12/12/2024 From 2-4 December 2024, in Zagreb, Croatia, GIZ and NALAS co-organised two important events – the Project Advisory Board (PAB) Meeting of the Regional Capacity Development Network for Water and Sanitation Services (RCDN) and a Strategic Management Networking Event for RCDN partner associations’ leadership.
At the PAB meeting, RCDN partner Local Government Associations (LGAs) and Associations of Public Utility Companies (APUCs) discussed the last year’s progress and the way forward in shaping regional collaboration and advocacy.
Ms. Jelena Janevska, NALAS Program Director, presented NALAS’ contribution at regional level in the two important areas – organisational development and sustainability, as well as regional collaboration and advocacy.
“In the past year, through a portfolio of regional capacity development services, RCDN and NALAS addressed all priority topics identified by the partner LGAs and APUCs at the first PAB meeting: Organisational development and sustainability; Associations’ training centres’ organisation and pool of trainers; and Advocacy skills and dialogue platforms for improvements in the water and sanitation services sector. These regional capacity development measures, including not only training, but also networking, peer exchange, mentoring and technical assistance, added a new value to the national activities implemented by partner associations”, said Ms. Janevska.
NALAS Executive Director, Mr. Kelmend Zajazi took part in the panel “The way forward: Shaping Regional Collaboration and Advocacy”. “RCDN is proving to be an exceptional regional model that has a huge potential to grow as a broader platform on Green Agenda and resilience. Strengthening the capacities of our societies in these emerging topics is urgently needed and we should use what we already have as a model built for the water and sanitation services sector”, said Mr. Zajazi.
At the two-days Strategic Management Networking Event, a pool of key-note speakers and experts opened important topics related to: strategic management, conducting organisational analysis, understanding leadership, establishing corporate governance, identifying and engaging stakeholders and financial management.
The event was opened by an exceptional key-note speech of Mr. Dusan Raicevic, NALAS President and Mayor of Bar, Montenegro, who shared important leadership lessons with RCDN partner LGAs and APUCs. “Based on my experience, two Ts – Team and Trust the most important things in organisational success”, pointed Mayor Raicevic.
In her inspiring address, Ms. Nives Kopajtich Skrlec, Director of NALAS’ member, the Association of Cities of Croatia, elaborated how the LGA’s services, membership base and contributions grew over time, thanks to the hard work, advocacy successes and the trust of the Association’s Board.
Other speakers included: Mr. Andrej Marochini, Director of Water and Sewage Company of Rijeka, Mr. Jurica Kovač, Water Expert, Mr. Heinz Habegger, from the Swiss Water Association VSA, Mr. Henning Weidemann, EWE Wasser GmbH, as well as Deloitte’s experts in strategic management Mr. Gordan Kozulj, Mr. Mihailo Udovicki and Mr. Jeff Kwarteng Jacobsen.
