Belgrade Open School, together with a partner organization – Association of Young Researchers Bor, organized a workshop titled 2030 Agenda and the planning system at a local level in the field of environment, on July 9 in Bor. The workshop was intended for the representatives of local civil society organizations with the aim to empower them to actively monitor and participate in the process of drafting the Local Development Plan in this municipality.

The first session was dedicated to the 2030 Agenda, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals, with special reference to the goals related to environmental protection (SDGs 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15). Furthermore, the participants expressed their views on local issues related to various areas of the environment. For example, during a discussion centered around the SDG 6 – Clean water and sanitation, representatives of local civil society organizations presented the most pressing issues, as well as the potentials of Bor in the field of water management. A similar discussion was developed around other SDGs and in this way, local challenges have been mapped and linked to specific environmental SDGs. The information obtained through the workshop will serve as a starting point for the creation of the part of the Local Development Plan related to the environment.

The topic of the second session was strategic planning and development of public policies at a local level in the Republic of Serbia. The participants were introduced to the Law on the Planning System of the Republic of Serbia, the process of public policies development and the connections between the public policies at a national and those at a local level. The central part of this session focused on the process of drafting, adopting and monitoring the implementation of the Local Development Plan, as per the Law on the Planning System of the Republic of Serbia.