Thanks to a USDv 4.6 million grant from the government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), UN-Habitat this week announced the launch of the thrid phase the Kosovo Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme.
Since the end of the war in Kosovo in 1999, UN-HABITAT has been promoting good governance, security of tenure, sustainable human settlements development and inclusive spatial planning in Kosovo and the western Balkans region. 
The Phase three project launched 1 December was prepared in response to a request by the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning of Kosovo to support development planning in 12 selected municipalities.
The 3.5 year programme phase will contribute to sustainable development of partner municipalities through strategic and comprehensive planning interventions with particular focus on the environment. It will also continue enhancing local democracy through participatory and transparent municipal planning processes. In this third phase, policy advice will be offered to the central level institutions, strengthening their capacities.
The municipal support programme also co-finances improvement of the physical environment through demonstration projects, identified and designed through urban planning part of the project. One of these - the improvement of Nerodime River bed in Ferizaj/Urosevac photoghraphed - has reduced flooding, created a promenade along the river, and a new bridge. It was inaugurated by UN-HABITAT, SIDA and the Mayor as part of closing ceremony of Phase 2 and launch of Phase 3, on November 30, 2011. 
The photographs show Nerodime river project before and after the renovation.
The Kosovo Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme has helped establish institutions such as the Housing and Property Directorate, the Kosovo Cadastre Agency, and the Institute for Spatial Planning within the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning. The agency has also been building capacities for efficient management of local governments. These include the LoGo (Local Government Programme), and Municipal Support Programme (MSP 2000-2001), the Urban Planning and Management Programme (UPMP, 2001-2003), the Governance and Development Planning Programme (GDPP, 2003-2006), all funded by the Government of the Netherlands, and the Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme (MuSPP, 2005-2008 and MuSPP2, 2008-2011), funded by the Government of Sweden through Sida. See also www.unhabitat-kosovo.org
|
