The Republic of Serbia
GOVERNMENT

OFFICE FOR COOPERATION

WITH CIVIL SOCIETY

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society

2011–2014

Introduction: Establishment, Inception and Plans of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world… Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has!

Margaret Mead

The Government of the Republic of Serbia established the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society as a government service in January 2011. Previously, in April 2010, the Government had adopted the Regulation on the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No 26/10); a favourable legal climate for the establishment and operation of associations had been established beforehand by the passage of the Law on Associations (Official Gazette of RS No 51/09).

These Government decisions signify the endorsement of civil society organisations’ (hereinafter: CSOs) long-standing initiative to introduce the necessary improvements to the institutional framework that should contribute to further development of civil society in the Republic of Serbia.

The establishment of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society (hereinafter: Office) laid the foundations for further improvement of the cooperation between Government institutions and CSOs in Serbia.

The Office for Cooperation with Civil Society has been established with a view to institutional and systematic engagement of civil society organisations in an ongoing dialogue with the Government, which should be based on transparent and structured communication and regular exchange of experiences, information and opinions.

The establishment of the Office is geared towards the achievement of multiple goals: 1) establishing an ongoing dialogue between the state and civil society organisations in matters of general and mutual interest; 2) strengthening inter-sector cooperation in areas where civil society organisations are important stakeholders in designing and implementing public policies (human and minority rights, building a state ruled by law, gender equality, social welfare, combating poverty, social inclusion, employment, education, culture, amateur sports, sustainable development, environmental protection, neighbourhood cooperation, Euro-Atlantic integration, etc.); 3) strengthening the capacities of civil society organisations as key stakeholders in a pluralist and democratic society.

In the interest of establishing, positioning and developing the Office as effectively and efficiently as possible, the process of drafting its Strategic Plan for the period of 2011–2014 has been launched. The Strategic Plan of the Office should identify the main goals of its operation and the lines of action in the forthcoming period.

With a view to developing the Strategic Plan, consultations have been held with line ministries and other institutions of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, as well as civil society organisations. The stated goals and work priorities are a result of joint planning by the key stakeholders.

The Purview of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society

The Decree on the Establishment of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No 26/10) defines the purview of the Office. The Office conducts technical affairs, as required by the Government, pertaining to ensuring the consistency of actions of public authorities and promoting the cooperation of public authorities with associations and other civil society organisations, including:

  • Initiating dialogue with civil society on matters of mutual interest;
  • Participating in the drafting and implementation of strategic documents pertaining to creating an environment conducive to civil society development, with a view to further development of cooperation among the public, private and civil sectors and, in connection therewith, cooperation with autonomous provinces’ and local self-government units’ authorities;
  • Initiating the adoption of regulations and other general legal instruments governing the status of associations and other civil society organisations, as the foundation for building a society based on democracy, inclusion and solidarity;
  • Participating in the drafting of consolidated reports to the Government on the expenditure of funds that have been provided and paid to associations and other civil society organisations from the Republic of Serbia Budget in support of their programme activities;
  • Organising round-table discussions and conferences;
  • Issuing publications and undertaking other measures and activities aimed at upgrading the capacities and raising the sustainability of associations’ and other civil society organisations’ operation and actions;
  • Collecting and disseminating information relevant to associations’ and other civil society organisations‘ operation;
  • Conducting technical affairs pertaining to cooperation and exchange of experiences with similar governmental institutions in the region, European Union member states and the world;
  • Cooperating with competent authorities in the conduct of affairs pertaining to the programming and management of European Union pre-accession and other funds for the support to civil society.

Interests and Needs for Advancing the Framework for Civil Society Development

The principal public policy factor that has informed the Government’s decision to establish an institutional mechanism for cooperation with civil society is the need to provide the prerequisites for civil dialogue and create conditions for continued and sustainable communication and cooperation. The cooperation mechanism is not geared towards integrating civil society (which, owing to its pluralist and “diffuse” nature, resists all – in particular rigid – normativism) in the state structures; rather, it is geared towards establishing an ongoing dialogue and partnership between the Government and civil society and strengthening its capacities. For the Government, partnership with civil society and strengthening its capacities are important for several reasons, namely:

1)The role of CSOs in modern democracies.

Civil society organisations play an important role in modern democracies: associations and other forms of CSOs enable citizens to voice, defend and advocate their legitimate interests in public and political life on an ongoing basis. In that regard, civil society has a key role in achieving participatory democracy. This role is also affirmed by relevant international documents. Thus, in Chapter 2 of the European Union’s 2007 Lisbon Treaty, representative democracy (the role of political parties) and participatory democracy (the role of civil society) are stated as the fundamental democratic principles upon which the EU is based. Similar provisions are also found in the Council of Europe Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to Member States on the Legal Status of Non-Governmental Organizations in Europe from 2007 (Chapter VIII – Participation in decision-making).[1]

Civil society holds a special position in the new EU member states in Central Europe. In communist times, civil society (or rather its remnants) preserved the memories of “interrupted history” and its democratic values. In addition, civil society had a key role in the process of transition and reinstatement of the democratic order. This is one of the principal reasons why these countries often lead the way in creating innovative mechanisms for the cooperation between the state and civil society.

