NGO participation in public sector decisonmaking

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NGO participation in public sector decison-making

• Peep Mardiste

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Structure of training

• 1. Preconditions for participation by NGOs
• Ability of NGOs to cooperate
• Legal framework
• 2. Possibilities for NGOs to participate in
  national decision-making processes
• 3. Example of active NGO participation (Estonian
  Council of Environmental NGOs)
• 4. International NGO networking

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1. Preconditions for participation by NGOs
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Involvement of NGOs developed civil society as
precondition

• Reasonable and effective involvement of NGOs in
  the decision-making processes of the public
  sector can only take place in developed civil
  society.
• Civil society is considered being developed if
  there are
• capable public sector
• strong private sector
• active NGO sector

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Involvement ability of NGOs to cooperate

• being well organised is one of the key
  preconditions for effectiveness of NGO
  participation in public sector decision-making
• key is cooperation, information sharing and
  setting of joint priorities between NGOs working
  in the same sector (sports, education,
  environment etc)
• in Estonia sectoral umbellas and networks of NGOs
  are existing and well-functioning (environmental
  sector is a good example)

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Examples of sectoral cooperation by Estonian NGOs

• education (Estonian Teachers Union, Estonian
  Popular Education League)
• healthcare (Estonian Medical Association, Union
  of Hospitals)
• environment (Council of Environmental NGOs)
• social work (Estonian Social Sphere Roundtable)
• culture (Union of Estonian Culture Societies)
• religion (Estonian Council of Churches)
• students (Federation of Estonian Student Unions)
• rural life (Estonian Village Movement Kodukant,
  Estonian Farmers Federation)

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Examples of Estonian NGOs cooperation across
various sectors

• Development of NGO sector in a given
  region/country is well described by ability to
  cooperate across various sectors, to identify
  joint interests and aims.
• Positive examples from Estonia
• 1991 Network of Estonian Nonprofit Organizations
  (NENO)
• 2001 Estonian NGO Roundtable

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Involving of NGOslegal framework in Estonian
example

• For effective participation there has to be a
  stable, well understandable and same procedure.
• Estonian Civil Society Development Concept
• strategy for supporting civic initiatives
  2007-2010
• code of conduct for involvement (by State
  Chancellery)
• law on access to information, law on
  environmental impact assessment
• international treaties (Arhus convention on
  access to environmental information) and positive
  codes of conduct (process of Convent on the
  Future of Europe)
• Estonian NGO sector code of ethics

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Estonian NGO sector code of ethics

• Adopted by NGOs in 2002 at annual Estonian NGO
  Roundtable. The code is covering many topics
• democratic governance
• civic courage and care
• sustainability and prudence in using funds and
  resources
• responsibility and accountability
• openness and transparency
• independence and avoiding conflicts of interest
• honouring commitments and recognition of
  authorship of ideas
• tolerance

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Examples of frameworks for NGO-government
interaction

• 1998 COMPACT (England, Northern Ireland,
  Scotland, Wales)
• 2000 program of Cooperation (Croatia)
• 2001 ACCORD (Canada)
• 2002 Civil Society Development Concept EKAK
  (Estonia)

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Examples of frameworks for NGO-government
interaction COMPACT

• COMPACT is a framework for partnership between
  government and the voluntary/community sector
• separate COMPACT agreements in England, Northern
  Ireland, Scotland, Wales
• adopted in 1998
• COMPACT includes codes of good practice (on
  funding, volunteering, consultation and on Black
  and Minority Ethnic Groups)
• there is annual action plan and annual meeting
• COMPACTs exist also in regional level

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Examples of frameworks for NGO-government
interactionCroatian Program of Cooperation

• general framework and a mechanism for
  improvement of the relations between the
  Government and the non-governmental /
  non-for-profit Sectors
• adopted in 2000
• principles of cooperation include (a)
  partnership, (b) transparency of Governments and
  Sectors activities, (c) independence of the
  Sector, (d) promotion of equal opportunities, (e)
  quality NGO action code, (f) building of social
  capital
• annual meeting of Government and Sector
  representatives

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Examples of frameworks for NGO-government
interaction ACCORD

• ACCORD is a framework that represents a public
  commitment by the Government of Canada and the
  voluntary sector to more open, transparent,
  consistent and collaborative ways for the two
  sectors to work together.
• adopted in 2001
• main tools for implementing of ACCORD are
• code of good practice on funding
• code of good practice on policy dialogue
• joint Steering Committee reports annually on
  results of the cooperation

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Examples of frameworks for NGO-government
interaction Estonian Civil Society Development
Concept

