One of the most effective mechanisms for increasing the participation and involvement of citizens in the management process and for improving the stability and security of communities is decentralization. Decentralization is a process that requires a sustainable and organized commitment of the institutions involved at the local and central level. This process entails the constant adjustment of the relations between the various participants through constant dialogue and communication.

Decentralization of power means the release of the central government from part of its competencies and their transfer to the local level, to the municipalities and the City of Skopje. With the decentralization of power, many of the issues that are extremely important to citizens have gained local significance. In that way, the citizens got the opportunity to directly participate in the organization of the most vital areas of their lives.

One of the goals of United Cities and Local Governments since its creation in 2004 has been to create a Global Observatory on Local Democracy and Decentralization “in order to analyze on a regular basis the advances and possible reverses to local democracy and decentralization around the world, to anticipate potential changes and to analyze the obstacles faced and the solutions required to overcome them” (UCLG Executive Bureau, June 2005).