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Monitoring reports have started to be developed under the project "Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens"

Under the program for capacity building in the field of good governance of a group of 30 civil society organizations started the stage of elaboration of the reports for monitoring the transparency and accountability of 32 levels II LPAs and 60 levels I LPAs from the Republic of Moldova. After being instructed on what and how to monitor, program participants have 30 days to complete the reports. The activity is part of the project "Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens". 

Margarita Rotari, president of the “Ișcălenii” Public Association from Fălești district, says that by participating in the project she understood how important the transparent activity of a public administration is. At first glance, the LPA uses a web page that meets the transparency criteria that have been monitored. But, deeper navigation on the page, it is clear that public authorities do not comply with the legal framework on access to information for citizens.

"All training seminars were focused on the beneficiaries of these training, ie us, the future evaluators. The process of assimilating the information was very pleasant. It exceeded expectations. We hope in a short time to make quality reports ", said Irina Bejan, president of the Public Association "Asociația băștinașilor din Taraclia de Salcie" from Cahul district.

The project coordinator, Ana Znaceni, states that the capacity building activities of the civil society at a local level are meant to contribute to the development of a critical and analytical society, able to discover those gaps in the activity of local authorities and which will be able to bring to the public information and data about the responsibility of public institutions and how citizens can get involved in public affairs. 

The program has three components: 1) education, 2) mentoring, and 3) the stage of the elaboration of the transparency and accountability monitoring reports for 32 levels II LPAs and 60 levels I LPAs in the Republic of Moldova. The training process involves the organization of three seminars. The mentoring stage will guide the participants through the steps necessary for the preparation of monitoring reports. The last stage is the preparation of reports. Other activities envisaged in the project, among them being three TV shows conducted at a regional level, three (online), regional conferences where the CSOs can bring to the attention of citizens and stakeholders the findings of monitoring and evaluation reports.

The ”Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens” project is implemented in the September 2020 – July 2021 timeframe. It is funded by the European Union and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, through the Grants Program "Development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova". The program will offer during the years 2020-2021 grants amounting to about EUR 3 million Civil Society Organizations, which operate outside the city of Chisinau.

The purpose of the program is to contribute to the development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova, which promotes and monitors the transparency and the responsibility of public institutions, including in the implementation of the Moldova-EU Association Agreement.

This press release was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the "Transparent Public Authorities for Active and Informed Citizens" project and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

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IDIS ”Viitorul” concluded the first phase from the capacity-building program in the field of good governance for local CSOs

The last seminar of the capacity-building program in the field of good governance for a group of 30 civil society organizations was held online, during the last days of February. The seminar included presentations by IDIS “Viitorul” experts Viorel Pirvan and Diana Enachi, who talked to participants about public procurement, investments, municipal enterprises and the participations in companies and as human resources.

The capacity building program, which aims to strengthen the role of the CSOs as watchdogs, is being conducted within the ”Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens” Project, implemented by IDIS ”Viitorul” and financed by European Union and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, through the ”Development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova” Grants Program.

According Diana Enachi, the legal framework which regulates the procurement process is a complex one, while procurement data and various other data sources are not accessible in a single data source, which usually makes the monitoring process quite difficult. The expert highlighted the fact that, during the seminar, the CSOs found out what are the data sources, as well as the information and the documents from the procurement process that the authorities are compelled to publish.

”To reduce the risk of corruption, conflict of interest and the use of money for illegal purposes, it is important that local public authorities that are founders of companies, ensure the transparency and professionalism in corporate governance. The competitions held for public office at local level are often rigged by hidden agreements and favouring of certain candidates. Therefore it is important that local public authorities ensure public access to all information related to the selection and the hiring of staff in the public service", said Viorel Pîrvan.

One seminar participant, Elena Calmis, expressed the opinion that the seminar was useful and provided the participants with accurate, comprehensive and well-structured information. In her opinion, such seminars should take place regularly so that more civic activists come to realize how they can contribute to the increase in the transparency of the decision-making process. ”I believe that in this way we can move the things in the right direction", said Elena Calmis.

”The topics which were addressed during the seminar were those which we needed in the field of good governance at the local level. All trainers were professional, presented the topics in a brief, clear and appropriate manner for the understanding of all participants”, mentioned Elena Vlas, another seminar participant.

Ana Znaceni, the project coordinator, added that the principles of good governance imply respect for transparency in the drafting and adoption of regulations, and that transparency is an essential feature in the management of public affairs. She also mentioned that the right to free access to information of public interest and the right to participate in the decision-making process is legally guaranteed for all interested parties which can be affected by public authorities’ decisions and which can influence the decision-making process.

”The public procurement, investments, municipal enterprises and the participation in the companies and as human resources are the last areas of transparency of the nine that were discussed by the beneficiaries of the program together with the project experts Viorel Pîrvan and Diana Enachi. During the three training sessions, we aimed to strengthen the capacities of local CSOs, and through the "homework" component we attempted to implement theoretical knowledge in practical activities what will help beneficiaries of the program to develop LPA transparency monitoring reports”, added Ana Znaceni.

