Kosovo citizens need action, not words
Gaining public support
"No governmental activity can be successful without public support," said Professor Besim Spahic, the main lecturer at the four-day course held in Prishtine/Pristina. Professor Spahic, who comes from Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, focused on the need to build a positive social atmosphere.
The problem Kosovo municipalities and other institutions face is the public's lack of trust in the authorities. A low rate of tax collection and utilities payments clearly illustrates their unwillingness to buy into governmental initiatives.
The course equipped information officers with basic knowledge and skills to reach out to the public, to present municipal plans and to collect feedback and initiatives that citizens may propose. They also learned how to exploit media outlets and how to help develop the image of their municipalities.
Give and take
Today's Kosovo shows little production, poor infrastructure, muddy city walks and roads and garbage bins often set on fire. It's not a pretty scene, but who's responsible?
The obvious answer is both the authorities and the public. The authorities are responsible through a lack of concrete plans and actions to improve their municipalities. The public is responsible through the neglect of social responsibilities such as paying taxes, maintaining the environment and requesting governmental actions.
However, it's the authorities who need to take the first steps and engage the population. "You each need to ask yourself some questions," Professor Spahic told the information officers. "What am I doing to make Kosovo a better place? Why and for whom am I doing it? We must analyze ourselves, our motives, and then try to appeal to others."
If the authorities want public support for their plans, they need to prove to residents that they will fulfill their promises. "Res non verba" -- "Action not words" -- was the phrase repeated by Professor Spahic throughout the training course. "As servants of the people, you work for their interests," he said. "As prime communicators, you are the ones who must hear their needs and ensure that they support the solutions your institutions offer. It's a give-and-take relationship."
An important bridge
The role of the information officer is to bring both sides together: to ensure citizens' participation in decision-making, bringing their concerns to the municipal management, and to ensure the responsiveness of the authorities.
The public relations training course introduced information officers to governmental marketing, based on the idea of building a partnership with the public. The goal is to get people working with the government, not against it, to affect changes for the better.
The Mission has supported a number of training courses for municipal officials in urban planning, economic development and financial management sectors. With these people properly equipped, municipalities and authorities at large are in a better position to engage the public.
Municipal public relations
Promoting the successes of municipalities is necessary to gain public support but owning up to mistakes and finding solutions for them is equally important. This is why analysing the work of municipalities is essential.
At the end of the course, participants agreed to develop communication strategies based on a realistic analysis of the work of municipalities, as well as the available resources and know-how. While the OSCE Mission can provide advice and training courses, officials have to take institutions into their own hands and do their jobs. If Kosovo is to move forward "action, not words" is the slogan to follow.
In co-operation with the Kosovo Institute for Public Administration, the Mission plans to deliver follow-up training courses in 2005 to continue improving communication between municipal authorities and residents.
"No governmental activity can be successful without public support," said Professor Besim Spahic, the main lecturer at the four-day course held in Prishtine/Pristina. Professor Spahic, who comes from Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, focused on the need to build a positive social atmosphere.
The problem Kosovo municipalities and other institutions face is the public's lack of trust in the authorities. A low rate of tax collection and utilities payments clearly illustrates their unwillingness to buy into governmental initiatives.
The course equipped information officers with basic knowledge and skills to reach out to the public, to present municipal plans and to collect feedback and initiatives that citizens may propose. They also learned how to exploit media outlets and how to help develop the image of their municipalities.
Give and take
Today's Kosovo shows little production, poor infrastructure, muddy city walks and roads and garbage bins often set on fire. It's not a pretty scene, but who's responsible?
The obvious answer is both the authorities and the public. The authorities are responsible through a lack of concrete plans and actions to improve their municipalities. The public is responsible through the neglect of social responsibilities such as paying taxes, maintaining the environment and requesting governmental actions.
However, it's the authorities who need to take the first steps and engage the population. "You each need to ask yourself some questions," Professor Spahic told the information officers. "What am I doing to make Kosovo a better place? Why and for whom am I doing it? We must analyze ourselves, our motives, and then try to appeal to others."
If the authorities want public support for their plans, they need to prove to residents that they will fulfill their promises. "Res non verba" -- "Action not words" -- was the phrase repeated by Professor Spahic throughout the training course. "As servants of the people, you work for their interests," he said. "As prime communicators, you are the ones who must hear their needs and ensure that they support the solutions your institutions offer. It's a give-and-take relationship."
An important bridge
The role of the information officer is to bring both sides together: to ensure citizens' participation in decision-making, bringing their concerns to the municipal management, and to ensure the responsiveness of the authorities.
The public relations training course introduced information officers to governmental marketing, based on the idea of building a partnership with the public. The goal is to get people working with the government, not against it, to affect changes for the better.
The Mission has supported a number of training courses for municipal officials in urban planning, economic development and financial management sectors. With these people properly equipped, municipalities and authorities at large are in a better position to engage the public.
Municipal public relations
Promoting the successes of municipalities is necessary to gain public support but owning up to mistakes and finding solutions for them is equally important. This is why analysing the work of municipalities is essential.
At the end of the course, participants agreed to develop communication strategies based on a realistic analysis of the work of municipalities, as well as the available resources and know-how. While the OSCE Mission can provide advice and training courses, officials have to take institutions into their own hands and do their jobs. If Kosovo is to move forward "action, not words" is the slogan to follow.
In co-operation with the Kosovo Institute for Public Administration, the Mission plans to deliver follow-up training courses in 2005 to continue improving communication between municipal authorities and residents.