Center for High Economic Studies CEVES organized a conference „Key Factors for Sustainable Local Economic Development“ in Pirot, on June 20, 2024, with the aim of exchanging experiences of representatives from Pirot, Toplica, Nišava, and Zaječar districts. The conference was organized together with the Association for the Development of Sustainable Communities TOC, in cooperation with the Regional Development Agency JUG, within the framework of the Platform „Sustainable Development for All“ supported by the governments of Switzerland and Germany, and implemented by GIZ, within the project „Public Finance Reform – Agenda 2030“.
The conference was opened with introductory addresses where participants were welcomed by the Deputy Mayor of Pirot, Miloš Colić, the President of the Management Board and Chief Economist of CEVES, Kori Udovički, and the Sector Manager for Local Self-Government Development at RRA JUG, Nataša Andrejević.
The working part of the conference began with the presentation of the CEVES analysis „Listening to the Market – A Key Factor for Successful Development,“ which pointed out the importance of considering all characteristics, similarities, and complementarities of the economy and people, in order to adequately analyze regional development.
A panel titled „Creating Education Based on Labor Market Needs: Challenges of Implementing the National Agenda, Perspectives of Local Communities, and Expectations of the Economy“ brought together participants to discuss past efforts to bridge the gap between educational outcomes and labor market demand, key results and difficulties, as well as future plans. The panelists were Gabrijela Grujić, Director of the Office for Dual Education and National Qualifications Framework, Miloš Colić, Deputy Mayor of Pirot, Marija Ćirić, Director of the Secondary Vocational School Pirot, and Mira Zlatkov, Director of the ZIP Center Pirot, and the panel was moderated by Tatijana Pavlović Križanić, an expert in local economic development. The discussion showed that efforts to overcome the gap between educational outcomes and labor market needs are visible – a methodology has been developed, synergies between education and the economy are being identified, and programs are being created, but the speed and mass adoption of results are lacking.
After the panel, the Head of the Monitoring Department at the City Administration of Niš, Miljana Medarov-Vujaklija, presented to the attendees the process of developing the Voluntary Local Review of the Implementation of Agenda 2030, for which the city of Niš is the first in Serbia.
In the second part of the conference, attending representatives of municipalities and cities from the four districts had the opportunity to share their experiences regarding specific initiatives important for local economic development, in line with all three dimensions of Agenda 2030. Conference participants could learn more about the regional councils established and supported by RRA JUG, as well as territorial investment strategies that will enable the realization of important projects aimed at improving infrastructure and education in Pirot and Nišava districts. The representative of Dimitrovgrad, Dragan Mančev, presented the opportunities that this municipality offers to businesses, such as revolving funds, which are also implemented in other cities and municipalities, and which enable socially responsible entrepreneurs and farmers to access capital with which they can improve or start their businesses. The representative of Gadžin Han, Aleksandar Ranđelović, shared the experience of establishing a joint ombudsman office with the city of Niš, as an example of how through inter-municipal cooperation, small municipalities can, with fewer resources, enable their residents to protect their rights. In the area of environmental protection, the experience of establishing and operating a regional landfill in Pirot was shared by the head of the department in the city administration, Bojan Pešić, and participants had the opportunity to hear about the establishment of inter-municipal cooperation between Pirot, Babušnica, Dimitrovgrad, and Bela Palanka, with the aim of establishing a joint landfill.
The conference highlighted the need for a proactive role of local self-government in order to achieve sustainable development of its community, which involves constantly listening to the needs of people and the economy, and seeking solutions to their problems through the experience of other cities and municipalities or cooperation with them.
