GAI supports efforts to increase public participation in local government decision making and oversight and create mechanisms for local self-governments to operate in a more transparent and responsive manner.

Through a nation-wide open call, GAI annually selects a set of local self-governments with whom to partner.

Technical assistance is designed to increase citizen engagement in local budget planning and spending, improve government responsiveness in public service delivery, institutionalize whistle-blower protection programs and increase transparency in government through improved strategic communications.

USAID signed Memoranda of Cooperation with seven local self-governments in October 2018. This first group includes the cities of Vranje, Sombor and Šabac and municipalities of Vrnjačka Banja, Raška, Sjenica and Dimitrovgrad. Successful strategies will be shared with other cities and municipalities to scale up good governance reforms across Serbia.