The year 2023 marked the end of the monitoring of the Social Contract 2019-2023 in 12 municipalities of the country where the POP Network operates. In total, 74.5% of citizens’ priorities were addressed during this period, paving the way for the new Social Contract 2023-2027. In the context of the local elections of May 14, 2023, the POP Network has organized 16 Public Forums between candidates of different political forces and citizens. In these public forums, the POP Network has presented the Social Contract for each Municipality, a platform that aims to support citizens in defining their priorities and ensure the commitment of candidates to follow them after the elections. The Social Contracts were signed by the candidates as a moral commitment to address the citizens’ priorities.
The organization of the public forums and the signing of the Social Contracts is only the first step of the process: During the next four years, the municipalities will be monitored by the organizations of the POP Network on the progress of the addressing of the priorities identified by the citizens.

Overall Objective
POP Network monitor the decision-making processes and take an active role in advocating and influencing the policy debate and political agenda for the rights holder’s interest.

Specific objectives
The specific objectives of the project include:
SO1. POP competences and legitimacy to monitor and influence decision-making and policy agendas strengthened.
SO2. The voice and agency of citizens raised and they are organized in groups to become vocal for their rights and influence the local policy agendas.
SO3. Duty bearers involve civil society groups and organizations in decision-making and budgeting processes; the platforms of communication and cooperation with civil society groups are strengthened.
SO4. Monitoring the Social contracts that are signed in 2023, within a public forum and the duty bearers maintains a dialogue with citizens on the implementation of commitments made.

This initiative is supported by the Olof Palme International Center, with funding from the Swedish Government and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Since 2019, POP has operated with the idea that a more bottom-up and holistic approach to resolving accountability and integrity issues will result in significant improvements in community service delivery from their municipalities. To this end, POP incorporated the Juxtaposing Political Offers as a solution to the unactive, low performing and unaccountable local municipal officials operated and by which the network aims to increase public debate and information among citizens on electoral platforms of parties and candidates for mayors, as well as orienting these platforms towards the needs and priorities of citizens as well as to lobby and advocate for the fulfilment of the citizen priorities that were signed in the Social Contract.

POP Network now has a new attempt to rethink its approach for enhancing sustainable development of itself and the environment it operates, equality, and empowerment through improved accountability of their local elected representatives and authorities in general, utilizing bottom-up techniques, as a result of these changes.

Main Objective: POP Network monitor the decision-making processes and take an active role in advocating and influencing the policy debate and political agenda for the rights holder’s interest
Specific Objectives:
SO1. POP competences and legitimacy to monitor and influence decision-making and policy agendas strengthened and POP network developed exit scenarios from the OPC in the medium- and long-term.
SO2. The voice and agency of citizens raised and they are organized in groups to become vocal for their rights and influence the local policy agendas.
SO3. Duty bearers involve civil society groups and organisations in decision-making and budgeting processes; the platforms of communication and cooperation with civil society groups are strengthened.
SO4. Social contracts are signed within a public forum and the duty bearers maintains a dialogue with citizens on the implementation of commitments made (this objective is valid only for the year of elections 2023 and/or 2028).

This initiative is supported by the Olof Palme International Center, with funding from the Swedish Government and the National Endowment for Democracy.

During 2021, the POP Network was expanded to 12 municipalities, adding the municipalities of Elbasan, Vau i Dejës and Korçë. Three Social Contracts were added to the above municipalities thus continuing the monitoring for their implementation in 12 municipalities. Through this project, the Pop Network aims to strengthen cooperation with citizens in their involvement in decision-making at the local level, being a bridge between them (citizens) and local government in terms of transparency, accountability and local democracy. And work to strengthen the network and partner organizations, are some of the changes expected during 2022.

POP 2022 overall goal: Empower the CSOs to effectively hold accountable the municipalities for the fulfilment of the priorities of the social contract associated with citizens’ access and engagement to local government.

