Македонски центар за меѓународна соработка - МЦМС

The Strategy for Cooperation of the Government with the Civil Sector adopted in 2007 is the main document regulating the cooperation between the Government and the civil society organizations, reflecting the priorities, principles and approaches proposed in it. Therefore, its consistent and timely implementation is important for providing favorable legal and fiscal framework for the CSOs and their sustainability. Although some progress was registered in realizing some of these objectives, for the others the status is still unchanged.

The overall objective of the program is to create enabling environment for effective functioning of the civil society organizations. The project purpose is favorable policies and enabling legal environment for the CSOs.

The target group is CSOs and state administration bodies. Direct beneficiaries are civil society organizations. The project will be implemented in the Republic of Macedonia, while the activities will be realized in Skopje.

Expected results of the project are: established progress in implementing the strategy and contribution for transparency and accountability in the process of implementation of the strategy and other governmental policies.

The results will be accomplished through monitoring the implementation of the Strategy for cooperation of the Government with the civil sector. MCIC will monitor and assess the implementation of the Strategy, including the other policies referring to the civil society. For that purpose, MCIC will prepare periodical reports. As part of this project, a report will be prepared describing and studying several main issues: assessment of the implementation of activities (quantity and quality) in 2009, realization of planned activities within the timeframe, emphasis on the positive accomplishments, bottlenecks and key drawbacks, conclusion on the course of activities and recommendations. The findings from this report will be compared with those of the first progress report on the implementation of the Strategy for the period January 2007 – December 2008. The report will include analysis of the existing relevant documents and web sites, as well as interviews and consultations with representatives of the relevant institutions and CSOs. The report in Macedonian, Albanian and English language will be published in 300 copies and 300 CDs and will be also available on the web sites of MCIC and the Civic World.

The progress in implementation of the Strategy will be discussed on a public debate, where the report will be promoted. Representatives of the governmental institutions, civil society organizations and media will be invited at the event. Upon the assessment of the responsible project officers and public relation officer as well as the Board of Directors ad hoc reactions will be also released on the policies pertaining to the civil society. In addition, meetings will be organized with the relevant representatives of the state institutions in order to raise their awareness for improving the implementation of the Strategy.

The implementation period is March 1 to December 30, 2010.

The assumptions affecting the realization of project objectives are: interest of the Unit and civil society organizations to discuss the progress in implementing the Strategy and readiness of the institutions for sharing information.

Having in mind that the Unit for cooperation with NGO and the General Secretariat within the Government have the main role in coordinating and implementing the Strategy, MCIC will cooperate with them and the other relevant organizations and institutions. Information on the project activities will be regularly posted on the web sites of MCIC and the Civic World. The announcements and/or information on publication of the report on public funding as well as the debate and the other important activities, press releases will be disseminated and press conferences will be organized. The visibility of MCIC will be provided through the use of the logo and the name on all materials, and using MCIC’s banner with its name and logo on it at all events organized by MCIC.

MCIC is responsible for implementation of the project. During the implementation the standard systems and procedures of MCIC will be applied. Daniela Stojanova, responsible program officer will be in charge of the project implementation, while several other officers will be involved in the realization. The head of the Civil Society Department will supervise the entire work, providing the necessary expertise. The Board of Directors will provide its guidance and advice for project implementation and will participate in the lobbying activities as necessary.

The project is less complex. The progress report on implementation of the Strategy will be a lobbying tool for its full and timely implementation. The lobbying activities, particularly on monitoring the policies and requiring responsibility, carry many risks. The deterioration of the political context may reduce the interest of the Government for implementation of the Strategy’s objectives but also for cooperation and participation in the activities.