The ‘Annual Award for Best Practices in Applying Good Governance Principles at the Local Level‘ was introduced in 2018 at the initiative of the MPALSG, the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) and UNOPS Serbia, with the support of the Swiss PRO Programme. Twenty-nine applications were received for the fourth public call for the Annual Award.

The award is presented in four areas:

• In the area of Efficiency and Effectiveness where the municipality of Krupanj received the award.
• In the area of Transparency and Public Participation in the Work of the Local Self-Government where the municipality of Vrnjačka Banja received the award.
• In the area of Accountability and the Rule of Law where the municipality of Veliko Gradište received the award.
• In the area Equality and Non-Discrimination where the municipality of Ćuprija received the award.

The Ministry will allocate funds from the Program for Support to the Development and Functioning of the Local Self-Government System to the awarded local governments, totalling 9.2 million dinars, 2.3 million dinars for the winner in each of the four areas. The winners will also be awarded with additional computer equipment (three desktop computers and three fast scanners), which is awarded by the SCTM from the budget of the Swiss PRO Programme.

In recognition of the efforts made by local governments and on the grounds of the achieved results, special awards were made to the towns of Zrenjanin and Pirot in the category of Efficiency and Effectiveness, to the town of Sombor and to the municipality of Arilje in the category of Transparency and Public Participation in the Work of Local Self-Government, and to the town of Loznica and municipalities of Dimitrovgrad and Ruma in the category of Equality and Anti-Discrimination.

More information about the annual award is available on the Swiss PRO Programme website.