Cooperation between the Nongovernmental Organizations and Local Government (Kraljevo Office of the BCHR)

The possibilities for the cooperation between the NGOs and local authorities had not been investigated in Yugoslavia. The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights considered town of Kraljevo to be suitable for a pilot project, which would focus on investigation of the possibilities for cooperation of the various nongovernmental organisations with the municipality government. In cooperation with the local authorities, the fields where the NGOs could assist with the improvement of the town management were investigated. Among else, it was explored whether and which NGOs could take over some services which the local government was not in position to finance or whether those NGOs could serve to supplement the local government’s activities.

The fields of action that were considered were: environment protection, urbanism, employment issues and the care for the unemployed, caring for the pre-school children, care for the refugees, care for the handicapped, socialization of drug addicts and alcoholics, provision of humanitarian assistance, etc. Apart from the meetings with NGOs and local authorities, seminar on the modern local self-government and its cooperation with the civil society was organised, advisory services for the unemployed, handicapped, refugees and entrepreneurs were established.