Based on the assessment of the canton's capacity for development planning and management in 2019, the Integrated Local Development Project (ILDP) announced the winners in development planning and management, namely the Central Bosnia and West Herzegovina Canton.

The assessment of the canton's capacity for development planning and management is a system for measuring the progress made in implementing the strategic planning and development management process. Four groups of evaluation criteria are monitored, namely the status of strategic documents, strategy implementation, development management structures, and reporting and involvement of cantonal assemblies in development processes. All of these contribute to final index score.

The Project Committee of ILDP, a joint project of the Swiss Government and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, announced the winners based on the evaluation.

Central Bosnia Canton received the award for the best development planning and management system in 2019 with an index of 95 percent.

"In the past two years, the Central Bosnia Canton has achieved significant results in the growth of the capacity planning and development management index and won awards for first and second place in the category of establishing a development planning and management system. This type of award motivates us to be even better each year", said Muhamed Softić from the Central Bosnia Canton.

The Central Bosnia Canton received the award for the highest growth of the capacity index for planning and development management in 2018. The $80,000 prize fund was used by the Central Bosnia Canton to implement the introduction of the E-office. The project that is planned to apply this year is the procurement of CT devices for the Hospital for Lung Diseases in Travnik.

It should be emphasized that Tuzla Canton is better ranked with 97 percent of the index, but Tuzla Canton in this category in 2018 has already received a financial award for co-financing the implementation of the project from the Action Plan. According to an earlier decision of the ILDP Project Committee, the same canton in the same category cannot receive the award twice, so the award for 2019 went to the Central Bosnia Canton.

Senad Ovčina, coordinator of the Cantonal Committee for Development of Tuzla Canton, says that the results that Tuzla Canton achieves are the result of teamwork and commitment of all participants in the process.

"The ILDP project and its staff were extremely important for Tuzla Canton and achieving these results. According to the assessment of the state of the development planning and management process in Tuzla Canton, huge progress is visible from 2014 (23% of the index) to 2019 (97% of the index). Through these years of cooperation, and through investment of a great and selfless effort, a significant transfer of knowledge in this area has been achieved, which has enabled the Tuzla Canton a leading position”, said Ovčina.

The award for the largest growth of the capacity index for planning and development management in 2019 was given to the West Herzegovina Canton (growth of the index from 83% in 2018 to 94% in 2019).

Ivan Jurilj from the West Herzegovina Canton emphasizes that the award is a recognition for the efforts to establish an effective system of planning and development, all with the aim of improving and raising the quality of life in the West Herzegovina Canton.

"The West Herzegovina Canton has, in the past period, invested a lot of effort in creating a better atmosphere for development, and this is a kind of recognition that we are on the right track. The biggest challenges we face in the process of development planning and management are certainly still underdeveloped capacities for development management at all levels and the lack of financial resources for the development of support instruments to accelerate development processes and achieve even better results”, explained Jurilj.

In the past period, visible progress has been made in establishing a development management system, and in the coming period in most cantons the focus will be able to shift to ensuring sustainability and creating positive effects on the lives of citizens.

"I take this opportunity to congratulate all the cantons, and above all the cantons that we believe have already largely ensured the continuous process and sustainability of the achieved results, namely Tuzla Canton, Central Bosnia Canton, West Herzegovina Canton, Sarajevo Canton and Zenica-Doboj Canton. I am convinced that other cantons will make positive strides as early as 2020”, underlined Nasir Nalić, ILDP representative.