The program has three components: 1) education, 2) mentoring, and 3) the stage of the elaboration of the transparency and accountability monitoring reports for 32 level II LPAs and 60 level I LPAs in the Republic of Moldova. The training process involves the organization of three seminars. The mentoring stage will guide the participants through the steps necessary for the preparation of monitoring reports. The last stage is the preparation of reports. Other activities envisaged in the project, among them being three TV shows conducted at a regional level, three (online), regional conferences where the CSOs can bring to the attention of citizens and stakeholders the findings of monitoring and evaluation reports.

The first seminar was held on February 4, and the second on February 18.

The ”Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens” Project is implemented in the September 2020 – July 2021 timeframe.

The ”Development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova” Grants Program, financed by the European Union and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, will offer during the years 2020-2021 grants amounting to about EUR 3 million Civil Society Organizations, which operate outside the city of Chisinau.

The purpose of the program is to contribute to the development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova, which promotes and monitors the transparency and the responsibility of public institutions, including in the implementation of the Moldova-EU Association Agreement.

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The Institute for Development and Social Initiatives ”Viitorul” continues the series of training sessions in the field of good governance for local CSOs

 

The second seminar of the capacity-building program in the field of good governance was held online on Thursday, 18 February, for a group of civil society organizations. The seminar included presentations by IDIS “Viitorul” experts Viorel Pirvan and Diana Enachi, who talked to participants about budget process and budgetary transparency, professional ethics, conflict of interest, and social services. 

The capacity building program, which aims to strengthen the role of the CSOs as watchdogs, is being conducted within the ”Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens” Project, implemented by IDIS ”Viitorul” and financed by European Union and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, through the ”Development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova” Grants Program.

”The principle of budgetary transparency is not a caprice of civil society organizations but is stipulated in the law on public finances and budgetary-fiscal responsibility. Although local public authorities are obliged to develop and manage local budgets in a transparent manner, and also to present the budget-related information to citizens in a clear and accessible manner, we find that these legal provisions are not always respected”, said Diana Enachi.

The expert also mentioned that, according to the 2020 Local Transparency Ranking developed by IDIS Viitorul, only 19 district-level public administrations (59%), and 25 first-level local public authorities (42%) used the website for public consultation purposes and in order to inform the public about the draft budget for 2020. ”The training of local civil society organizations leads to an increase in their capacity to monitor budgetary transparency and implicitly promotes of the accountability of local public authorities”, mentioned Diana Enachi.

In turn, Viorel Pirvan stated that the authorities have the responsibility to develop integrity measures. But, the expert added, for various reasons not enough anti-corruption tools have been developed at the local level, or if such tools have been created, they carry but a formal character and are without impact. Furthermore, they are inefficient and sometimes non-existent as mechanisms for supervising and sanctioning of subjects who do not follow the provisions of the integrity legislation.

"Active citizens in civil society organizations and at the community level have the role to identify the gaps in the local anti-corruption tools, to put pressure on authorities so that the latter align themselves with the existing requirements, and also to notify the competent authorities when proper reaction of the elected and other local public officials is missing, including in the cases where illegalities have been detected ", stated Viorel Pirvan.

"We remembered what the budget system is, but we also learned what budgetary transparency means to the citizen”. The exchange of experience helped me to reflect on the situation of LPAs in our country and to conclude that there is a lot of work to do. The laws are good, but "favoritism" and a "lack of professional ethics" predominates in our society and. The change comes from us”, stated Svetlana Olaru, a participant in the seminar.

"The local budget transparency allows the inhabitants to know exactly the services they can expected to be provided by the local public administration. The inhabitants of any locality must be involved in the way in which the public budget is formed and carried out because it is they who participate in the accumulation of financial means in the budget by paying local taxes and fees", noted Margarita Rotari, also a participant in the seminar.

"Through this project, we want to ensure that the local civil society in our country has the right knowledge and skills for an active involvement in the community life, as well as for promoting democratic values and participating in solving various socio-economic problems. Active civil society members are an important factor in democratic countries. Civil society is instrumental for promoting fundamental, democratic and pluralistic values ​​in any country, but also for encouraging the involvement of citizens in the development processes. Civil society, as a catalyst, can contribute to the democratic development of the Republic of Moldova, and the beneficiaries of the program can become future leaders of their communities", added Ana Znaceni, the project coordinator.

The program has three components: 1) education, 2) mentoring, and 3) the stage of the elaboration of the transparency and accountability monitoring reports for 32 level II LPAs and 60 level I LPAs in the Republic of Moldova. The training process involves the organization of three seminars. The mentoring stage will guide the participants through the steps necessary for the preparation of monitoring reports. The last stage is the preparation of reports. Other activities envisaged in the project, among them being three TV shows conducted at a regional level, three (online), regional conferences where the CSOs can bring to the attention of citizens and stakeholders the findings of monitoring and evaluation reports.

The first seminar was conducted on February 4, and the last will be conducted on February 25.

The ”Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens” Project is implemented in the September 2020 – July 2021 timeframe.

***

The ”Development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova” Grants Program, financed by the European Union and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, will offer during the years 2020-2021 grants amounting to about EUR 3 million Civil Society Organizations, which operate outside the city of Chisinau.

