Kosovo Social Contract Activity Annual Report Year 1

(DI) from December 13, 2021, to December 12, 2026. The activity aims to introduce sustainable practices for public participation to improve Kosovo citizens' quality of life and strengthen their partnership with the municipal government. The Social Contract Activity encompasses a systems thinking approach to lower behavioral, institutional, and environmental barriers and amplify existing facilitators for public participation while bridging the communication gaps between communities and municipalities. The activity will be implemented in two phases. During Phase 1 in Years 1-3, the team will work with five partner municipalities and their respective community stakeholders to co-develop, test, and evaluate public participation action plans (PPAPs), hereafter known as Social Contract Agendas. During Phase 2 in Years 3 through 5, the team will scale up public participation plan processes and successful practices to an additional 10-14 municipalities while providing limited support to and monitoring of the five partner municipalities. In Year 1, the Social Contract Activity achieved several key milestones. An Advisory Council (AC) was established and held four meetings, and strong relationships were developed with the mayors and municipal officials of the five partner municipalities. A methodology was prepared and a Public Participation Assessment was conducted in the five partner municipalities, which included Behavioral Harvest Workshops (BHWs) with 75 municipal officials, interactive workshops (IWs) with 148 citizens, key informant interviews (KIIs) with 21 individuals, focus group discussions (FGDs) with 49 participants from rural communities, small group discussions (SGDs) with 101 participants, and surveys in each of the five pilot municipalities that reached 4,032 participants. The assessment findings were validated with officials and citizens in all five municipalities, and presented to the mayors and USAID. The five municipalities were supported to redesign invitations and create checklists for budgetary hearings meetings, which they continue to use for other municipal events. The municipalities also improved the planning and organization of budget hearings, which included re-designing public announcements/invitations and content checklists and introducing a facilitation guide. Two partner municipalities (Suhareka and Gjilan) established "Citizen Participation teams" based on BHW findings, and Social Contract Agenda videos were designed and broadcasted in the five pilot municipalities. A total of 1,011 participants attended the Social Contract Agenda workshops, and 1,011 citizens participated in the IWs. The activity also facilitated the development of Social Contract Agendas in the five pilot municipalities, which included 15 community issues and 45 recommendations. The Social Contract Activity also supported the five municipalities to improve the planning and organization of budget hearings, which included re-designing public announcements/invitations and content checklists and introducing a facilitation guide. The activity also established a strong partnership with the five partner municipalities, and developed a robust monitoring and evaluation system to track progress and identify areas for improvement. The Social Contract Activity also conducted a midterm evaluation, which highlighted the importance of building trust and relationships between municipal officials and community members. The evaluation also emphasized the need for a more inclusive and participatory approach to public participation. The Social Contract Activity has made significant progress in Year 1, and has laid the foundation for a more inclusive and participatory approach to public participation in Kosovo. The activity has established a strong partnership with the five partner municipalities, and has developed a robust monitoring and evaluation system to track progress and identify areas for improvement. The activity is well-positioned to achieve its goals and objectives in the coming years, and to make a positive impact on the lives of Kosovo citizens.