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Round Table for the publication of report within ‘’Our Matters’’

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Community Building Mitrovica organized round table in the framework of the project ‘’Our Matters’’, a project that aims to increase public participation in decision making process through public debates and street actions.

Present in this event was Mayor of the Mitrovica South Municipality Mr.Agim Bahtiri, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development department Mr.Nasuf Aliu, Director for Geodesy, Cadastre and Property department Mr.Egzon Jashari, and other representatives of civil society, KFOR, OSCE, media and citizens. In the closing event of ‘’Our Matters’’ the publication with the findings and recommendations related to the projects that 13 NGOs from both South and North Mitrovica implemented which are object of concern and interest of the citizens, was presented.

Mrs. Florentina Hajdari Hajra, good governance program manager within Community Building Mitrovica, emphasized that the main finding of the report is increasing the public participation in planning and budgeting the annual year of public policies, and also she presented the need for the continuation of this project since it has addressed the main needs and problems of the citizens through public debates, street actions and other activates in the two-year period of its implementation.

Mr.Bahtiri Mayor of the Mitrovica South Municipality welcomed all the recommendations of the report and expressed his commitment on working for the issues raised. In his word Mayor Bahtiri also mentioned the importance of cooperation between the institution he governs and civil society and called for even closer collaboration especially on reconciliation and peaceful inter-ethnic dialogue as an important factor for positive changes in the future. Director of Agriculture and Rural Development department Mr.Nasuf Aliu informed the participants in the round table for the good relations between CSOs and Municipality, in which regard he mentioned the fact that only in 2015 Mitrovica South Municipality signed five Memorandum of Understanding – MoU with different NGOs that are being implemented, he also mentioned cooperation with CBM as good example.

Ms. Danijela Tomasovic from ACDC and Erzen Isufi from Lëvizja Koha two from thirteen NGOs part of ’’Our Matters’’ spoke on behalf of the NGOs where they work for the projects they conducted. NGO ACDC addressed the problem of alcohol abuse among young population in traffic and aimed to promote communication with the police force and other institutions in order to reduce the negative effects of this issue. Lëvizja Koha organized several activities regarding the lack of public toilets issue, while they also to advocate for the implementation of the law on smoking control in the city of South Mitrovica.

Contribution in this round table was given also by the representatives of the NGOs that were part of ‘’Our Matters’’ and which with the initiatives and activates they implemented addressed different issues that concern the citizens in both South and North Mitrovica and also gave recommendations for improvements in the future.

‘’Our matters’’ is implemented by Community Building Mitrovica and funded by PAX for PEACE.

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