Newsroom
OSCE begins training Kosovo's new municipal assembly members
PRISTINA 8 November 2002
PRISTINA, 8 November 2002 - A first round of post-election training for Kosovo's newly elected Municipal Assembly Members is underway. The training is the first in series of five sessions organised by the OSCE that aims at providing new assemblies with basic but essential knowledge on their duties and responsibilities.
Nearly half of the 920 newly elected municipal representative are carrying a municipal mandate for the first time. This initial training session will give them guidance for the first official assembly meeting.
According to UNMIK Regulation 2000/45, municipal assemblies are to hold their first meeting within fifteen days of the certification of the results. At this first gathering, the new municipal councillors will have to subscribe to a solemn oath. In the following sessions the sworn-in municipal assemblies will elect their President and their Deputy Presidents and, in case the positions are vacant, appoint a new Chief Executive Officer and the members of Board of Directors.
In most of democratic societies, newly elected assembly members meet for orientation just after the election to prepare them for their new duties. In many of the cases the training is conducted by the services of the municipality itself. The post-election training will offer them the tools to best serve their municipality.
Similar post-election training sessions were organised by the OSCE in 2000 following the first municipal elections. This year again the OSCE believes it is necessary to prepare the new municipal representatives for the coming work. The way the sessions are presented has been however adapted to present local capacity of the Mission. Sessions are now directly conducted in Albanian and in Serbian by OSCE Local Professional Democratization Officers without the interference of an interpreter.
The next four training modules to be organised will focus on the role and responsibilities of assembly members, on how to conduct an efficient meeting, on the way councillors can work together, and on the role of the opposition.
Through its Municipal Assembly Support Teams, the OSCE is playing a key role in helping to strengthen local government structures. The aim is to help the local assemblies fulfil their obligations to every citizen in the municipality, including communities with particular needs
Media representatives interested to observe the sessions should contact the press office that will make the arrangements. The attached document provides the date and venues of the coming sessions.
Nearly half of the 920 newly elected municipal representative are carrying a municipal mandate for the first time. This initial training session will give them guidance for the first official assembly meeting.
According to UNMIK Regulation 2000/45, municipal assemblies are to hold their first meeting within fifteen days of the certification of the results. At this first gathering, the new municipal councillors will have to subscribe to a solemn oath. In the following sessions the sworn-in municipal assemblies will elect their President and their Deputy Presidents and, in case the positions are vacant, appoint a new Chief Executive Officer and the members of Board of Directors.
In most of democratic societies, newly elected assembly members meet for orientation just after the election to prepare them for their new duties. In many of the cases the training is conducted by the services of the municipality itself. The post-election training will offer them the tools to best serve their municipality.
Similar post-election training sessions were organised by the OSCE in 2000 following the first municipal elections. This year again the OSCE believes it is necessary to prepare the new municipal representatives for the coming work. The way the sessions are presented has been however adapted to present local capacity of the Mission. Sessions are now directly conducted in Albanian and in Serbian by OSCE Local Professional Democratization Officers without the interference of an interpreter.
The next four training modules to be organised will focus on the role and responsibilities of assembly members, on how to conduct an efficient meeting, on the way councillors can work together, and on the role of the opposition.
Through its Municipal Assembly Support Teams, the OSCE is playing a key role in helping to strengthen local government structures. The aim is to help the local assemblies fulfil their obligations to every citizen in the municipality, including communities with particular needs
Media representatives interested to observe the sessions should contact the press office that will make the arrangements. The attached document provides the date and venues of the coming sessions.