POP-2022 specific objectives:
SO1: Furthering CSOs, member of POP, influence with citizens and local officials, in the target municipalities.
SO2. Developing the Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025 for sustainable POP Network actions in the future.
SO3: Strengthen the relationship between POP, citizens, businesses and media
SO4: Monitor, report and hold accountable the duty bearers in the local level to complete social contract prepared by POP members in each municipality.
SO5: Strengthening regional network with Kosovo and North Macedonia.

Main target groups
Citizens in urban and rural areas; Marginalized groups; Civil society organizations; Agency for the Support of Local Self-Government; Mayors of Tirana, Kamza, Durrësi, Fieri, Vlora, Shkodra, Kukësi, Puka, Pogradeci, Elbasani, Korça and Vau i Dejës; Municipal Councils; Municipal staffs; Media; Parliament, etc.

This initiative is supported by the Olof Palme International Center, with funding from the Swedish Government as well as the National Endowment for Democracy.

In 2020, the POP Network led by the Gender Alliance for Development Centre (GADC) monitored the implementation of social contracts in 9 municipalities. These contracts were developed based on the community priorities in the pre-election period 2019, signed by the candidates for mayors. While the Social Contract itself regulates the relations in a society, between people; between the people and their government and other institutions, we are managing a part of it. As such, the social contract signed between the mayors and the partner organizations of POP networks contains important issues which the citizens seek to resolve as soon as possible by the municipality.

During the first year of the mandate in all municipalities, 17% of the priorities were fully addressed, partially 58% of them, and 25% of the priorities have not been addressed yet.

In these difficult times where the COVID-19 pandemic has played an important role it is necessary to involve more actors than just government and citizens. These actors can be representatives of business, civil society, trade unions, etc. Therefore, this will be one of the goals of POP during 2021 to involve more actors in discussions and decision-making. Furthermore, another goal of POP is that through cooperation each municipality or mayor to fulfill the priorities of the social contract within 2021.

POP 2021 overall goal: Empower diverse CSOs to effectively hold accountable the municipalities for implementing the legal framework and fulfill the priorities of the social contract.

POP-2021 specific objectives:

SO1: Strengthen the POP network by extending with other organizations covering other municipalities, making POP more visible.
SO2: Strengthen the relationship between POP citizens and other actors in society.
SO3: Monitor, report and hold accountable the duty bearers at the local level to complete social contract prepared by POP members in each municipality.

Main target groups
Citizens of Tirana, Kamza, Durres, Fier, Vlora, Shkodra, Kukes, Puka, Pogradec, Elbasan, Korca, and Vau i Dejes. Mayors, Municipal Councils, and their political parties. Media – lobbying and advocacy in various media for the initiative of POP Network. Civil Society Organizations in all municipalities as allies.

This initiative is supported by the Olof Palme International Center, with funding from the Swedish Government as well as the National Endowment for Democracy.

The citizens often believe that politicians only approach them during elections, when they need their vote and rarely keep the promises made to their constituents. The citizens also have little knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of local government, making accountability to this institution more difficult. Often, citizens’ interests and needs are overshadowed by the highly politicized decision-making process that focuses less on the substance of representative democracy and more on personal and political interests and power. Strengthening democracy by fostering transparency and accountability of elected officials is what POP stands for. It is an attempt to increase spaces for public debates and citizen information related to policy platforms on the one hand and orienting these platforms towards the needs and priorities of the community on the other.

During 2019, the partner organizations of the POP network implemented the project “Përballja e Ofertave Politike” (Juxtaposing Political Offers) – 2019 (POP 2019)”.

The next initiative of the POP’s first phase aims to lobby and advocate for the fulfilment of the citizen priorities that were signed in the Social Contract for the municipalities of Tirana, Kamza, Durres, Fier, Vlore, Shkoder, Kukes, Puke and Pogradec and also to make sure the involvement of the community to the participatory decision making.

