Press Releases
Karlovac and Kansas City Partner for Local Economic Growth
For Immediate Release
June 7, 2005
Zagreb, Croatia, June 7, 2005 -- City officials from Kansas City, Kansas are visiting Karlovac this week to work with local city officials to develop strategies to attract investment, create jobs, and develop eco-tourism in Karlovac. Together, they will also design a public-private partnership plan for the transformation of former military barracks to residential housing in the Karlovac area.
Karlovac also plans to prepare a local economic profile brochure for dissemination to potential investors and to develop a community-based economic development strategic plan.
Karlovac city administrators intend to use Kansas City's Livable Neighbourhood Program as a model to broaden and strengthen neighborhood engagement in public information campaigns and citizen participation in local decision-making.
Karlovac and Kansas City officials began their cooperation in November 2004, laying out specific initiatives and goals. This week's visit is the third of six planned visits over the next year.
Pairing cities to exchange ideas on common issues related to local government performance is known as 'twinning'. USAID's 'Twinning Program' is part of its Local Government Reform Project, which provides technical assistance to strengthen local governments' ability to address citizens' needs more efficiently and provide more transparency and accountability in local affairs. It is a multi-year effort to introduce modern public administration practices to most of Croatia's 565 local governments and to assist with policy reform to strengthen the local government sector.
There are presently four such partnerships between Croatian and American local governments: Karlovac-Kansas City; the Istrian cities of Rovinj and Umag matched with Port Townsend, Washington; Buzet, Labin and Pazin partnered with the Northeast Oregon Economic Development District (which includes the cities of Pendleton and La Grande, along with Union County in Oregon), and Dubrovnik linked with the City of Monterey in California.
USAID is the primary assistance organization of the United States Government. Since 1992, the United States has provided over $407 million to Croatia (much of it through USAID programs) to strengthen democratic institutions and assist in postwar reconstruction and the return of refugees, to support de-mining and economic development, and to provide educational and training opportunities. The U.S. has also provided guidance and support to the Croatian judicial and military sectors to further Croatia's integration in Euro-Atlantic institutions.