2)Streamlining the workload of the state administration system and strengthening inter-sector cooperation.

Limited financial and human resources available to the state and the growing and increasingly complex social needs require the democratisation of providers of social and other services, which have traditionally been within the sphere of the Government’s constitutional competences. The scale of social and other services provided by CSOs has been on a steady increase throughout Europe.

Nowadays, there is virtually no area of social activity in which CSOs do not play a prominent role in designing and implementing public policies (building a state ruled by law, combating unemployment and poverty, sustainable development, promoting volunteering, social inclusion, gender equality, protecting minority rights, environmental protection, combating corruption, education, culture, amateur sports, neighbourly cooperation, Euro-Atlantic integration, etc.) – hence the Government’s interest in building partnership with civil society.

Finally, an institutional cooperation mechanism can have particular significance for transition countries, because of their still underdeveloped state institutions, limited human and financial resources: state partnership with private stakeholders can contribute to faster and successful completion of transition.

3)European integration process.

Civil society plays an important role in the European integration process. This role entails a political aspect (mobilising citizens’ support for European values, promoting the values of European integration, etc.) and an economic and institutional one (strengthening the capacity for optimum utilisation of the available EU funds). Cooperation with civil society per se is not a requirement for EU membership, but there is no doubt whatsoever that such cooperation is crucial for all Western Balkan countries in the process of European integration.

In the past few years, a noticeable trend has been a decrease in financing CSOs from international donor funds and an increase in financing from the EU budget, as well as from national, province and local budgets. Furthermore, the change in strategy for CSO financing has also been observed as regards financing by the business sector. The establishment of the Office should contribute to more transparent use of public funds awarded for civil society organisations’ programmes, in particular with respect to financing programmes implemented by CSOs and the use of public funds within budget line 481.

Strategic Objectives of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society

The vision of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society sees Serbia becoming a developed society, based on democracy and solidarity, in which all citizens are able to exercise their rights, express their needs, interests and capacities though the freedom of choice and develop their potentials and enjoy the right to a proper and decent life through cooperation and partnerships.

The mission of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society is to launch continuous civil dialogue and partnerships between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and civil society, founded on transparent and structured communication and regular exchange of experiences and information.

The Office should aim to create and enable an environment conducive to the development of civil society. Concurrently, the Office should strengthen the capacities and inform public administration institutions of the significance of civil society organisations in the process of creating a democratic society through continuous and constructive dialogue.

The Office should build satisfactory administrative capacities in order to be able to exercise its mandate. The development of the institutional mechanism for cooperation between the Government and civil society contributes to a continuity and sustainability of that cooperation; it strengthens the partnership between the Government and civil society and consolidates the capacities of both sides in the dialogue.

Strategic Areas of the Office

The Strategic Framework of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society was adopted in the initial stages of establishing theGovernment's new institution. The Strategic Framework was created in the negotiation process between the Government and civil society organisations.

Although the framework was determined for the period 2011–2014, most of the Office's activities relate to the period until the end of 2013. In 2013, the Office is expected to work on defining the new strategic plan, which will cover the period of the European Union's new financial framework (2014–2020) and the period when the Serbian Government will start working under the programme budget. These two pieces of information will considerably influence further actions of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society.

In order to exercise the mandate prescribed by the Decreeon the Establishment of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society and, at the same time, to meet the defined objectives, the Office will focus its efforts on the following strategic objectives in the planning period:

  1. Promote civil society, raise the public’s general awareness of CSOs and strengthen the mechanism for communication and cooperation between the Government and CSOs;
  2. Consolidate the capacities of public institutions and CSOs in order to promote civil dialogue;
  3. Improve the framework for transparent and sustainable financing of civil society;
  4. Strengthen the institutional framework for the development of civil society;
  5. Ensure effective participation of CSOs in the decision-making process;
  6. Promote the participation of CSOs in the European integration processes and in cooperation initiatives in the region of Western Balkans, the European Union and worldwide.

