Implementation of Contry Development Strategy in Cantons

Events

December 7, 2012

During the first six months of this year, four workshops on the implementation of development planning were held in cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This included an overview of the action plans preparation and the linkage with budget planning, as well as the preparation of the SR / SSU annual implementation report in the cantons of Federation BiH.

The first workshop was held in Tuzla (December 04), and the day later in Livno - December 05, in Travnik on December 06 and Zenica on December 07. The Project is implemented with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development. It aims to train units in the cantons for a comprehensive strategic planning process, from PESTLE analysis, action plans and their linking to budgets, definition of set of indicators for monitoring and evaluation of the process, along with the development of pilot versions of the annual reports on the cantons’ development.

Tuzla Canton Workshop

According to Suad Mehinović, the analysis of the situation in Tuzla Canton enclosed the already adopted Cantonal Development Strategy 2008-2013, the Strategy for Agriculture Development, the Employment Strategy, the Cantonal Spatial Plan, and the adopted mid-term development plan for the Canton. At the workshop, Nijaz Avdukić, Deputy Director of FZZPR, informed the participants about the results of the implementation of development strategy and social inclusion strategy, pointing the need for the strategy review in some gap areas, reminding that some areas, such are science and culture, have been excluded from the BiH Development Strategy, with the intent that they should be covered by Entity Strategies.

Key steps in introduction of open methods of coordination to involve cantons in the strategic planning process (the preparation of the PESTLE analysis and action plans) to the Tuzla Canton Implementation Unit presented Zdenka Marija Kovač, International Strategic Planning Expert. Practical examples reflecting the preparation of Report on the Development of the Federation BiH (format, content, concept ...) were brought by Marijana Galić, Expert Advisor in FZZPR. The key reason for the production of the Development Report is to see the strengths and weaknesses of all segments of the society, and to propose adequate measures to overcome them. All resources should be used for the report production, like resources of other institutions - employment and statistical agencies, and ministries.

Further, in Livno, Travnik, Zenica and Mostar, the representatives of the Federal Institute for Programming Development (Nijaz Avdukić, Zdenka Marija Kovač, Marijana Galić and Jasmina Andrić) also reviewed the current process and achievements in involving the cantons in the strategic planning process, pointing the key steps in introduction of open method of coordination in the strategic planning process in BiH. This means turning action plans into key development programs and linking them to budget planning and public investment programming. In all these workshops, the importance of monitoring and evaluation in the strategic planning process in the cantons of the Federation was emphasized. The team presented good practice examples coming from the creation of the Federation Development Report, an extremely important new task in development planning at all level of governance in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Here we will show some facts and observations from workshops in these cantons:

Canton Livno

Although for two years there were problems with the establishment of government in this canton, a working group for action plan was established in the canton, with the help and involvement of FZZPR, and representatives of all cantonal ministries are involved. Mladen Kukric, Adviser for the implementation of the strategy, Ministry of Economy of the Canton, said how important the process was. The first activity was the preparation of PESTLE analysis, involving all municipalities, ministries and competent institutions. The situation preview of the Canton was created, and the adoption of action plans in all municipalities agreed.

Still, there was not enough engagement of the all relevant institutions and individuals, although the development documents were made, because of problems in the government formation no one has even considered or adopted them. The situation was until August 2012 when the Cantonal Government was formed and the Working Group presented the development documents. The further plan is to produce action plans for municipalities for 2013, needed data have been collected. Almost all development plans of this Canton are coordinated by the Ministry of Economy, further improvement of the development planning process would be creation of the Development Strategy of the Canton.

Middle Bosnia Canton

The overall assessment of the Federal Institute for Development Programming and the Implementation Unit in the Central Bosnia Canton at a joint meeting in Travnik was that this Canton, taking into consideration it’s capacities and the general social climate, has achieved significant results in the preparation of the action plans, the preparation of the PESTLE analysis, and the engagement of the competent ministries, agencies, institutes and other cantonal entities in the preparation of the development strategy, as well as the initial steps of the implementation. Talking about the current process and achievements in this Canton, Zihnija Aganović, Assistant to the Minister of Economy of the Canton, stressed the need to enhance mutual communication between relevant organizations and institutions within the Canton, as well as between Canton and FZZPR. He said that support to the economic development is a critical issue that should be adressed in the forthcoming period, throughout the implementation of development strategies.

Zenica-Doboj Canton

The Zenica-Doboj Canton keeps the leading position among the Cantons of the Federation BiH in relation to the activities of the project- "Implementation of the BiH Development Strategy and the Social Inclusion Strategy - ISR / SSU in the Cantons".