• national framework for relations between
  Estonian NGOs and public authorities, states
  common principles of cooperation
• adopted by Parliament (not Government like
  elsewhere)
• adopted in 2002
• joint committee to lead the discussions
• implementation plan of 2005-2007 with 11 goals
• parliamentary discussion in every 2 years

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2. Possibilities for NGOs to participate in
national decision-making processes
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Possibilities for NGOs to participate, some basic
principles

• legitimacy is an important topic organisations
  primarily involved shall be the ones working in
  public interest (not representing just its
  members own narrow interests, not controlled by
  public sector via funding or representatives in
  board)
• equal opportunities processes shall be equally
  open for everybone interested to participate
• indepencence of NGOs if government opens some
  expert group or committee for NGOs than it shall
  be up to NGOs to nominate their representative

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Possibilities for NGOs to participate, some
suggestions

• In Estonian case the possibilities for
  participation in different decision-making
  processes are opening more and more (especially
  at national level).
• transparency of NGOs important (information
  about aims and activities shall be public and
  understandable)
• NGO wishing to get involved should have been
  active in the same field
• NGOs involved in governmental committees shall
  be able to express views in wide range of
  different fields
• legitimacy, public support (visible in media,
  number of members of NGO)

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3. Example of active NGO participation Estonian
environmental NGOs
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Estonian environmental NGOslong traditions

• 1853 Estonian Naturalists Society
• 1921 Estonian Ornithological Society
• 1955 Nature Conservation Commission of Academy of
  Sciences
• 1958 Tartu Student Nature Protection Circle
• 1966 Estonian Society for Nature Conservation

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Estonian environmental NGOsnew wave of
organisations

• 1988 Estonian Green Movement-FoE
• 1991 Estonian Fund for Nature
• 1992 Estonian Institute for Sustainable
  Development
• 1993 NGO Keep Estonia Tidy
• 1993 Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation

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Estonian environmental NGOscooperation

• today there are 100 independent environmental
  NGOs acting in public interest
• however until lately no national network of
  environmental NGOs (differently to NGOs from
  other sectors)
• in late 1990s increasing coopertaion between NGOs
  (opposition to controversial project ideas of
  Vällamäe ski resort and Undva port)
• 2001 start of informal network Estonian Council
  of Environmental NGOs (EKO)

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Estonian Council of Environmental NGOs set-up

• non-registered informal network of NGOs, but
  still
• written cooperation principles
• fixed membership (currently 9 NGOs)
• participating NGOs shall have interest to
  participate in national environmental policy and
  ability to formulate organisations view on
  policy matters in various subjects
• includes almost all big nation-wide environmental
  NGOs
• no permanent staff or office coordination task
  is rotating between member groups in annual basis
• monthly meetings of representatives of member
  groups
• active closed e-mail list for interested staff of
  member organisations for information exchange

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Estonian Council of Environmental NGOs activities

• main tasks to work for common position of
  different NGOs on broad range of important
  national and international issues
• main topics of cooperation in 2005 civil society
  and public participation, sustainable
  development, financing of ebnvironmental
  protection, environmental impact assessments and
  spatial planning processes, nature conservation,
  rural development, GMOs, forestry, energy
• subsidiarity principle always applies (Council is
  acting instead of an individual organisation only
  if that helps to achieve goals better)

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Estonian Council of Environmental NGOs
participation in decision-making

• Representatives of EKO have been nominated to 28
  different governmental expert groups or
  committees
• Ministry of Environment 14 committees
• Ministry of Agriculture 7 committees
• Ministry of Finance 4 committees
• Ministry of Internal Affairs 2 committees
• Prime Ministers Office 1 committee

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4. International NGO networking
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International envrionmental networks

• Environmental NGOs increasingly cooperate with
  partners across borders
• There are strong global networks which can be
• - permanent networks (World Conservation Union -
  IUCN, WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth
  International, etc.)
• - temporary / ad hoc networks (often
  project-based)
• Big NGO networks are respected partners in global
  environmental policy discussions (United Nations,
  European Union, regional bodies, etc.)

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Why belong to international networks?

• Easiest and most effective way to cooperate
  internationally is though involvement in
  international networks
• Stable and continuous flow of information is
  guaranteed
• Exchange of ideas, joint seminars, trainigs
• Easy to get international support for domestic
  issues
• Fundraising is easier and more successful if done
  jointly within international networks (both
  permanent and temporary ones)
• Effectiveness solving of regional and global
  problems

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Which networks to join?

• Many international NGO networks are open for new
  members
• Global
• - The World Conservation Union - IUCN
• - Taiga Rescue Network
• - Forest Stewardship Council
• - Friends of the Earth International
• European / regional
• - European Environmental Bureau
• - Coalition Clean Baltic

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