The purpose of the program is to contribute to the development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova, which promotes and monitors the transparency and the responsibility of public institutions, including in the implementation of the Moldova-EU Association Agreement.

This press release was elaborated with the financial support of the European Union. The content is the responsibility of the ”Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens” project and doesn’t reflect the point of view of the European Union.

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IDIS “Viitorul” has launched a capacity building program for a group of CSOs

 

The Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul” has launched a capacity building program in the field of good governance involving a group of 30 civil society organizations. The first training was conducted online on Thursday, 4 February. IDIS “Viitorul” experts Viorel Pirvan and Diana Enachi, provided specific training on the ways of getting involved in the decision-making process at a local level, on how to gain access to public information, and on how to monitor the management of public propriety.

The capacity building program, which aims to strengthen the role of the CSOs as watchdogs, is being  conducted within the ”Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens” Project, implemented by IDIS ”Viitorul” and financed by European Union and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, through the ”Development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova” Grants Program.

In the opening the session, Ana Znaceni, the project coordinator, mentioned that the program has three components: 1) education, 2) mentoring, and 3) the stage of the elaboration of the transparency and accountability monitoring reports for 32 level II LPAs and 60 level I LPAs in the Republic of Moldova. The training process involves the organization of three seminars on 4, 18, and 25 February. The mentoring stage will guide the participants through the steps necessary for the preparation of monitoring reports. The last stage is the preparation of reports.

Ana Znaceni mentioned also other activities envisaged in the project, among them being three TV shows conducted at a regional level, three (online), regional conferences where the CSOs can bring to the attention of citizens and stakeholders the findings of monitoring and evaluation reports. Ana Znaceni urged CSO representatives to act as agents of change in their localities and to implement in other projects the knowledge they are obtaining during these training sessions, so as to contribute towards the achievement of the goal of having informed citizens and transparent local public authorities.

Public property management is one of the most vulnerable areas of corruption risks. This vulnerability is generated by the gaps in the legal framework which is often confused  contradictory, by the lack of transparency, and also by the lack of a record of the goods owned by LPAs. Transparency in public property management is a principle stipulated in the legal framework. Ensuring the transparency at the stage when  participation notices are being issued, or the results of auctions, sale, or lease of public goods are announced, is a legal obligation of LPAs", specified Diana Enachi.

“Even through progress has been made regarding active citizenship in recent years, there is still an acute need to develop a culture of active and democratic participation of citizens at a local, regional and national levels. Any decision of the local public administration has consequences for the citizens, and, for this reason, we need public participation and transparency in the decision-making ”, added Viorel Pîrvan.

The ”Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens” Project is implemented in the September 2020 – July 2021 timeframe.

***

Grants program ”Development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova”, financed by the European Union and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, will offer during the years 2020-2021 grants amounting to about EUR 3 million Civil Society Organizations, which operates outside the city of Chisinau.

The purpose of the program is to contribute to the development of local civil society in the Republic of Moldova, which promotes and monitors the transparency and the responsibility of public institutions, including in the implementation of the Moldova-EU Association Agreement.

This press release was elaborated with the financial support of the European Union. The content is the responsibility of the” Transparent public authorities for active and informed citizens” project and doesn’t reflect the point of view of the European Union.

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Members of two networks at the Black Sea are participating in the Digital Competencies Training Program

 

The Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS „Viitorul”), in cooperation with „The Institute of Regional Media and Information” (Ukraine) and the „Cooperation for Democratic Development” (Georgia) are implementing during July-December 2020 the project „Networks in Times of Pandemic: Beyond Collaboration 2.0”. The project goal is to consolidate digital online collaboration competencies for the members of the two Black Sea NGO Forum networks: Island of Integrity Anti-Corruption Professionals; and CSO Sustainability & Resilience Accelerator.

The project aims at supporting the two network members to effectively continue to work together among yourselves / with beneficiaries, by moving your activities online, in order to adapt to the new conditions imposed by COVID-19 pandemic – social distancing, travel, face-to-face meetings restrictions. 

The project will support you to acquire new digital facilitation/collaboration and cyber security knowledge and skills, as well as to exchange experience/best practices and develop strategies for your networks’ further development. Diana Enachi, the manager of the project mentions that: „Currently, more than ever it is necessary that leaders and civil society members from the Black Sea region to acquire and develop their online facilitation and collaboration competencies. The project is an innovative one in the region being the first collaboration between two networks at the Black Sea NGO Forum through which we aiming not only at increasing the capacity of their members, but also at fostering cooperation between organizations and networks in the region.

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The project „Networks in Times of Pandemic: Beyond Collaboration 2.0”, implemented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives „Viitorul”, in cooperation with „The Institute of Regional Media and Information” and the „Cooperation for Democratic Development” and  financed through the Black Sea NGO Forum Sub-Granting Scheme For Activities That Support The Development Of CSO Regional Networks, in the context of the „Building CSO Capacity for Regional Cooperation within the Black Sea Region” project, implemented by the Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND  with the financial support of the European Union.

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