Municipal governance plays an important role in the quality of life of citizens, providing most of the public services in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). In recognition of this responsibility, the majority of municipalities in BiH have undertaken a number of reforms to establish an efficient, transparent administration with qualified, motivated staff who are responsive to the needs of citizens.
The OSCE Mission to BiH is committed to building the capacity of municipal authorities to engage in good democratic practices. Since 2004, the ‘Municipal Administration Reform Programme’ (MAP) has assisted more than 100 municipalities across the country in improving their public finance and human resource management.
During the initial stages of the programme, the OSCE experts and municipal representatives jointly assessed the status of the municipal administration. Following this, an Action Plan was established that included concrete actions, timelines and responsibilities. The OSCE Public Finance and Human Resource Management Advisors contributed technical expertise, advised on process management, and offered good practices from other BiH municipalities.
Out of the 104 municipalities that participated in MAP, 94 successfully completed the project by September 2008 (see the standards of MAP). Upon completion, the municipalities received a final Graduation Report comparing finance and human resource management before and after project implementation. All of the municipal Graduation Reports are available here.
