12 municipalities to share 11 million SEK
Six Swedish municipalities together with their counterparts in Botswana, Serbia, South Africa and Zambia will receive 11 million SEK for their municipal partnership projects.
“Through Swedish municipalities working on issues of concern to them in partnership with other municipalities from low-income countries, our activities are enriched with new, unique insights and experiences, while at the same time strengthening local democratic development in our partner countries,” says Staffan Smedby, Head of Unit at the Democracy and Human Rights Unit at Sida (Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation)
As in recent years, the theme of youth inclusion, and how children and young people can have a greater influence in decision-making processes, continues to dominate.
“The inclusion and participation of young people is an important issue for municipalities and regions. Young people’s future involvement in the democratic system is fundamental for a functioning democracy.
Taking on this challenge through a partnership project provides an opportunity to test and develop new methods and, not least, to share experiences with municipalities from other continents in order to strengthen their ability to involve young people in the development of society,” says Lena Langlet, Head of the Democracy Unit at SALAR (Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.)
Approved projects
Bollnäs municipality – Lobatse Town council, Botswana
Including youth into the cultural heritage to build sustainable societies
Borås City – Vracar municipality, Serbia
Accessibility – organisation policy, structure, and practice
Falu municipality – Mogale City, South Africa
Modern Youth Participation
Kungsörs municipality – Rufunsa district, Zambia
Promotion of active youth participation in decision making and policy formulation
Lunds municipality – Francistown, Botswana
Francistown/Lund
Falkenberg municipality – Sundays river municipality, South Africa
Rights for the future