More Intensive Cooperation between Public, Private and Civil Sector is needed

On Wednesday, 26th of March 2014, in conference hall of “Zlatiborska noc” hotel in Uzice, consultative workshop was organized. This conference was dealing with issue of mutual cooperation between civil society organizations and local self-government units, as well as with the role of organizations in development of local communities.

Slavko Lukic, director of Regional Development Agency “Zlatibor” from Uzice was speaking at the very beginning of the workshop. He has emphasized the significance of civil society organizations in work of Agency, particularly in its working committees. In the same way, local self-government units should recognize the significance of organizations and to include them in everyday work of local communities. In this context equal competition is needed between public, private and civil sector.

As a speaker on workshop, Jelena Gerzina, senior adviser in Government’s Office for Cooperation with Civil Society, has drew attention on great need of private sector to cooperate with civil society, as well as that such form of cooperation should be considered. She has also emphasized research findings of Office for Cooperation with Civil Society regarding issue of local funding of civil society organizations.

Goran Sehovic, Deputy Director of Agency for European Integrations and Cooperation with Civil Society of City of Belgrade has shared its work experience in Agency which serves as a link between civil sector and City of Belgrade.

On behalf of Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities participants were addressed by General Secretary Assistants, Ivan Milivojevic and Nikola Tarbuk. Nikola Tarbuk has pointed out that civil society organizations should become providers of public services and that the real decentralization should go from public to private and non-governmental sector.

During the workshop, discussion was opened. One of the topics which were opened was dealing with need of open and transparent funds expenditure by civil society organizations.

Participants of workshop were representatives of local self-government units and civil society organizations from Zlatibor and Raska district.

Workshop was organized by Belgrade Open School, jointly with its partner, Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, and associates, Regional Development Agency “Zlatibor” from Uzice within project “ReForce – Reinforcing the Role of Civil Society Organizations in Community Development and Public Administration Reform” which was financed by European Union Program “Civil Society Facility 2012” and Office for Cooperation with Civil Society of Government of Republic of Serbia.