Switzerland and Sweden are partners in local development across Bosnia and Herzegovina. Swiss Ambassador Gabriele Derighetti and Swedish Ambassador Helena Lagerlöf, together with the Directors for Development Cooperation Siroc Messerli and Eva Smedberg, visited Ilijaš. The purpose of the visit was clear: to confirm the joint commitment of Switzerland and Sweden to local development across the country. The Mayor of Ilijaš, Amar Dovadžija, and his closest team hosted the delegation for a discussion on the results of the previous and ongoing cooperation, the role and support of higher levels of government, and the vision for the future development of the municipality.
The joint projects of Switzerland and Sweden in Bosnia and Herzegovina focus on three important areas: citizen participation in setting priorities in their municipalities through engagement in local communities, improving water services and other public municipal services, and strengthening cooperation between cities and municipalities, neighboring and others. Within the framework of the projects “Strengthening the Role of Local Communities” and “Municipal Environmental Management MEG 2”, infrastructure projects were also carried out, including the construction of sports facilities and playgrounds. Training sessions were also held for local community representatives.
“Some older generations will remember that until 1992, the local community was our first address for citizens. By 2017, we had euthanized it, as if it never existed. By participating in this project, we had the opportunity to strengthen the work of local community councils,” said Sanja Zagorac-Jozić, Assistant Mayor at the Department for Social Affairs and Local Communities of the Municipality of Ilijaš.
“The visit to this playground is extremely important to us because it is part of the project ‘Strengthening the Role of Local Communities’, where we enabled the population to apply for some projects in conversation with local community representatives and to single out the projects that are of greatest interest to the local community,” Smedberg emphasized.
A project in the field of communal infrastructure was implemented through MEG 2 – the procurement of a special device for the local utility company.
“Today we visited some investments that went through the MEG project, such as the purchase of a truck that is specialized in cleaning sewage,” Smedberg added.
In addition to the continuation of the construction of the water supply and sewage network, other projects in Ilijaš were also discussed. While some results, such as investments in infrastructure, are immediately visible, others – such as systemic changes – require time. However, their impact is deep and long-lasting.
“We are also interested in how the mayor cooperates with other municipalities, which is especially important when large investments are being implemented, i.e. infrastructure projects – it is important that they are implemented simultaneously in several municipalities,” emphasized Ambassador Lagerlöf.
“Given that we did not have a property register in the territory of the Ilijaš municipality, all our property, I initiated this project because I wanted to know what the Ilijaš municipality has as an administrative body in its possession – from apartments to business premises to land,” stated Dovadžija.
The inclusion of citizens and their demands is a positive example that the government in BiH is, after all, working for them, and this is what the two embassies have recognized as the key to the successful functioning of society. Such a government can function under three conditions. The first is hard work.
“The second is that there is cooperation with neighboring municipalities and cooperation with higher levels of government, i.e. that higher levels of government are listening and provide funding at the local level. The third is the full engagement of citizens. They need to be informed about the activities and they need to engage themselves and demand the implementation of certain activities,” said Ambassador Derighetti.
This success would not have been possible without the strong participation of local authorities, who have invested significant financial and other resources in these joint projects in response to priorities identified by the citizens themselves.
“We are investing Swedish taxpayers’ money here to support BiH and its municipalities on their path to integration into the European Union,” noted Ambassador Lagerlöf.
Switzerland has been implementing a development cooperation program in Bosnia and Herzegovina for almost 30 years, and it is, just like our country, decentralized, so it can be copied from it how to successfully manage at all levels of government.
“Ilijaš is a good example of how citizens can engage in joint work with municipal authorities and define priorities,” said Messerli, adding that cooperation with other municipalities in solving road infrastructure or water supply implies lower financial costs, but also a permanent solution to the problem: “The mayor mentioned that he is talking to representatives of Sokolac about the possibility of developing road communication, as well as with representatives of Vareš and Visoko about the possibility of building a water supply network. Such projects are very expensive and demanding, but if they involve several municipalities – then they are easier to implement”.
These two countries see hope in Bosnia and Herzegovina towards its integration into the European Union.
“We are primarily interested in helping to improve the living conditions of the citizens of BiH, but also to help meet some of the criteria that BiH must meet on its path to integration into the European Union,” said the Swedish ambassador.
“We do this because we believe in BiH, we believe in its citizens. I must say that we have a large diaspora living in Switzerland and they are interested in BiH moving in a positive direction, and we also want to develop trade with BiH in the future,” said the Swiss ambassador.
The implementation of such projects has greatly improved the living conditions of the residents of the Ilijaš municipality and, as they announce, life will be even more prosperous in the future, Federalna writes.
