As part of the project „Building democratic participation in the City of Mostar“, a special component is dedicated to strengthening capacities of city councillors in performing their duties. In this respect, the first in a series of workshops in which several councillors participated, has been organised on Friday 11 June 2021.

The first two workshops are organised in the form of a platform for exchange of experiences of city councillors of Mostar with their European peers, who are at the same time members of the Congress of local and regional authorities, on the role of the local councillors, challenges and ways to lead successful policies,  and involve citizens and other different stakeholders in local policy-making.

During the first workshop on 11 June 2021, participants discussed the topic "Role and responsibilities of the city councillor", and got acquainted with the experience of a special guest Andrew Boff (a member of the Congress and the Chairperson of the London Assembly) in this field. This was followed by an  interactive discussion on good practices related to the role of councillors, and on the various challenges and opportunities that councillors face.

A second workshop is planned for 18 June 2021, and will address topics such as ensuring the credibility, integrity and responsibility of the council as well as successful involvement of citizens in the decision-making process in a representative democracy.

This event is organised in the framework of the project “Building democratic participation in the City of Mostar” within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2018-2021. The aim of the project is to create opportunities for citizens to engage in a deliberative process and increase their contribution to local decision-making. In turn, this process will foster dialogue at local level and contribute to the revitalisation of democratic processes in the City of Mostar.