The ToT, held by the Smart Action Consortium on Zlatibor mountain, gathered 18 local GG team members, who had undergone a series of trainings in this area during the European PROGRES programme funded by the Swiss Government, and had also visited Switzerland for best practices and easier application of the acquired knowledge in their local self-governments (LSG).

Designed to provide sufficient information about the methodological approach, skills and techniques needed to implement the training, but also including a number of practical exercises for the participants, this five-day training enabled the local team members to test their abilities in facilitation, presentation, communication, including working with “difficult” participants, preparation of the concept and agenda, and everything else they would need in real circumstances.

“The Swiss PRO programme has been investing great efforts to translate good governance into practice in LSG units. We are convinced that the participants of this training are important agents in this process, and we will continue to spread positive practices together with them,” Snežana Libong Ngai, Swiss PRO Programme Good Governance and Gender Equality Officer, said.

Despite that the agenda was tightly packed and they worked for hours each day, the participants showed an exceptional level of motivation, working on some presentations until very late at night even.

“I am surprised, in the most positive sense, with the degree of motivation of this team, their interaction, constructiveness, and finally dedication and commitment during this specific training, but also to the very idea and principles of good governance,” Nenad Čelarević, co-leader of this training with Andrijana Jovanović, said.

The participants themselves also confirmed high level of motivation, dedication and willingness to continue working in the area of good governance. They say that it is not just about the respect of the principles such as efficiency and effectiveness, transparency, participation, accountability, rule of law, equality and non-discrimination, but that good governance is also a philosophy of living and working.

Several members of the GG team that could not attend the training will, with the trainers, go over the curriculum covered by their colleagues on Zlatibor in the near future, and this will be followed by further steps to strengthen the team and prepare them to give trainings on good governance in their LSGs in the Swiss PRO programme area of responsibility.