On 3 February 2024, the City of Banja Luka launched its first Citizens’ Assembly – becoming the second local authority in Bosnia and Herzegovina to embark on a deliberative venture with the support of the Congress. The Assembly gathers 35 randomly selected citizens who will deliberate over three weekends on the topic of support to youth through entrepreneurship and propose recommendations to city authorities.
“Empowering local communities and the youth through deliberative processes is a crucial step towards building a stronger democracy and a sustainable future for the people in Banja Luka and for the generations to come and to stay,” stressed President of the Congress Chamber of Local Authorities Bernd Vöhringer at the opening of the Citizens’ Assembly. He commended the efforts of the city in organising the process as well as the choice of the topic.
“This Assembly is a great opportunity to hear the voices of many young people on a very topical issue for them, for the city and for the country as a whole, and I am convinced that the quality and diversity of recommendations will be very useful for the city authorities,” he concluded.
With this deliberative and inclusive process Banja Luka joins Mostar in putting Bosnia and Herzegovina at the forefront of innovative participatory democracy practices in South-East of Europe.
This activity is organised in the framework of the project “Innovating democratic participation at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina” implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022-2025. The project aims to enhance the quality of local democracy and create opportunities for citizens to engage in innovative participatory processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It promotes new democratic approaches, open government, public ethics, transparent and inclusive local policy making in the country.
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