Western Balkans Democracy Initiative

Western Balkans Democracy Initiative

The Western Balkans Democracy Initiative (WBDI) worked with seven parliaments, public institutions, political parties and civil society organisations across five countries to improve representation of women, young people and persons with disability in political processes that impact on their lives. WBDI supported political parties to make their internal structures more democratic and responsive to marginalised groups policy needs.
a woman giving a presentation next to a WBDI banner

The breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and the creation of six separate states exasperated ethnic tensions and nationalist rhetoric that to some extent still frame politics in the region today. As the region’s countries move towards European integration, well-functioning institutions that pass quality legislation, monitor the work of governments and, critically, represent and promote the interests of all citizens, is essential.

We have offices in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia that work at the national level to improve democratic process in the region. WBDI was based and managed out of Belgrade.

The programmes aimed to:

  • Encourage political parties to be more policy-focused and orientated towards voters’ needs and desires;
  • Develop more effective parliamentary practice which leads to better quality legislation, closer scrutiny of the executive and a greater focus  on service delivery in line with voters interests;
  • Enhance democratic culture with greater interaction between state and non-state actors on challenges effecting citizen’s lives. 
Status
Completed
10
Start date
Planned end date

Our WBDI country programmes

Albania

WFD Albania helped political parties become more accessible to women and young people, and was supporting civil society organisations working in the health and environmental sectors to engage decision-makers.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

WFD’s work in Bosnia and Herzegovina focused on advancing women’s political leadership and engaging young people in policy dialogue.

Montenegro

North Macedonia

WBDI in North Macedonia worked to improve representation of youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups in political processes and supported democratisation of the political parties and improvement of democratic policies and practices.

Serbia

WBDI's impact - Institutional support

Enhanced financial oversight practices including the establishment of two parliamentary budget offices in Serbia and Montenegro

Supported parliaments to restructure and revive their services, introducing modern human resources practices

Assessed parliamentary capacities to promote and protect human rights

Built parliament’s capacities to communicate effectively with citizens and be more open and transparent institutions

WBDI's impact - Engaging civil society organisations

Enhanced the ability of our partners to research and produce evidence-based policy papers for engagement with institutions and policy-makers

scales of justice

Promoted civil society engagement with parliamentary committees to advocate for legislative change. 

WBDI's work with political parties has

Built party structures and systems

Enhanced women's and youth political participation; 

Provided education, support and advice relating to campaigning and elections; 

Given opportunities for networking and engagement, including exposure to UK and European counterparts

Our expertise

Senior Leadership Team
Person smiling at camera

Chris Levick

Regional Director, Europe and Central Asia

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