Description
The project aims at increasing the NGO capacity for monitoring of public institutions and advocacy to ensure greater involvement of NGOs in public decisions and policies. The project aims at developing the skills of the applicant and 10 other NGOs for monitoring and advocacy on local, national and European level. First, an expert team will be set up to carry out 6-month monitoring of the government using the standards developed by the applicant for national civil monitoring. Second, standards and indicators for civil monitoring on local level will be developed and tested in a 6-month monitoring carried out in 3 municipalities. Third, the team of the applicant and 10 NGOs will be trained in monitoring and advocacy. Finally, civil monitoring practices on the EU level will be studied. The project will benefit the applicant, its 10 members as well as the users of their services, local community in general.
Summary of project results
The project aimed at increasing the NGO capacity for monitoring of public institutions and advocacy to ensure greater involvement of NGOs in public decisions and policies. The impact of the project on the members of Balkan Assist and the partner organizations can be observed in the increased capacity and acquired experience. The pilot civil monitoring also had impact on the central and local institutions as they had full access to the findings and could use them to improve their work and interaction with the civil society. Specific outcomes: • 3-day training was held and the members of Balkan Assist and 10 NGOs from remote parts of the country, 20 people in total, developed and applied their skills for civil monitoring and advocacy; • developed standards and criteria and pilot civil monitoring carried out over the work of the Parliament, the government and the local authorities in 4 Bulgarian municipalities; • the European experience was studied and good practices for civil monitoring were identified on European level; • developed reports with the findings from the pilot monitoring and the study of the European experience (with conclusions and recommendations) that were presented in public at the final project meeting held on 10.11.2015 with the participation of 60 representatives of NGOs, municipalities, central institutions and the media.
Summary of bilateral results