CHALLENGES
Citizens and local businesses are not typically engaged in actions to address local priority issues in their communities. This is due to poor communication between citizens and local authorities, insufficient understanding of the role businesses can play in community development, limited municipal finances, and lack of public-private collaboration. Weak linkages among civil society, the private sector, and local governments also present a challenge.
ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION
This activity is part of USAID North Macedonia’s Local Works initiative that empowers local actors in taking the lead to identify and address development challenges in their own communities. Special focus is placed on capacity building of local stakeholders to plan and realize local development projects.
To support cross-sectoral collaboration, the activity helps establish public-private-civil sector platforms and local development councils in target municipalities. Further, the activity helps businesses become recognizable drivers of locally led development, bringing together multiple stakeholders to jointly generate ideas, develop projects, and mobilize resources to implement them. In doing so, the activity improves existing models of corporate social responsibility to establish effective, sustainable mechanisms for addressing community issues.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
- Improved economic security and growth.
- Improved local governments’ responsiveness and accountability to citizens.
- Increased youth engagement in social and economic opportunities.
- Increased private sector investments that result in positive social impact
- Improved living standards for all citizens in four participating municipalities in the northwest of the country.
