Transcript Latvian NGDO Platform

Latvian NGDO Platform
Success and problems in advocacy and policy
dialogue of the Platform/country during 2005
The main issues for advocacy and policy dialogue of
the Platform on national and international level in
2006
Trialog Central Training, Budapest 9-10 March, 2006
.Structure of the Platform:
24 member organizations, 7 board
members, 4 staff members
Expertise of members:
Education policy development
Civil society development
Criminal law
transparency of information,
prevention of corruption
LAPAS
Gender equality issues,
reproductive health
24
members
Children’s rights
HIV/AIDS prevention,
volunteer service
Aim of the Platform
To create an environment favourable for NGOs, to provide opportunities for
development co-operation at the national and international levels
Main activities
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policy advocacy and lobbying activities at national and
international levels,
public awareness rising activities, Development education
capacity building activities,
Faciliating development cooperation opportunities with
priority countries,
providing NGOs with information on fundraising options to
carry out development cooperation activities
Priority countries
Georgia (2005)
Moldova (2006)
Success and problems in advocacy and
policy dialogue of the Platform/country during 2005
Success/country:
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Small ODA increase from 0,06 % GNI in 2004 to 0,061 % of GNI in 2005
Development Cooperation Policy Plan for 2005
Development Cooperation Policy Program 2006 –2010
Financing from state budget for Development Cooperation Policy
implementation 2006 – 2010.
Development Cooperation Policy Plan for 2006
Development Cooperation Policy Council was created
Country strategy papers for Georgia and Moldova
Success/Platform
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Participation in Development Cooperation Policy Advisory Board at the MFA as
a fully fledged member;
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Awareness raising activities were initiated and implemented in
cooperation with the MFA (media seminar, booklet on MDGs, interviews);
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Most of the Platform’s comments on the national Development Cooperation
Policy documents and position papers are taken into account;
close
Success/Platform
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MFA showed a greater interest to cooperate: request of information,
involvement of Platform in designing
position papers, invitation to
participate in conferences (national and international) partly covering the
travel expenses, participation of MFA in Georgia NGO Forum (organized by
Platform) partly covering Forum expenses;
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Establishing contacts with MPs (especially in the Foreign affairs committee);
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Platform became a member of CONCORD, participation in CONCORD’s
Working groups;
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Fact finding mission to Georgia;
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NGO Forum: Moving towards the EU, 5 – 7 October 2005, Tbilisi as a first
visible evidence of cooperation between Latvian and Georgian NGOs
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Involvement of President of Latvia, MFA, government, municipalities, media
in NGO co-operation Forum, carried out in Georgia.
×ÏÍÃÉ “ÙÉÀ ÓÀÆÏÂÀÃÏÄÁÀ –
ÓÀØÀÒÈÅÄËÏ”
Open Society – Georgia Foundation
“NGO Forum: Moving towards the EU”
•To present Latvian transition experience
–within three areas - “towards European Union”, “Education” and “Social area” and
identify the needs and necessities of partner’s country;
•To strengthen the NGO participation and cooperation with Municipality and the
Government in Latvia and Georgia
•To establish the network within three areas of action
–“towards European Union”, “Education” and ‘Social area” among the civil society
representatives from Latvia and Georgia as an operational basis for further
activities;
•To develop the project ideas
–within the three core areas of interest for further cooperation.
Participants of the NGO forum
•13 Latvian NGOs – one of the leading and most experienced
organizations in EU affairs, field of Education and Social area
•More than 70 Georgia-based NGOs: think-tanks, grass-root
organizations, experts, opinion-leaders
•Latvian and Georgian Government officials
•Representatives from Riga and Tbilisi City Council
•More than 90 participants in total
The speech of the President of Latvia
Results of the NGO forum
•Created the recognition of the expertise of Latvian NGDO Platform as a
reliable partner
•Increased Government awareness of the development cooperation and the
role of civil society in democratisation process
•Increased the association with Latvia as a role model and prospective gate
for civil society development towards the EU
•Created groups of interest - network among the Forum participants within
three areas of action as well as data base for future contacts
•Identified needs and necessities of Georgian NGOs and specific areas of
cooperation
•Generated about 14 cooperation ideas
Problems
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Process of ODA budget designing for the year 2006 showed that the government
has a very low political will. The ODA level in Latvia for Development Aid in
2004 was 0,06 % of GNI and 0,061 % of GNI in the year 2005. Although total
sums have risen, official Latvian ODA commitment for the year 2006 is expected
to be even less than year before – 0,057 % of GNI. There were no reactions on
Platform’s advocacy letters for ODA budget;
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ODA Call for proposals/grant programme still has not been enounced. It is
expected that first Call for Proposals on Development Cooperation projects will
be announced in 2006 by the MFA. Amount available for DC and public
awareness projects is only 150 000 LVL (213 000 Euro);
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Information exchange system with all relevant stakeholders on DC including
MFA should be formalised and more regular;
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Capacity of the Platform and its members shall be bigger to secure better
advocacy results.
The main issues for advocacy and policy dialogue
of the Platform on national and international level in 2006
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Public awareness on Development Cooperation, Development Education;
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Highlighting national ODA policy, lobbying ODA budget for 2007, grant scheme
on DC projects;
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Highlighting ODA policy at regional level (Baltic states); all three states have
foreseen 0,1 % from GNI till 2010 (instead of 0,17 %);
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Communication among all relevant stakeholders;
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Professional and lobbying capacity of Platform and its members;
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More and better suitable grant opportunities available for New EU member
states;
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Ensure a stronger representation of Latvian experts in international ODA
projects (especially in the post soviet region);
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Advocacy activities at EU level on Development Cooperation (through
CONCORD).
Actions in 2006
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Lobbying activities on ODA budget for 2007 and political awareness,
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Round table discussions (civil society representatives, parliamentarians, civil
servants from MFA and media, academics),
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Preparation for the Baltic conference on Development Cooperation,
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a research on the level of awareness and participation of NGOs in Development
Cooperation activities and their expertise/informative materials based on the
research,
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Implementation of the project called “Market of Possibilities” (EC supported
project in cooperation with Finnish partner KEPA),
Development of the project (MFA Call for Proposals on Public Awareness raising
activities),
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Needs assessment mission and experience exchange with Moldova,
NGO Forum in Moldova (in autumn 2006),
Development of cooperation possibilities with other transitional economy and
developing countries (e.g. Belarus),
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Participation in lobbying activities for DC policy at EU level (through CONCORD),
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Seminar on Development Education (in April).