“PUBLIC ROUND TABLE REPORT No: 3”

Activities:

Within Corridor’s project mission “Community Building and Reintegration in Eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina: Phase II Municipalities of Bratunac and Zvornik”, on June 16, 2007, Corridor in cooperation with LP CIPP from Zvornik has organized Public Round Table on Community project selection for Zvornik municipality.

The Public Round Table was prepared at regular training sessions with VYG and CB members during last six months. Besides proposed projects, both groups developed and prepared criteria that were used during the Public Round Table in order to assist citizens to select project that all citizens of Zvornik could have a benefit from. The mentioned groups prepared three projects’ presentation that they selected during their sessions that are fitting financial frame of our fund. LP CIPP used their channels (their office, other NGOs in Zvornik and municipality) to inform citizens about coming Public Round Table.

Public Round Table started at 1 p.m. and was held in rooms of LP CIPP, Hotel “Drina” in Zvornik.

Beside presence of VYG, CB, Corridor and CIPP representatives there were around forty citizens of Zvornik present. The meeting was moderated by YVG members, namely representatives at CB with assistance of Mr. Salih Rasavac from Corridor and Mrs. Milena Savic, a director of CIPP that presented project to the community.

This introduction was about entire project presentation and results related to work with YVG and CB members. Three projects/ideas were presented to citizens with explanation how groups came to these selection and funds as well as criteria. Here are presented project/ideas:

• Reconstruction of public spring "Three waters Zamlaz"
• Reconstruction of public spring "Causevac"
• Purchase and construction of public clock at center of Zvornik

After all presentations participants were invited to discuss proposed ideas and criteria. Discussion lasted for around two hours and was entirely affirmative. Soon criteria were adopted without any remarks. The discussion about proposed projects brought new idea: reconstruction of small walking bridge over river Drina. But after discussion about this, it was concluded that funds are far away from the visible for reconstruction of this bridge and that municipality is obliged to complete that within infrastructure plan.

The decision about community project was brought easily after discussion among participants and with application of adopted criteria: Public clock. Further, citizens proposed to give a name of Glowworms to this clock in order to preserve VYG title and to use this name among common people as a reminder to a possible brighter future for all citizens of Zvornik no mater their ethnic background. All participants with this again thanked to entire project and implementers of such idea: to gather people-citizens but not exclusively displaced, returnees or domicile around common issue and common action.

Having in mind that municipality of Zvornik got new mayor in January 2007, Mr. Zoran Stevanovic who had to face many administrative work at the municipality as institution it was encouraging that he gave full support and find time to follow our project implementation. Finally, he gave his approval and all technical support in community project realization within official meeting that was held two days after Public Round Table in Zvornik.

Pictures:

From the Public Round Table in Zvornik

Results:

• Selected community project in Zvornik: Purchase and construction of public clock at center of Zvornik

Next steps:

LP CIPP is obliged to provide final written agreement of municipality for such Project in order to organize tender and selection of the best offers in order to sign up a MoU with Corridor about transfer of 15.000 KM for this activity.

Assessments / Conclusions:

The most important to stress again is about main quality of this project that all citizens are recognized and appreciated in all three municipalities where Corridor now completed CB project: treatment of all citizens equally. This is the first project of that kind not just in region of Eastern BH but whole country, the project that is not putting exclusively just returnees, just domicile or just displaced but is working for entire community.