On June 2nd, the fourth and last Tri Partite Review Meeting (TPR) took place in Grand Hotel. TPR meetings bring together the programme sponsor (Sida), the programme implementer (UN-HABITAT) and its counterparts (the beneficiary municipalities and central level institutions, including the Association of Kosovo Municipalities-AKM). The purpose is to monitor and evaluate the achievements and working methods of the Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme (MuSPP).

On June 2nd “Highlights MuSPP1 2006-2008” were presented and discussed, including some of the bottlenecks experienced in this first phase. There were preliminary discussion of these achievements and bottlenecks during the Thessaloniki retreat with the mayors of the MuSPP beneficiary municipalities and central level ministries (Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning -MESP and Ministry of Local Government and Administration- MLGA), from 26 to 29 May.

The Mayors acknowledged that municipal planning capacities are still very weak to cope with the immense challenges of rapid and uncontrolled urbanization and development. They expressed their firm commitment to their personal direct involvement in the process of municipal planning. To assist them, the mayors requested more direct cooperation between them and MuSPP2, delivering strategic advice on urban management including multi-sectoral planning and project management.

Another topic discussed at the Thessaloniki retreat was the need to re-organize and re-vitalize the existing planning structures and bodies in municipalities so that these better respond to the challenges in urban and rural development. MuSPP’s advice to strengthen the role of the multi-departmental Municipal Planning Team, the Planning Unit, the Council of Planning Experts and last, but not least, the recognition of the Informal Council of Civil Society Organizations was welcomed by all the participating mayors and ministers or their delegates.

Firm support was also expressed regarding the opportunity and need for inter-municipal, regional and cross-border cooperation. All these elements were reflected in the Programme Document for MuSPP2, as presented in Thessaloniki and confirmed during the TPR in Grand Hotel).

June 2nd marked the formal end of MuSPP1 and the smooth transition to MuSPP2, which will run until 2011. The transition phase will end with the final signing of the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU’s) between UN-HABITAT and the beneficiary counterparts. These MoU’s will contain a generic part valid for all partners and a specific part with a concrete road map per municipality. 

The MoUs are intended to make clear the roles and responsibilities of the partners in order to achieve more effective and efficient tailor-made cooperation. A crucial and critical element in MuSPP2 is to develop an “exit strategy” which will ensure a smooth transition of vital MuSPP roles and activities to Kosovo institutions and organizations by the end of the programme. For that purpose, dialogue and cooperation with central level institutions such as MESP, MLGA and the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, needs to be intensified. One of the commitments made in Thessaloniki is to advise and assist the Collegium of Spatial Planning of AKM which includes most municipalities in Kosovo. Another challenge is to assure that the Department and Institute of Spatial Planning will play a decisive and distinct role in the exit strategy.

Last but not least: as for MuSPP1, the success of MuSPP2 will highly depend on the involvement and commitment of the civil society and the community-based organizations (CBO) in the beneficiary municipalities, throughout the entire planning process, from long term envisioning to concrete projects and actions.  It is hoped that these organizations will have an expanded role in MuSPP 2.