Strategic Area 1: Promote Civil Society, Raise thePublic’s General Awareness of CSOs and Strengthen the Mechanism for Communication and Cooperation between the Government and CSOs

  • Regularly provide information to stakeholders. Theobjective is to continually upgrade all stakeholders’ awareness of the issues relevant for the development of CSOs, as well as of CSO activities. This priority will be met by updating the Office’s webpage, issuing newsletters and regularly publishing information on social networks.
  • Strengthen cooperation between the Office and the media. The objective is to improve the supply of information to the general public, increase the demand in the media for the information related to CSOs and enhance the visibility of CSOs in the media. This priority will be met through seminars for the media, regular meetings with the media, media appearances, participation in CSO public lectures, etc.
  • Inform the Government institutions about the work of the Office and CSOs. The objective is to enhance the Office’s credibility with public institutions, so as to ensure that the Office is recognised as a worthy communication channel between the Government and civil society.
  • Improve communication between CSOs and local institutions. Theobjective is to promote the cooperation between CSOs and local authorities, and maximise the opportunities of cooperation in the implementation of reforms in society. This priority will be achieved through specific programmes and projects, seminars and training courses, exchange of good practices, stimulation of CSOs and local authorities to participate in joint programmes and initiatives.
  • Increase the reputation and credibility that civil society organisations enjoy with the public. The objective is to continually inform the public about the purpose of CSO existence and work, in order to boost their trust and reliance on joining efforts in the community, through the promotion of good practices, implementation of quality standards and control of CSO activities, dissemination of the results of anticorruption practices, procurement procedures etc.

Strategic Area 2: Strengthen the Capacities of Public Institutions and CSOs in order to Promote Civil Dialogue

  • Further develop and strengthen the Office. The objective is to ensure that the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society implements the activities defined by the Decree on the Establishment of the Office, and that it meets CSO expectations and thus preserves its legitimacy. This priority will be implemented by hiring civil servants, as envisaged by the Rulebook on Internal Organisation and Job Classification (Rulebook Amending the Rulebook on Internal Organisation and Job Classification – Conclusion 05, No 110-9124/2011of the Government of the Republic of Serbia), procuring the necessary equipment for work, furnishing the workplaces etc.
  • Draft the Strategy for the Development of Civil Society in the Republic of Serbia. Theobjective is to define clearly and from a long-term perspective the needs of the civil society in Serbia, indicate the restricting factors for CSO development, define the lines of development, determine the competence of various authorities for improving the legislation in their respective fields and implementing the regulations and to set up a system for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Strategy. The development of the Strategy should not be the first activity undertaken by the Office; it should come only after the Office has become fully established and once the initial prerequisites for its functioning have been fulfilled.
  • Institutional capacity building for cooperation with CSOs. The objective is to maximise the opportunities for cooperation between the Government and CSOs. This priority will be realised by training civil servants in transparent advertising and administration of competitions and programmes targeting CSOs, through promotion of good practices in cooperation between public institutions and CSOs and by improving the process of public budget beneficiaries’ reporting on the funds awarded to CSOs. Moreover, the Office will undertake programmes aimed at enhancing cooperation and developing dialogue on reforms needed in certain sectors, on the implementation of policies, their effects and follow-up, as well as report regularly to CSOs on the initiated sector reforms and the European integration process.
  • CSO capacity building. Theobjective is to advance CSOs’ capacities and knowledge of the key processes at the national level, namely: the European integration process, the process of consulting and commenting on the proposals made by public institutions, as well as of the relevant processes taking place in the region of Western Balkans and at the EU level.

Strategic Area 3: Advance the Framework for Transparent and Sustainable Financing of Civil Society

  • Develop civil society performance indicators. Theobjective is to set up a database for monitoring civil society development in Serbia. This priority will be met by creating a baseline document upon which to create regular annual reports of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society to the Government, as well as the future report on CSO development in Serbia.
  • Draft the annual integrated Report on Public Expenditures on CSO Programme Activities. The objective is to regularly collect and publish annual information from line ministries and other public institutions about the public expenditures (and donors’ financial contributions) used to fund CSOs, with a view to increasing the transparency of public allocations and improving the procedures through the adoption of new regulations.
  • Improvethe legal framework for promoting public funding of CSOs.The objective is to improve the legal framework that regulates the financing of CSOs and thus allow for more transparent budget expenditure. This priority will be realised through the adoption of new and enhancement of existing secondary legislation, which will increase transparency of allocation in the budgets of the line ministries and other Government institutions.
  • Promote new sources of financing as a precondition of sustainability. The objective is to improve the financial prospect of sustainability of the civil sector in the time when international donors have significantly reduced their funding of CSOs. This priority will be fulfilled through the promotion of institutional grants, corporate social activities, corporate philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, development of criteria for the usage of public spaces by CSOs, more transparent public spending by local self-governments, revising the system of financing CSOs by proceeds from games of chance, etc.
  • Cooperation of the Office with international donors. The objective is to make the planning of donor funding of the civil society more effective and efficient (aid coordination), in cooperation with the European Integration Office. This priority will be achieved by establishing a donor coordination body and organising meetings of CSOs, public institutions and international donors to discuss the priorities for support to the civil society in Serbia.

StrategicArea 4: Strengthen the Institutional Framework Conducive to the Development of Civil Society