Project supported by the Congress of
Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE)
- Council of Europe - and by the European
Union
LOCAL
DEMOCRACY
EMBASSY
IN SISAK
-1997-
Sisak and Moslavina County
-Croatia-
Established by:
ï City of Sisak (Croatia)
ï Anci Veneto ï City of Arese ï City of Casale
Monferrato ï City of Lainate ï City of Pregnana Milanese
ï Veneto Region ï Association Peace and Development-
Montebelluna ï Blessed are the Peacemakers ï Brotherhood
SOS Lipovlijani ï Committes Lainate for Lipovljani ï
Committee for the support of the forces and initiatives of peace-
Schio, Alto Vicentino ï Reception Group for ex Jugoslavia
families- Gussago (Italy) ï City of Martin (Slovakia)
ï Causes Communes Suisse (Switzerland)
ï City of Mogliano Veneto (Italie)
ï Förderkreis (Remchingen
- Germany)
What Local Democracy Embassies are
and realize
Local Democracy Embassies (LDEs) are
missions of groups of cities, towns, regions, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and associations from Council of Europe member
States, which joint forces in order to operate a LDE, with the
view of strengthening local democracy and a pluralistic, multicultural
and multireligious society, of promotiong human rights, and
of fostering solidarity, friendship and cooperation between local
and regional authorities of Europe and their communities.
They are coordinated and supervised
by a Monitoring Committee, a special body within the Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, Council of Europe.
In concrete, LDE try to meet the needs
of local authorities and citizens which were affected by the war,
by:
ï supporting the rehabilitation
of local public services (town halls, schools, hospitals, transportation,
etc.);
ï encouraging micro-economics contacts,
development and the restarting of economical activities;
ï taking part in municipal staff
programmes;
ï organizing socio-cultural exchanges
(between local and regional representatives, schools, families,
sport and cultural organizations, etc.);
ï encouraging the development of
unbiased and pluralistic information.
The fundings are provided by local authorities
and regions, national governments, international partner institutions
(the Council of Europe, the European Union or other international
organizations such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development, the World Bank, etc.), and partner NGOs.
Origins and international recognition
This new tool of "diplomacy from
bottom up" - which was proposed first in 1992 by Cause Communes
Belgique and by Cause Communes Suisse and discussed with the Helsinki
Citizens Assembly - is based on the consideration that local communities
play a vital role to the working of democracy and can do a lot
to generate a climate of peace and solidarity.
The designation of LDE is given by the
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, under the
aegis of the Council of Europe, in accordance with the principles
set out in Resolution 251 (1993) of the Standing Conference on
Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, Resolution 39 (1996)
and other resolutions of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
of Europe (CLRAE).
The network of Local Democracy Embassies
Besides that in Sisak, the LDEs already
operational are in Maribor (Slovenia), Osijek-Vukovar and Brtoniglia-Verteneglio
(Croatia), Subotica (Vojvodina region, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia),
Tuzla and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Next openings are
the LDE in Ohrid (ìThe Former Jugoslav Republic of Macedoniaî)
and in Mostar (BiH).
For any further information:
Local Democracy Embassy Delegate : Antonella Valmoribda Local Assistant : Vlatka Basaric
Stjepana i Antuna Radica 2/a
4400 Sisak - Croatia
Tel. +385 44 521 227
Fax +385 44 521 231
e-mail: lde-sisak@sk.tel.hr
Sisak City Hall
Rimska ulica 26 - Sisak - Croatia
Tel. +385 44 524 660/ 524 661
Fax +385 44 510 010
THE LOCAL DEMOCRACY EMBASSY (Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia)
The contacts for the creation of a Local
Democracy Embassy in the Sisak and Moslavina county started in
1992. With the work of the International Solidarity Commission
of ANCI Veneto by the CLRAE in April 1996, and on last July the
LDE's office was opened in the City of Sisak and officialy inaugurated
in October, the hosting local municipality.
The permanent presence in Sisak of the
LDE - and its daily opening to the public - is guaranteed by a
delegate and by a local assistant. Specific projecs are followed
by responsibles.
