Kosovo Local Government Institute (KLGI), on the 15th anniversary of its establishment, held the annual conference “A decade and a half from decentralization – key moments and perspectives”. The event described three key dimensions: Developments, Trends and Perspectives of Local Governance; Support of the Center for Municipal Development; Development partners and common agenda for municipalities.

The Executive Director of the KLGI Institute, Mr. Valmir Gashi, presented the views of the KLGI Institute on local governance. In emphasis, the need for a new agenda, centered on sustainable development and contribution to the European integration process, was laid out. In the chronology, the direct engagement of KLGI in support of municipalities and central authorities, in the advancement of local governance, was traversed.

Minister of MLGA, Mr. Elbert Krasniqi, emphasized the ministry’s commitment to the advancement of local governance, mentioned the achievements of MLGA and municipalities, receiving evaluations from the Country Report of the European Commission.

The Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Mr. Jens Erik Grondahl, underlined that decentralization as a process is vital to ensure the good functionality of the local governance system, adapting the best possible practices for governance at the local level.

In a ceremonial moment, the ninth (IX) generation of the “Local Government Academy – LGA” advanced training program was certified at this event, while the tenth (X) generation of this program was launched. This was a good opportunity to create synergy between the actors in following contemporary trends and advance the European perspective in the municipalities.

The activity was carried out in the framework of the program “Dialogue for European Municipalities” (DEM), supported by Norwegian Embassy in Prishtina