In his introductory speech, Mr. Oesch reminded the delegates of the SCTM Assembly that for Switzerland, local self-government is the essential level of government in any country.
“But, for this to happen, it needs to have competences, it needs to have financial means and it needs to be able to consult the citizens and to give them the rights to express their opinion about the things that concern them the most”, Oesch emphasized.
Therefore, these are some of the most important areas of the Swiss Government’s support to local self-government in Serbia and this particularly through long-standing cooperation with the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, which has been recognized as a valuable and reliable partner, able to get the local and the central level of government in Serbia talking together.
On its way to support further the development of Serbian towns and municipalities, the Swiss Government also cooperates with the most relevant organizations and institutions such as UNOPS, OSCE, EU delegation, Council of Europe etc. Mr. Oesch also mentioned a new programme designed in line with the EU Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and thus oriented towards the creation of sustainable, livable and resilient cities, which is to be implemented in Serbia in cooperation with the World Bank as of 2022.
Mr. Oesch reminded his listeners that this year is the 30th anniversary of the support and cooperation between the Swiss Government and Serbia. “We never left, we were always present, we will continue to be present in Serbia”, confirmed Oesch. Further cooperation will be strategically defined within the new Cooperation Program for Serbia for the period 2022-2025 with the focus on three broad thematic areas: Democratic Governance, Economic Development and Employment, and Climate Change and Sustainable Urban Development.
