1) Success and problems in advocacy and policy dialogue of the Platform/country during 2005
For the year 2005 tree main successes are characteristic :
· Stable dialog with MFA
· Pilot project for the DE of Slovak politic decision makers (MPs)
· Slovakia takes part in MPH campaign (3 WBDs were organised)
Dialogue between the Slovak NGDO Platform and MFA was stable during the whole year of 2005 and was marked with the following common activities:
– regular summer meetings for improvement of SlovakAid mechanism (MVO, private sector, MFA representatives)
– active participation of SlovakAid representatives in Platform Member Assembly
– public presentation of Slovak NGDO projects on MFA Open Day
– NGDO Platform is represented in Coordination Committee of Slovak ODA and serves as well as an advisory body of the Slovak MFA. Platform has its representation in the Steering Committees of UNDP Trust Fund and Bratislava – Belegrade Fund[1].
Platform´s Project[2] supported by SlovakAid „Involvement of Slovak MPs and MEPs in Slovak and EU development policy“ which was a specific project – among first of a kind – aimimg to rise Slovak MPs and MEPs awareness of Slovak ODA and EU development policy and to involve Slovak MPs and MEPs in Slovak and EU development policy. Focusing on introduction of Slovak ODA system and NGDO projects, 4 meetings were part of this project and they were held in Parliamentary Committees[3](31 present Mps were given information directly during the meetings). All 150 MPs as well as the all Slovak MEPs received basic information through information pack prepared in cooperation with MFA.
The project´s peak and completion was the international seminar[4] held in June in Bratislava stating the fact that the whole activity did´t completely meet its objectives (only 2 MPs[5] became involved in systematic, stable and active way, even though others showed their interest).
In June 2005 - Slovak NDGO Platform officially supported the Campaign MPH and took part in Global Call to Action against Poverty. There were activities running through the whole year like electronic postcards sent to Slovak Prime minister, Slovak version of campaign web-site www.svetbezchudoby.sk, as well as activities concentrated on 2 WBDs[6] like public event “Latino fiesta - Make Poverty History” (WBD, September,10th) and public seminar on fairtrade (WBD, December,10th). There were several meetings with politicians (president office, state secretary of MFA, etc.). Media´s participation was mediated via press conferences, press releases and TV presentations.
Slovak NDGO Platform created and distributed several important Position Papers (for Millennium Summit in NY, September; Informal European Union Summit, October; WTO meeting, December). Special area of policy dialogue was based on Platform´s Concord membership - Concord lobby letters (either translated or amended) were distributed among Slovak MEPs, Mps and other Slovak policy representatives.
Problems:
The continuation of policy dialogue was influenced by change in Platform stuff (it took the new officer some time to get fully into the whole problematic).
ODA support for DE was very low[7], even lower than in the previous year of 2004.
Slovak humanitarian organizations still can not use the tool of Donors message service (DMS) as it hasn´t been provided for.
2) The main issues for advocacy and policy dialogue of the Platform on national and international level in 2006.
In these days the Slovak National Programme (NP) of ODA for 2006 is being finished. We may say that participation and amends-making in this document preparation from the side of Platform and its members has become a tradition – with volatile success.
One of the main objectives and big step ahead in NP ODA 2006 framework is decision about Slovak ODA agency creation.
As the bilateral ODA budget hasn´t been increased for 3 years (compared with continuously increasing total ODA) – advocacy and lobbying for increased bilateral ODA[8] will be important, especially we would like to mention necessary increase in DE budget line. Nevertheless, we still want to exert pressure on total ODA increase (actually it represents 0,072% GDP).
Another Platform priority is volunteers issue where budget and necessary legislation (especially for volunteers working abroad) is our goal to be reached within next two years (concentrating particularly on lobbying in 2006).
Early Slovak Parliament elections will shorten the period for planned meetings with political parties representatives for next few months and consecutively we want to start the cooperation with new MPs at the very beginning of their voting period.
3) The main challenges facing the Platform during 2006 (annual program)
Our constant priority is to have an open dialogue with MFA.
In 2005 we started Regional Partnership Programme, which offers new level of regional cooperation of CECs[9].
Another challenge for 2006 is significant orientation towards Africa – active participation in EU-Africa strategy creation, provide support for organization preparing pilot Africa projects.
In 2006 for the first time Slovak NGDOs will start to implement their EC supported projects (only 3 Slovak Platform member organizations were successful), where we see our role to increase success rate of Slovak NGDOs in next EC calls. This activity involves lobbying on EC level to adjust the eligibility criteria according to NMS NGDOs potential.
Another big challenge we face in 2006 is the preparation of International Summer School 2007 to be organized in Slovakia.
Lobby activities will continue - lobbying for volunteers financial support in ODA budget, lobbying for increasing of ODA budget for DE - support of Slovak projects for Africa.
[1] In 2005 – 21 project were supported (private sector: 5, NGOs: 9, state organizations: 7)
[2] Project started in September 2004 and finished in September 2005.
[3] Foreign Com., Com. of European Matters, Com. on Economic, Monetary Affairs and Budget, Com, on Human Rights
[4] „Challenges of development cooperation in the context of EU commitments to poverty eradication“
[5] One of them – MP Masácová gave a speech on Slovak ODA system at the International Conference on Enlargement in Vienna, 12. - 13 2005.
[6] White Band Days
[7] Out of SKK 160 mil. for Billateral Aid, only Skk 3 mil. were directed to DE.
[8] For 2006 – Slovak bilateral ODA will be 160 mil. Sk (cca Eur 4mil.) - 15% of total ODA.
[9] RPP project was initiated by EU Austrian Platform in order to strengthen regional partnership and cooperation among CECs (Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia) and concentrates on developing projects in the spheres of DE, DC, Platforms´capacity building and supporting the dialogue among NGDOs and national governmnet (especially MFAs) level.