The municipality of Sisak and the
Sisak-Moslavina County
The geographical area of competence
of the mission is the City of Sisak, the cities and towns situated
in the Sisak-Moslavina County which ask for its collaboration
and the nearby towns in the Western Slavonia region.
Sisak is located in the southern part
of the Panonia plain, 50 km south-east from Zagreb, at the confluence
of the rivers Kupa and Odra with the Sava . It is the administrative
centre of the County S-M, and has more than 60.000 inhabitans.
The principal factories, which are state
owned - electric power, petrol, chemics and metals - are living
a strong crisis. The situation with services, especially in the
commercial exchanges and in catering, is a little better. Natural
resources - the Park of Nature of Lonjsko Polje and the village
of Cigoc, recently recognized European village of storkes - as
well as its cultural heritage particularly rich, are the basis
for a growth of tourism.
The Sisak and Moslavina County covers
an area of 5100 Km2 - 9% of the total area of the Republic of
Croatia. According to the census of 1991, it had 287 000 inhabitants,
but the war has rady changed its demographic situation. From 1991
to 1995, more than 50% of the County (the former northern sector
of the United Nations protection zone in Croatia) was under the
occupation of Serbs, and the Croatian inhabitants had to flee.
From Sisak, which was located on the front line, in August 1995
began the Croatian re-conquest of these territories, and the great
majority of Croatian Serbs fled toward the region of Banja Luka,
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then to Serbia.
The war left evident traces in houses
and in the destroyed infrastructures, damaged the industrial equipment,
the commercial relations and the whole civil life. According to
the data of the Regional Office for Refugees and Evacuated people,
at the beginning of August 1996 the City of Sisak hosted 12 993
displaced people and refugees; 38 892 the whole County. The return
of this people to their previous houses and areas is going on
but the process is very long and requests a lot of investments
in the rebuilding of houses and economy as well as a guarantee
for normal life conditions.
Activities 1996
a) Opening of the officies to the pubblic
b) Data bases on socio-economical matters
c) Information focal point
d) First meeting of the School of Civil
Society
e) International seminar on local democracy
(Sisak - nov. 1996)
f) Training course on intercultural
education
(Venice - dec. 1996)
g) International stage for journalists
(Dec. 1996)
h) Visits of Council of Europe's delegations
i) Meetings with representatives of
local authorities and organizations
PROGRAMME 1997
A. Promotion of freedom of information and interethnical communication
- stage in Strasbourg for the
local responsible
- purchase of materials for the
LDE's Library (books and
electronic documentation)
- study-meetings on freedom
of information and of communication
- publishing of a booklet on human rights
and minority rights -support to associations and to local independent
medias that act in favour of communication among the different
ethnic groups
B. Promotion of local democracy
- seminaries for elected peoples and
officers with elected people and officers
of the town-partners
- data bank on population, monitoring
on human rights, civil rights, the right of retun of families
to the place of origin,
LDEs, economic activities, etc
C. Socio-cultural exchanges
- training of leaders of NGOs and groups
that organize initiatives of volunteers and social aid (Kinderheim,
aid to war-widows,
aid to mental ills traumatized by the
conflict)
- school of civil society
- school exchanges, intercultural and
human rights education of pupils and students of the Sisak and
Moslavina County and of the partner-towns
D. Promotion of village tourism and environmental protection
- round-table on the development of
the Park of Nature of Lonja Field
- restoration of a complex of traditional
wooden houses in the village of Cigoc,
the European village of storkes E. Promotion of economic development and rebuilding
- equipment and expert teams for
clearing certain areas of mines (in
Sunja, Petrinja and Glina, and in areas
of waterworks, transmission lines, electric
networks, etc.)
- conference on the economic situation
in the Sisak and Moslavina County and
on economic restarting
- repairing and redecorating a kindergarden
in Gvozd
F. LDE's extention in Pakrac,
Western Slavonia Region
- purchase of musical instruments for
the House of Music in Pakrac
Others
Publications ( LDE's newsletter,
LDE's leaflet, records of seminaries)
