Advocacy and Policy Dialogue of Bulgarian NG(D)Os in 2005 and 2006

1
Advocacy and Policy Dialogue of Bulgarian NG(D)Os
in 2005 and 2006

• Seminar for NGDO Platforms of
• New Member States
• Budapest, Thursday 9 Friday 10 of March 2006
• TRIALOG Central Training

2
2005 Successes and Problems inInternational
Development Cooperation

• National ODA Policy Formulation
• Since the middle of 2004 some work has been
  carried out at the MFA and line ministries, esp.
  at the MEE. It refers mainly to a very early
  stage of defining approaches to a National ODA
  Policy.
• A number of meetings and study visits, mainly
  through diplomatic channels, organized. An
  initial, largely coherent, vision surfaced at the
  Workshop on ODA of Republic of Bulgaria, Gabrovo,
  16-17 Dec. 2005, MFA MEE.

3
2005 Successes and Problems inInternational
Development Cooperation

• NG(D)Os Sustainability and Advocacy
• Beginning of 2005 - 8,000 NG(D)Os, approx.
  2,000 active.
• The sector continues to expand its scope to
  represent citizen interests and provide needed
  services, as well as developed stronger
  partnerships with the government, business
  community, and media.

4
2005 Successes and Problems inInternational
Development Cooperation

• The increased focus of the sector on community
  development in the more marginalized, poorer
  regions of the country has continued. Efforts
  weakened by the withdrawal of foreign funding.
• Advocacy groups active in lobbying the
  legislature and monitoring the executive and
  judicial branches.
• In general, the public continues to perceive
  lobbying activities as a form of corruption.
• The largest obstacle for developing future
  advocacy efforts is that donors prefer to invest
  in community service projects rather than
  advocacy projects.

5
2006 Main Issues in International Development
Cooperationat National and International Level

• MFA and MEE, the Gabrovo Seminar
• Elaboration of a Conceptual Framework for
  Bulgarias Development Cooperation Policy -
  within six months. A medium term strategy
  20072011 taking into account the Millennium
  Development Goals (MDG) to follow.
• Legislation on ODA - within the next two
  years.
• Provisional ODA Council at deputy-ministerial
  level to be created.
• Multilateral Aid, Bilateral Aid and NGO work
• First installment of 0,03 Gross Domestic
  Income (GDI), around 15 Mil. Euros from 2007

6
2006 Main Issues in International Development
Cooperationat National and International Level

• Implications for the NG(D)Os
• Partnership with state bodies and other CSO
• New approaches from the NG(D)Os. They may vary
  but should continue to be permeated by the
  perspective of partnership within all sectors.
• Organizational Change
• Internal capacity building to strengthen NG(D)Os
  by introducing strategic planning, sound
  financial management systems and transparency.
  Where necessary, adopt changes in missions and
  goals. Prepare for participation in EU ODA
  projects via consortia or utilize the new options
  in financing.

7
2006 Main Issues in International Development
Cooperationat National and International Level

• National Platform needed for representation at
  national and international level.
• Its creation a purely voluntary act of the
  internal actors as a response to the existing
  situation, to their needs and agenda.
• Principles transparency, equal rights and
  interaction.
• Public Awareness raising
• Gradual efforts to be made to explain
  international development cooperation to the
  public and to promote acceptance. NG(D)Os
  involvement is essential, as well as of other
  CSO, the state bodies and media.

8
2006 Main Issues in International Development
Cooperationat National and International Level

• Possible key political messages
• To the state institutions
• Adopt a coherent and effective National Policy on
  IDC
• Continue with the established partnership
  practices further invite NG(D)Os to participate
  in initiatives for capacity building within state
  bodies.
• To NG(D)O sector Build your organizational
  capacity.
• Implement internal changes where necessary to
  meet EU membership challenges and the redirection
  of funding. Aim to secure financial
  sustainability
• Support the creation of an official Forum for
  information exchange, discussions and member
  capacity building which could lead to the setting
  up of a national Platform

9
2006 Main Issues in International Development
Cooperationat National and International Level

• Continue with the creation of direct links with
  your counterparts in the NMS and across the EU.
• To CSO Partnership for development.
• Prepare to promote national priorities in ODA
  policy via projects and consortia formation
• Identify areas where government and the EU should
  do more to mobilise public support for
  development issues
• Build links across the EU to allow your fair
  access to EC funds for CSO financing
• Fight corruption practices within organizations
  and
• Maintain autonomy and provide innovative
  approaches to international development
  cooperation as seekers for development.

10
2006 Main Issues in International Development
Cooperationat National and International Level

• Activities at the national level
• Collaboration within the NG(D)O sector to
  officially set-up a Forum for information
  exchange, discussions and member capacity
  building. To be followed by the setting up of a
  National Platform.
• Production of a cross-sector research report
  and/or collection of materials on MDG Future
  Bulgarian ODA Policy.
• Dissemination and discussion through own website
• Present the findings to the MFA and line
  ministries within our partnership rounds.

11
2006 Main Issues in International Development
Cooperationat National and International Level

• Organization of trainings in cooperation with
  TRIALOG on
• building up the capacity for obtaining EU funding
  - EU funding possibilities, project cycle
  management and applications for EU Calls for
  Proposals
• organizational capacity building
• co-financing measures and in private fundraising
• development education and the increasing of
  public awareness of development issues and
• advocacy and policy dialogue
• Dissemination of research, articles, results
  from workshops on EU and National ODA policy
  through own Website and to national media.

12
2006 Main Issues in International Development
Cooperationat National and International Level

• Activities at the European level
• Lobbying for the inseparable link between
  internal and international development issues
  (MDG) with regard to poverty reduction as the
  case currently stands for Bulgaria.
• Support the lobbying activities of TRIALOG and
  CONCORD towards the EC in order to achieve
  weakening of the eligibility criteria for NMS and
  AC NG(D)Os for a transition period of some years
  by identifying and making contacts with Bulgarian
  decision-makers.

13
2006 Main Issues in International Development
Cooperationat National and International Level

• Support the building of regional NG(D)O
  partnerships and networks in South Eastern Europe
  in order to benefit from different experiences
  and synergies, as well as to strengthen civil
  society. Website Electronic publishing.
• Support exchange/trips to Brussels for mixed
  groups of governmental, parliamentary and NG(D)O
  representatives.

14

• Presentation
• Evgeni Lestanski, Index Foundation
• Bulgarian Central Training Participants
• Desislava Koleva, Save the Children Bulgaria
• Elena Stoyanova, Gender Project for Bulgaria
  Foundation
• Bojura Pavlova, GERT
• Miryana Malamin-Siriyski, Pokrov Foundation