POP 2020 aim to:

• Continue the work of the POP network monitoring and holding accountable the mayors and councils.
• Lobby and Advocacy for the accomplishment of the social contract priorities for each municipality;
• Continuing and improving the POP methodology for lobbing and advocating which strengthen the relationship between the CSOs in the network, between them and the political parties and increase the CSOs reputation in public.

The main components of POP 2020 are:

• Network empowerment
• Lobbying as a Network for Local Democracy Issues
• Monitoring the Municipality Council meetings. Monitoring of municipal council meetings and municipal activity. The basic monitoring document are the priorities in the Social Contract.
• Advocacy/Lobbying for the priorities identified during POP 2019 public forums with citizens to be fulfilled.
• Media activities in collaboration with local journalists and media
• Citizen feedback / rallies / statements.
• Citizens’ Activities for their Legal Education based on the new Legal Education Strategy and Civic Engagement to attend consultative sessions in municipal / mayor meetings and staff.
• Organize public activities in local level.

Main target groups

• Citizens of Tirana, Kamza, Durres, Fier, Vlore, Shkoder, Kukes, Puke and Pogradec.
• Mayors, city councillors and their political parties. Our project will hold them accountable in their future management of the municipality through the online platform and through the pacts they have signed based on community priorities.
• Media: lobbying and advocacy in the various media will make the POP 2020 initiative more visible to the public and beyond, to focus in detail on each of the community’s priorities in the respective municipalities.
• Community as well will be informed about the POP 20190-2020 online platforms and will be invited to follow the platform and social media dedicated to the project.
• CSOs in all the municipalities as our allies will work and support our initiative for the fulfilment of priorities for the communities.

This initiative is supported by the Olof Palme International Center, with funding from the Swedish Embassy in Tirana and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Përballja e Ofertave Politike – POP 2019, is an initiative of the network of 9 organizations of the Albanian civil society in the framework of the upcoming local elections of June 30, 2019.

POP 2019 aims to increase public debate and information among citizens on electoral platforms of parties and candidates for mayors, as well as orienting these platforms towards the needs and priorities of citizens. Through its activities, the project aims to strengthen Albanian democracy, promoting transparency and accountability during elections and the period after them.

POP has been successfully implemented during the 2013 Parliamentary Elections, the 2015 Local Elections and the 2017 Parliamentary Elections. This initiative has been and is supported by the Olof Palme International Center, funded by the Swedish Embassy in Tirana.

POP 2019 will be organized in the municipalities of Durres, Fier, Kamez, Kukes, Pogradec, Puke, Shkoder, Tirana and Vlore where the network organizations exercise their activity.

POP 2019 aims to:

• POP 2019 aims to bring dialogue between constituents and candidates, but also between candidates themselves. POP 2019 will serve as a platform for discussion, whereby candidates will be held accountable to their promises and will be invited to sign the social contract between them and the citizens in a town hall format forum.
• Through the tools of legal advocacy/lobbying the network will strive to achieve results, ensuring that the pacts are not merely a written pledge, but an actionable engagement for future elected mayors.
• POP 2019 will aim to keep an informed and enlightened citizenry by using online technology as a tool to provide information to the public on the promises and priorities made and the work to fulfil them. Additionally the interactive website will offer Albanian citizens a much needed ideological glimpse of what political parties offer. This is a much needed discussion in the Albanian political and public sphere as most discussions revolve around those involved in politics rather than their ideas and ideological positions on issues such as the economy, taxes, social welfare and others.
• POP 2019 will aim to increase both transparency and accountability of candidates for elected officials. Frequent studies have shown that Albanian citizens feel that politicians are only interested in their own wellbeing and interests and care about them only during election periods.

At the center of all POP 2019 activities will be the citizens with their needs and concerns, as the shift of public debate from politics to political platforms in the pre-election period is important. POP 2019 is an opportunity for political parties to present their programs to show how much they will care for citizens in the next four years. The promises of the political parties and their programs will be monitored after the 2019 Local Elections by the Network of POP organizations and the groups of citizens that will be organized by this network.