A round table was held in Sarajevo on April 4, 2014, attended by representatives of 15 non-governmental organizations dealing with rural development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are potential founders of the Rural Development Network in BiH. The present non-governmental organizations, among which were representatives of 4 LAGs, agreed that the Network will be registered at the state level, and its membership and activities will cover the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Although there are a number of informal networks for rural development in the field, this is the first initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina to register the Network by legal entities, civil society organizations, which have expressed interest in greater engagement and joint action to improve conditions. life in rural areas.
The aim of organizing the round table was to harmonize the opinions and attitudes of civil society organizations and clearly define the goals and activities, and other important issues related to the establishment of the Network, which was achieved by this working meeting. With that, preparations were made for the founding Assembly of the Network, which will be held on April 25, 2014 in Sarajevo. The role and importance of the Network, the rights and obligations of the Network members, the territorial organization, the management structure and the bodies of the Network were also discussed.
The initiative for the formal establishment of the Network was initiated by organizations implementing the ACoRD project (Alliance for Joint Rural Development), funded by the European Union and the Swedish organization WE EFFECT, ie the Agency for Cooperation, Education and Development – ACED from Banja Luka, as a leading partner in the project. and REDAH, UG “Something More”, LAG Una-Sana and the European Association LEADER for Rural Development – ELARD from Brussels. This initiative was supported by other organizations active in the field of rural development in BiH, including LAGs. The primary role of the Network is to become an important and unavoidable factor in all initiatives, programs and projects concerning rural communities and people living and working in the countryside, with the strength of its members and the territory they cover. In addition, the role of the Network is to represent, strengthen and promote its members, in order to better respond to the challenges of rural development in BiH.
In its further development and work, the Network will establish cooperation and connections with domestic, regional and international Rural Development Networks, which will contribute to strengthening the capacity and visibility of the Network, exchange of experiences, good practices and knowledge, and ultimately help and contribute to sustainable rural development. BiH.
