Rethinking Citizen Participation: From Symbolic to Systemic Change

Sustainable and inclusive development is most effective when it is locally owned and driven by communities themselves. Helvetas’ experience across Eastern Europe demonstrates that when citizens are equipped with the necessary tools, knowledge and platforms, they are not passive recipients of policy but active architects of governance — transforming it from a hierarchical, top-down structure into a collaborative and accountable system.

This raises a critical question: How can civil society transition from operating at the margins to shaping mainstream policies? The following three cases from Helvetas’ portfolio illustrate that systemic change is achievable with the right partnerships, strategies and persistence.

Embedding citizens’ voices in governance

Limited citizen participation and weak municipal accountability lead to decisions that often overlook community needs, especially those of marginalized groups. In partnership with local governments and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Kosovo, Helvetas has introduced innovative approaches to strengthen both citizen engagement and municipal responsiveness.

From participatory budgeting to performance-based grants, new ways have been created for citizens to directly shape decisions that impact their daily lives — promoting transparency, responsiveness and collaboration.

The major innovation is the social audit mechanism: It is a space created by local governments that brings together CSOs and citizens to monitor capital investment projects financed by the Municipal Performance Grant. From 2022 to 2024, around 400 citizens and 70 CSOs monitored 47 capital projects in 21 municipalities, identifying and addressing service delivery challenges.

In Gjakova, social audit teams highlighted poor-quality tactile signs and orientation strips in the city center. After advocacy by organizations representing blind residents, the municipality upgraded these features to meet accessibility standards. In Peja, the local government fully implemented a social audit team’s recommendations for park rehabilitation — two years after their initial review.

“These successes didn’t happen overnight,” says Drilon Shala, who is responsible for the supervision of the social audit in Kosovo. “Helvetas tackled early resistance from municipal officials and capacity gaps among CSOs by investing in training on municipal finance, procurement and public dialogue, and by facilitating trust-building between government and civil society. As of 2024, social audits are on track to be institutionalized through a formal partnership with the Ministry of Local Government Administration, ensuring the sustainability of citizen-led accountability.”

Advocacy for improving the lives of people with disabilities

Across Eastern Europe, people with disabilities often face systemic barriers to accessing essential services and support, including assistive technologies that are critical for daily living and independence. These challenges are frequently rooted in outdated policies, limited funding and a lack of inclusive infrastructure. In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, these issues have been particularly evident in the case of blind individuals, who for years were routinely overlooked and excluded from official lists of orthopedic aids.

Helvetas joined forces with CSOs to change this. Organizations such as the Tuzla Association of Visually Impaired Citizens (UGOV), along with partners from Gračanica, Una-Sana Canton and Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, launched a joint campaign to standardize orthopedic aid lists across three cantons — and demand that visually impaired people have equal access to these essential tools.

This effort focused on building strategic alliances between CSOs, the media and legal experts; engaging policymakers through consultations, parliamentary hearings and public advocacy; and raising awareness via traditional and social media, transforming a hidden injustice into a national conversation.

As UGOV representative said, “Independence has no price.” Their campaign gained public support while also positioning CSOs as credible policy actors. Helvetas support, especially in capacity-building, coalition-building and dialogue with policymakers, helped shift the narrative from charity to rights and from marginalization to inclusion.

Changing the gender narrative in inheritance rights

Equal inheritance rights to men and women are formally guaranteed by law in Serbia. Yet traditional norms tell a different story. Many women still feel pressured to renounce their share in favor of male relatives — a decision with serious long-term consequences.

Consider Vesna, a single mother of two. At her probate hearing she renounced her inheritance, just as her mother had done. “It was simply something that everybody expected,” she explained. But after her divorce, Vesna found herself without a safety net. The Law on Social Protection states that those who renounce inheritance are barred from receiving social assistance — leaving her without both property and public support for the next 20 years.

Helvetas is working with partners like the Women’s Association of Kolubara District (ŽUKO) to confront this injustice. ŽUKO’s campaign has challenged the long-standing view of women as belonging to “someone else’s house” and launched a national dialogue about equal inheritance.

Helvetas’ support was not limited to campaign funding. It also focused on institutional strengthening, mentorship and sustainability. This included helping ŽUKO develop communication strategies, address staff turnover and build networks. With long-term institutional support, ŽUKO also founded the multi-sector Coalition for Equal Inheritance, which now includes over 20 CSOs and government bodies, such as the Commissioner for Protection of Equality.

The campaign has reached more than 2 million people and laid the groundwork for legal reform. While Vesna cannot reverse her decision, her story has helped inspire a broader movement — one that promotes informed choices and economic justice for women across the country.

What we’ve learned: From local voices to systemic impact

These three examples, achieved within the DEMOS, PRAGG and ACT projects, show that structured, well-supported civic engagement leads to real change. Together, they demonstrate that:

• Participation must be strategic. Citizens need the tools and legitimacy to influence decisions, not just be consulted.
• CSO capacity is key. Strong organizations are better able to advocate, collaborate and hold institutions accountable.
• Lasting reform requires partnerships. Helvetas’ approach connects CSOs, communities and governments to embed change at all levels.

Helvetas remains committed to promoting inclusive governance, social justice and human rights across Eastern Europe. But this work cannot succeed in isolation. We call on donors, governments and development actors to go further — to fund civil society, train citizen leaders and open doors for co-creation. Because when citizens lead, systems change. And when civil society is strong, democracy is resilient.

This blog was prepared with valuable contributions from Doruntina Golaj (DEMOS), Marijana Radakovic (ACT), and Nikolina Vilov (PRAGG).