VII (SEVENTH) SESSION OF THE COUNCIL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTH-EAST PLANNING REGION WAS HELD

In the premises of the Municipality of Radovish, on April 14, 2022, the VII (seventh) Session of the Council for development of the South-East planning region was held.

Besides the members of the Council, representatives of the SDC / Ministry of Local Self-Government were also present at the Session, as well as Prof. Dr. Boris Cizalj, regional management expert. Also Mr. Tihomir Petreski, external expert for preparation of concept solutions and project proposals was present.

According to the agenda, Prof. Dr. Boris Cizalj from Republic of Slovenia addressed the present, and presented his practices and experiences as a long-term expert in the field of regional development. The purpose of his presentation was through an open discussion with the mayors, to determine which countries, according to the planned Study visit of the members of the Council, can be visited and to exchange good practices that would be applicable in the South-East Planning Region, which activity is planned within the project “Sustainable and inclusive balanced regional development”.

The external expert, Mr. Tihomir Petreski presented the concept solutions for project applications through the Balanced Regional Development Program for 2022 with indicatively planned funds for 2023 of MLS / BRR and Grant Scheme of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), which were proposed at the First Forum Session, in order for the members of the Council to get acquainted with the proposed concepts and to give their opinion and recommendations for improvement.

The Code of Ethics and six Policies were adopted at the session, which are of particular importance for the overall work of the staff of the Centre for development of the South-East planning region. The final account reports of the Centre for 2021 were also adopted.

The construction of the access road to the shelter for homeless animals has started

On March 30, 2022, the construction activities for the construction of the access road to the shelter for homeless animals in the Municipality of Strumica has started, a project implemented by the Centre for development of the South-East planning region in partnership with the Municipality of Strumica, funded by the Bureau for Regional Development and the Municipality of Strumica.

The Director of the Centre for development of the South-East planning region, Ms. Zhulieta Gjurkova informed that the needed amount of over 4 million denars for this project are provided by the Program for balanced regional development under which the Centre is currently implementing several other projects that are of great importance for economic development of the South-East region.

– It is important to point out that through this Program the shelter itself was built and 2 vehicles for catching dogs were procured, and with the support of UNDP the entire equipment in the hospital was procured. The realization of this project will enable the shelter for homeless animals to start functioning smoothly, and we are working on providing additional funds to increase the capacity of the shelter, which will provide a cleaner and healthier environment for the Municipality of Strumica and other municipalities in the region as well – said Ms. Gjurkova.

The President of the Council of the Municipality of Strumica, Mr. Marjan Daskalovski, emphasized that with this project it is planned to build a modern infrastructure for easy and fast access to the shelter for homeless animals by arranging the entrance of the shelter with parking space, ground floor and horticultural arrangement, by weeding the space, setting up benches, trash cans and planting trees.

This project has regional significance because although the shelter will be managed and financed by the Municipality of Strumica, in the future, in accordance with the legal regulations, it will be in function of the neighboring municipalities for a minimum fee per captured dog.

The Ambassador of Switzerland Véronique Hulmann Marti has visited the South-East planning region

When local governments, civil society and the private sector work together real changes are made on local and regional level. The Embassy of Switzerland in the Republic of North Macedonia together with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation over the past few years is committed to supporting sustainable regional development in the Republic of North Macedonia.

This week, the Ambassador Véronique Hulmann Marti visited the South-East Planning Region where she met the key partners in the region and got acquainted with the concrete results of projects funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation at local and regional level.

The meeting was held in the Municipality of Strumica and was attended by the Director of the Centre for development of the South-East Planning region Zhulieta Gjurkova, the Mayor of Municipality of Strumica Kostadin Kostadinov, the President of the Council Marjan Daskalovski and the Secretary of the Municipality Aleksandar Odzakov where they discussed the current cooperation and the future plans.

In the South-East Planning Region, several projects funded by Swiss funds have been implemented so far, which have a direct impact on improving the quality of life, regional cooperation and promoting an innovative approach in providing services to all stakeholders. One of those projects is the project for restoration of the Strumica river basin, whose activities were aimed at increasing the competitiveness of agricultural production in the region and reducing its impact on the environment, through the introduction of modern, agro-environmental measures.

Also, with the direct participation of the citizens of the South-East region in a participatory way through the project “Sustainable and inclusive balanced regional development”, financially supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, four Day Care Centers for people with special needs were equipped with work equipment, 23 agro meteorological stations were placed, an Academy for reintegration of marginalized people was established and a Common Workplace as a way of strengthening the cooperation with the business sector were established.

The cooperation does not stop here and the Regional Forum sessions of the community are under implementation, whereas priorities for solving this year were the problems in the field of environmental protection and improving the tourist offer in the South-Еast region, which once again confirms the mutual further commitment for realization of new projects which are of interest for the citizens.