002, defining new competences concerning the Municipalities. Besides other issues, this law defines that Municipalities are accountable for: urban planning (urban and rural); protection of the environment; local economic development (local economic development, setting up development and structural priorities, conducting local economy politics, supporting the development of small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurship on a local level); and utility issues.

The Macedonian Center for International Cooperation (MCIC) in collaboration with partner organizations Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) from Albania and Kosovo Development Center (KDC) worked out a Program for Regional Crossborder Cooperation (RMS) which includes Municipalities from the border trianglebetween Macedonia-Albania-Kosovo: Gostivar (Macedonia), Prizren and Dragash (Kosovo) and Kukës (Albania).

Among other activities, preparation of local development strategic plan was envisaged in the framework of this Program. This is an opportunity for the Municipality of Gostivar to intensify activities from an aspect of preparing a strategy plan for local development.

In order to accomplish this, trainings were carried out for the Municipality team: Project cycle management, Strategic Planning and Action Planning. After the training, a workshop was organized for the definition of the local development plan for the Municipality of Gostivar.

While evaluating the necessity for an effective development strategy and while keeping in mind all following activities, a team is being formed to prepare a local development plan for the Municipality of Gostivar. With the support of experts from the MCIC, the team worked out a local development plan for the Municipality.