On June 21 – 22 2018, representatives of 29 civil society organizations in Tirana and Vlora, had the opportunity to attend the two-day training programs on “Participatory Policymaking”. The training programs were led by Mrs.Karolina Mikova, Executive Director of Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia (PDCS) and Mrs. Zora Pauliniova, experienced trainer and expert in this field.

These programs helped increase the knowledge and skills of participating organizations, in designing and implementing successful campaigns of participation in policymaking in local government. They were also introduced to examples from the experience of Slovakian colleagues in this regard.

During 20-23 November 2018, 58 representatives of civil society and public administration participated in the second round of the “Participatory Policymaking” training program, facilitated by the Slovak experts Karolina Mikova and Zora Pauliniova. The two-day training programs were organized in Tirana, Durrës, Fier, and Shkodra in the framework of the capacity building program for civil society and public administration, aiming to enhance citizen participation in decision-making processes and strengthen inter-sectoral cooperation.

Citizen`s influence in decision-making processes, planning and designing the policy-making process, identification of stakeholders in designing youth policies, local social and urban plans etc., were some of the topics addressed during these training programs.

The training programs were part of the activities of the project “Partnerships of non-governmental organizations and self- government: Together for more effective participation” is implemented by Partners Albania in cooperation with Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia (PDCS) and is financially supported by Slovak Aid – Official Development Assistance of the Slovak Republic.