First forum session within the Regional Community Forums for 2020

The Centre for development of the South-East planning region (CDSEPR), in October, started the preparations for holding Regional Community Forums as a tool for identification, prioritization and preparation of project proposals for obtaining financial support from the Bureau for Balanced Regional Development Programme of the Regional Development Bureau and the Ministry of Local Self-Government of RNM. Based on the positive experience from the forum processes so far, within the project “Sustainable and inclusive balanced regional development”, which was realized by the Centres for development of planning regions with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and MLSG, it was decided participatory and transparent of decisions, with wide civic participation, to be practiced in providing support for project proposals from BRD and MLSG. Namely, the regional forum, as well as the compliance of the projects with the determined priorities in the programs for development of the planning regions and with the annual list of projects adopted by the Councils for development of the planning regions, will become a mandatory qualification criterion in the process of project application and use of available funds from the Programme for balanced regional development of BRD / MLSG.

According to the concept for implementation of regional forums, it is planned to hold two forum sessions where participants will select priority areas and areas of strategic goals of the region, identify problems, needs and challenges affecting the region and prioritize concept solutions prepared based on civic needs. However, due to the escalation of the COVID 19 pandemic and the large number of infected in the South-East region, only a few participants from the key partners accepted physical presence, due to which a decision was made to conduct the first forum session by conducting an electronic questionnaire.

From the analyzed results from the completion of the electronic questionnaire, the participants chose the following priority 2 areas and 2 sub-areas:

Area 1. Agriculture and rural development

Sub-areas:

1. Development of modern and functional infrastructure in villages and areas with specific development needs

2. Modernization and improvement of the competitiveness of the agricultural production

 

Area 2. Economy, investments, labor market, tourism

Sub-areas:

1. Development and promotion of the region as an attractive tourist destination

2. Development of entrepreneurial ecosystem and encouragement of entrepreneurship (incl. Women and youth)

The forum cycle of 2019 ended with the presentation of the results of the project “Agrometeorological stations for protection of agricultural crops and the environment”

The Centre for development of the South-East planning region on 23.09.2020 in Hotel Sirius in Strumica, following the protocols and recommendations of the Government for protection against Covid-19, organized the Fourth and last forum session of the Regional Community Forums cycle from 2019 within of the project “Sustainable and inclusive balanced regional development”.

On the fourth forum session the results of the project “Agrometeorological stations for protection of crops and the environment” were presented. This project was voted first on the list of priority projects in a participatory and transparent manner by the citizens of the South-East planning region at the Regional Forum Sessions 2019 which were organized under the Grant Scheme for investment projects 2019 funded by the Ministry of Local Self-Government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

The participants of this session had the opportunity to be informed about the course and process of realization of the selected project, the results achieved with the project and the recommendations sent by the forum for improving life in the wider community and the region.

The project “Agrometeorological stations for protection of agricultural crops and the environment” has been named one of the most innovative projects resulting from Regional Forum Sessions in 2019, and the success of this project is also evidenced by the fact that in 2020 two more Regional Centers will implement the same project in two other planning regions in the Republic of North Macedonia.

Regarding the other project proposals that emerged from the Regional Forums from 2019, Ms. Zhulieta Gjurkova, Manager of the CDSEPR, emphasized that they are of great importance for the Centre because they come from the citizens of the region and in the future efforts will be made for them to be funded.

All the necessary information that is measured and processed through the stations can be obtained at the website www.agrojug.mk as well as on the mobile application “Meteobot” where all 23 Agrometeorological stations in the region are mapped.