For last two years, the Business Service Center has been successfully engaged in the Project, along with other society actors. Secretary of this institution, Dzenana Čolaković, explained that this Implementation Unit successfully achieved cooperation with the Government of the Canton and other relevant institutions - ministries, agencies, institutes ... Previously there were three, and now one working group active on action plans creation, up to their implementation in practice. This Canton is the only one in the Federation BiH that made an Action Plan for 2011 and a report on it’s implementation, which was also discussed at the Cantonal Government.December 13, 2012, final evaluation workshop held in Mostar, within the project related to Implementation of BiH Development Strategy and Social Inclusion Strategy - ISR / SSU BiH, lead by the Federal Institute for Development Programming, with the financial support of the Swiss Development Agency.

The impact of the activities on the establishment of the strategic development planning process in the cantons was discussed during the workshop in Mostar. According to Ljubiš Đapan, Director and Nijaz Avdukic, Deputy Director, the Federal Institute proved to be capable and a qualified core team for development programming of the Federation BiH while introducing the implementation of the BiH strategic development documents in the cantons and aligning the process with European requirements and practices, during the past year.

Aim of the project was to emphasize the importance of vertical and horizontal coordination of strategic planning process and harmonization of strategic plans, programs, projects and tasks in order to achieve more balanced and faster socio-economic development. The project established implementing units in the cantons of the Federation BiH (Sarajevo, Tuzla, Bosnian-Podrinje, Central Bosnia, Zenica-Doboj, Hercegovina-Neretva and Canton 10 - Livno). The units, in cooperation with Cantonal Governments, worked to establish a strategic development planning process and, in accordance with available capacities, implementation of BiH Development Strategy and Social Inclusion Strategy. Officers of the Federal Institute for Development Programming were directly involved in the process of strategic planning system establishment in the mentioned cantons, the preparation of action plans, and other segments of strategic planning.

Referring the work done at the end of the evaluation workshop, the participants agreed on key steps for the coming period 2013-2014:

Establishing of political coordination of the process,
Institutionalization of the function of strategic planning at cantonal level,
Applying the action plans into the annual government work plans,
Creating cantonal integral development strategies,
Creation of sectoral strategic development documents,
Developing a multi-annual framework for public expenditure (including out-of-budget funds) at cantonal level,
Development of multi-annual operational programs and identification of key projects for the period 2014-2016,
Establishment of the monitoring and evaluation system at canton level, and
Preparation of the development reports for 2013.

In order to continue activities, all workshop participants agreed that the cantons and the Federal Institute need assistance in:

Technical assistance in formalisation of the strategic planning function,
Financial assistance in recruiting skilled staff in the cantonal implementation units,
Training of newcomers in cantonal implementation units,
Financial assistance in providing minimum required equipment (furniture, IT),
Training and expert assistance in developing strategies,
Training and expert assistance in developing operational programs and key projects,
Training and expert assistance in developing the financial frameworks,
Professional assistance in developing a monitoring and evaluation plan and reporting.
Third Workshop on Strategic Development Planning Harmonization

The third meeting of the Working Group for Horizontal Harmonization of Strategic Planning at the Canton Level of the Federation BiH, attended by representatives of the cantonal and local level institutions, as well as representatives of the Directorate for Economic Planning, Federal Institute for Development Programming and Strategic Planning Consultants engaged by UNDP (ILDP) was held on December 12, in Mostar.

Draft of the theoretical part of the methodology for strategic development planning at cantonal level was discussed, it is prepared by the ILDP Project Team and the Federal Institute for Development Programming, in particular the part related to the methodological framework and key phases of the strategic planning process (preparatory phase, strategic platform, programming and operational part). At the meeting, the concepts that are used in strategic planning are presented in detail, discussed and agreed.

The group concluded:

To submit revised text of the draft of the methodology to all members of the Working Group, with the additional suggestions given during the meeting;
Members of the Working Group to think further about content of key definitions to discuss;
Due date for the Working Group members’ comments on the Theoretical Part of the Methodology is January 10, 2013.

Next steps:

The draft of the theoretical part of the methodology of strategic development planning in cantons will be improved by the end of 2013 enclosing the additional comments of the Working Group members, this is the precondition for the preparation of final draft of the theoretical part of the methodology;
The next meeting of the working group is scheduled for mid-February 2013.

Tuzla Canton Workshop

Canton Livno

Middle Bosnia Canton

Zenica-Doboj Canton