G17 PLUS Projects

Energy for Democracy

      Following its very mission, the G17 PLUS Expert Network established to assist Serbian citizens, undertook the Energy for Democracy Project to, with the assistance of the EU, Canada and Norway provide heating fuel to the opposition-run municipalities (Čačak, Užice, Trstenik, Bajina Bašta, Požega, Arilje, Kraljevo, Niš, Pirot, Kragujevac, Subotica, Novi Sad and Sombor) in Serbia. With full cooperation with the Association of Free Towns and Municipalities of Serbia and the mayors of the respective municipalities, the G17 PLUS experts prepared the list of urgent needs in heating fuel. Besides elaboration of the project and its presentation to the donors, the G17 PLUS offered technical support in processing the emergency assistance, enabled monitoring though its local offices and handled the marketing campaign.

Asphalt for Democracy

      In its mission to assist to the citizens of Serbia and the long term development, the G17 PLUS Expert Network prepared and undertook the Asphalt for Democracy project, designed in such a way to benefit the widest public and support the governance of the democratic opposition. Poor quality of construction, ill-maintenance and lack of investments in transport infrastructure resulted in a very bad state of the local roads in Serbia. The situation was particularly grave in the opposition-run municipalities, as both their prerogatives and revenues were constantly reduced. Asphalt for Democracy entailed construction and reparation of 270 km of roads; it was co-financed by foreign donations and Local Governments. Donations refer to asphalt emulsion or bitumen which are fundamental components for preparation of asphalt; all other operations and raw materials were financed by the municipalities themselves. The G17 PLUS handled technical realization, monitored the project implementation through its local offices and managed the public promotion.

Agro-Net

      With this project, 8000 individual agricultural producers (farmers) were educated in making of business plans as an indispensable and initial condition for the development of farms through application for loans and in this way responding to the new, market-oriented nature of the economy. Through interactive lectures and workshops, which were a part of this project, education in new technologies in agriculture was also provided.
      Project aims are: education in new technologies in agriculture and direct communication between the lecturers and the farmers for the purpose of collecting data on the state of the agriculture in the country. Creation a database on the amount of available land, its main characteristics, number of farms, and for the initiation of rapid supply and demand of agricultural produce.
      The goal of this project is the setting up of an environment for faster development of agriculture and rural areas through the promotion and affirmation of new knowledge and technologies in the area of agro-business, as well as the affirmation of contemporary knowledge and experience in the area of local communal policies and the areas of agro and communal management.
      The project objectives are the creation of conditions for the establishment of quality life in villages throughout Serbia and for the development of local communities, as well as for the development of private agro businesses and SMEs in villages in our region. One of the notable objectives is also the creation of conditions for the modernisation and development of agricultural industry as the base pillar for the swift development of rural areas and of our country in the future. As a part of this project, there is a possibility of developing three five-year programs in the near future: Agro-experts Network; Agrarian Chamber of Commerce; Rural Development Network.
      Agro-experts Network: The aim of this program is the creation of conditions for alternative continuous education of Yugoslav agro-experts and agro-managers, as well as for their linking to and inclusion into Yugoslav and International expert and consultancy networks.
      Agrarian Chamber of Commerce: The aim of this program is the creation of conditions for assistance in modernisation of the agro industry from basic production to food processing, as well as the creation of conditions for its swifter development trough better links with identical agro industries in Europe and the world.
      Rural Development Network: The aim of this program is the creation of conditions for rural development, most notably on the development of the concept of being a “farmer”, of cooperatives, private SMEs, local government and the system of education in rural schools, but also the fostering of conditions for their linking to similar institutions in Europe and the world.

Capacity Building in local Communities

      The project targets 40 municipalities in Serbia, divided into four provisional regions for the purpose of more efficient implementation. Its basic idea is to strengthen the position and role of local communities by widening and enriching their functions, areas of competence and the work they do. Five spheres of intervention were chosen: political science complex; legal regulations analysis; analysis of economic premises; local cultural determinants, and the NGO sector reorientation. Based on these the project concentrated on upgrading the capacities of local communities and primarily the advancement of standards and mechanisms of good governance and efficient administration, by taking different complementary approaches. Besides the previous research tasks necessary to determine the real state of key development parameters in each environment, a selective system of education was secured which involved the leading groups of the population in key institutions of the local community. This form of work was accompanied by appropriate training activities, instructions and supervision. Special attention was paid to the popularisation of this important mission, its far-reaching strategic effects and the utility of changed and applied policies. Altogether, a total of 25 researchers, lecturers, instructors and PR experts (5 for each sphere of intervention) with a high professional rating, and 200 assistants (five in each intervention sphere in 40 municipalities) are engaged for this large-scale education and capacity building project.

CRDA – Community Revitalisation through Democratic Action

      The Community Revitalization through Democratic Action (CRDA) Program is a community development program intended to promote citizen participation in identifying and addressing critical needs for the economic and social revitalization of their communities. This program is being implemented throughout Serbia by selected U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with the financial support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). G17 PLUS is a member of a team of NGOs led by America’s Development Foundation (ADF) implementing the CRDA program in sixty five MZs which are selected in 11 municipalities in the Vojvodina Region. Apart form G17 PLUS, the ADF Team also includes the University of Delaware/Flag International, Arbeiter Samariter Bund Deutschland (ASB), and the International Executive Service Corps (IESC).
      The CRDA Program has been focused on bringing members of a community together – in partnership with local government – to create better conditions in their communities. Each of the sixty-five MZs in the Vojvodina region selected to participate in the program identify priority areas of needs in the community and through selected Community Development Group (CDG) that work with the CRDA program develop projects that make improvements for the community. Local government representatives are also part of the CDG. The Team works with each CDG to increase its effectiveness as a collaborative and representative structure to mobilize all elements within the community for the common good.
      Many desired improvements to local conditions do not depend solely on changes at the community level but rather must be achieved through collaboration between a number of communities. The CRDA Team also works to develop communication, coordination, and joint action between communities in a natural cluster to address and resolve issues that are best resolved through collaboration between MZs.
      The CRDA Program hopes to result in concrete improvements in local conditions. The Team works with community and cluster groups in the Vojvodina Region to identify appropriate and feasible solutions to local problems. Once these solutions are identified and prioritised, the Team assists the community in implementing these solutions.