Good Governance

Amplifying all peoples’ voices and rights, fostering good governance, enhancing inclusive access to services, preventing and resolving conflicts and ensuring that people on the move, whether by choice or force, do so safely, in decent and dignified conditions.

Together with partners, Helvetas Eastern Europe tackles governance challenges at various levels by supporting sustainable systemic changes that:

  •  amplify the voices of vulnerable communities, migrants and refugees
  • enhance the space for civil society and the private sector to meaningfully participate in inclusive decision making
  • strengthen the capacities of public institutions to deliver gender and youth responsive services and to articulate transformative policies for a cohesive society

How we work 

The following approaches are central to our good governance work:

  • Inclusive Systems Approach: We strive for an impact that is socially, economically and politically sustainable and that lasts and spreads beyond our support. It means that we not only work with partners to find the right technical solutions, but also strengthen them to address underlying power imbalances in the social and political systems. 
  • Partnership & Capacity Development: Good Governance projects collaborate with various partners and networks, focusing on strengthening local actors, be they from the civil society, public, private, academic and/or media sectors, to fulfill their mandates as duty bearers, and provide reliable, responsible, and responsive services to their constituents, clients, audiences, paying special attention to women, youth, and the underserved.
  • Conflict Sensitivity: To ensure we do no harm, conflict sensitivity is integrated into all HELVETAS projects and programs. Conflict sensitivity is especially important in fragile contexts, and is a core components of the Fit for Fragility Framework. Our good governance advisors support HELVETAS staff and partners to be conflict sensitive and to apply conflict sensitive program/project management (CSPM).
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Ongoing projects and mandates

The Good Governance portfolio operates across four countries in Eastern Europe, implementing five large-scale projects alongside several smaller mandates. Helvetas fosters long-term partnerships with 556 organizations across the public, civic, and private sectors to drive impactful governance reforms. In 2024, collaborative efforts directly engaged 219,412 people, including 63% women and 22% youth, improving access to better public services and fostering more cohesive societies.

The five long-standing good governance mandates in the region encompass:

  • Bashki të Forta/ Strong Municipalities project in Albania (Phase 2, 2022-2026)

  • Civil Society Support project in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Phase 1, 2022-2027)

  • Decentralisation and Municipal Support project in Kosovo (Phase 3, 2021-2025)

  • For an Active Civil Society Together project in Serbia (Phase 2, 2023-2027)

  • Municipal Economic Development project in Serbia (Phase 3, 2021-2026)

Smaller mandates include: the Urban Transformation Project Sarajevo (UTPS) in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the regional initiative for addressing social and climate challenges via hackathons #DevPolHack; backstopping support to the Culture for Development Project in North Macedonia, and the emerging mandate for strengthening democratic local governance in Albania.

Our Expertise

Our Good Governance portfolio focuses on two main areas:

  • Governance & Civic Space: Our aim is to ensure that communities and civil society can claim their rights and meaningfully engage in development and policy processes. To achieve this, we develop the capacity of civil society to wield influence, and for local governments to manage resources and efficiently and transparently deliver public services.

  • Urban engagement: We encourage urbanization that is sustainable and inclusive by advancing the capacities of public institutions and facilitating citizen engagement in urban planning.

Additional expertise includes:

  • Conflict transformation: We build cohesive societies where people can live in dignity by fostering peaceful relationships and creating spaces to exchange ideas, prevent radicalization of youth, and constructively resolve conflicts by tackling their root causes and potential drivers.

  • Migration: We maximize the development benefits of migration and protect the rights of migrant workers and their families by strengthening institutions that work at the interface between governments, migrants, and migrant organizations in the places of origin and destination.

Our cross-cutting topics:

  • Gender & Social Equity (GSE): GSE focuses on people centred approaches. It addresses inequality, discrimination, and exclusion based on gender and social factors. Good Governance projects focus on systemic and transformative change by addressing policies, governance systems, culture and values, with affirmative actions which promote women’s representation, leadership, decision-making and public and/or political participation.

  • Advocacy & Human Rights: Advocacy is a transversal theme in all our work, enabling systemic change by strengthening local partners and improving policy frameworks. We utilize our Advocacy toolbox broadly and consistently. We also follow a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) aiming to protect, defend, and promote political, economic, social, environmental, and cultural rights. HRBA reinforces accountability, participation, transparency, and non-discrimination by aligning our work with international human rights frameworks and mechanisms. See our guidelines for using the UN and EU human rights mechanisms.

Contact our experts
Regional Governance Portfolio Manager
Snezana Mišić

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