The state will arrange a favorable environment for the development of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), because they are a source of knowledge, expertise and a generator of funds, which are invested in improving the quality of life, it was announced at the round table during the public debate on the Draft Strategy for Cooperation between State Administration Bodies and NGOs for period 2022-2026 and the document "Identified problems and possible solutions of budget financing of NGO projects and programs", which was organized today in the PR center in Podgorica.
"For the full functionality of the civil sector, it is necessary to systematically respond to the challenges of its insufficient development and the weakness of the existing model of state financing," the statement added.
The Minister of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, Tamara Srzentić, as stated, pointed out that the state has an obligation to regulate and create a favorable environment for the development of non-governmental organizations, and that the answers to this are provided by the Strategy for the Cooperation of State Administration Bodies and Non-Governmental Organizations 2022-2026 and Identified problem and possible solutions of budget financing of NGOs.
"Especially because by December 1, 2021, 6.314 non-governmental organizations were registered in Montenegro, which, according to the available reports, generated around EUR 2020 million in revenue in 34,7 alone and employed a total of 1.458 people," said Srzentić.
She believes, it is added in the press release of the PR center, that the non-governmental sector is a source of knowledge, expertise and a generator of funds, which are invested in improving the quality of life of citizens, as well as infrastructure.
"Because of the better absorption of EU funds by NGOs, the state provided funds for co-financing in 2020 in the amount of around 4,5 million euros. And in order to achieve the full functionality of the civil sector, it is necessary to systematically respond to the challenges of its insufficient development in all regions , weaknesses of the existing model of state funding, overly demanding licensing in the field of social protection and many others," said Srezentić.
According to established international indicators, as she pointed out, the Montenegrin NGO sector remains relatively underdeveloped, she writes in the press release.
"One of the most important internationally determined indicators of the development of the non-governmental sector is how much labor it employs in relation to the total number of employees in the country. According to the data of the Directorate of Statistics, it is 0,8 percent," said Srzentić.
They add that according to her, the goal is to simplify and digitize the process of establishing an NGO and establish systematic, statistical monitoring of the development of the NGO sector.
"The strategic documents define that it is necessary to improve the normative and strategic framework of the development, cooperation and financing of NGOs in key areas of public policies, to provide regular measurement of the effects of public financing of NGOs, to strengthen the capacities of public administration for the effective participation of NGOs in the preparation and implementation of public policies, to establish an efficient coordination of international NGO donor support," said Srzentić.
Acting Director General of the Directorate for Strategic Planning in Public Administration, International Cooperation and IPA Programs in the Ministry of Education and Culture, Marija Hajduković, pointed out that the Draft Strategy was created through a transparent and open approach and concluded that non-governmental organizations represent a strong partner for the state in creating public policies, adding in announcement.
"According to the report of the European Commission for 2021, it was concluded that the role of civil society in Montenegro is recognized and promoted, but that there is a need to improve the current legal and normative framework in order to strengthen the consultation process and cooperation mechanisms between state institutions and civil society in in the context of EU accession", stated Hajduković.
She indicated, it is further stated, that when it comes to financing projects and programs, there is only short-term, i.e. one-year financing, and she believes that planning areas and goals for a period of five to seven years would strengthen the quality of cooperation between state administration bodies and non-governmental sector.
"In the analysis of the situation, we recognized that the non-governmental sector's interest in participating in the European integration process has declined, that there is a lack of coordination of donor aid. According to the data of the Tax Administration, the total revenues of Montenegrin NGOs in 2020 amounted to 34,7 million euros. One of the indicators of the development of NGOs sector is the percentage of people employed in the NGO sector in relation to the total percentage of employees in Montenegro. According to current data, 0,8 percent of the total number of employees are employed in the NGO sector, while according to a comparative analysis, the global average is 3,3 percent ", said Hajduković.
She also pointed out that there was a lack of support for resource centers and that the capacity building of NGOs was not systematically organized and often depended on the decisions of domestic and foreign donors.
The key strategic goal, according to Hajduković, is the improvement of the existing strategic normative framework for long-term partnership with NGOs in the implementation of public policies and provision of services to citizens.
"The second strategic goal, which we want to achieve, is to strengthen NGOs as one of the partners of state administration bodies. This goal is based on the need to reduce regional differences in the development of the non-governmental sector, to strengthen the innovation and professionalism of the non-governmental sector in providing services, to strengthen intra-sectoral NGO coordination modeled on pan-European networks", said Hajduković.
Danijela Nedeljković Vukčević, Acting Director General of the Directorate for Normative Regulation of the Public Administration System and Harmonization of Regulations in the Ministry of Public Administration, explained that the budgetary financing of programs and projects of non-governmental organizations is a very important issue that has direct implications for the assumed obligations of the state in the EU accession process, according to the press release. .
"Amendments to the Law on NGOs from 2017 foresee a minimum allocation of 0,5 percent of the annual current budget for financing programs and projects of non-governmental organizations. In 2020, the state allocated about 0,7 percent, which is more than the amount established by law. In last year, the percentage was lower and hovered around 0,5, which means that we kept to the minimum prescribed by law," says Nedeljković Vukčević.
The results of important analyzes and questionnaires, she said, showed that the existing funding model is procedurally very complex and complicated and that NGO funding is not integrated into standard program budgeting, which sets the financial framework for the implementation of public policies at the state level.
"We have recognized the following challenges, namely - the annual determination of priority areas for funding, mandatory participation of NGOs in tender commissions, the role of independent evaluators and the issue of monitoring NGO projects and programs," said Nedeljković Vukčević.
Special attention, as he believes, should be focused on the issue of monitoring NGO projects and programs, because every state should recognize the need for NGO participation in all stages of public policy creation, but the state should also benefit significantly from the projects it finances.
Senior expert for support in the preparation of the Strategy draft, Goran Forbici, noted, as written in the announcement, that the Draft Strategy was created in an inclusive process and that it can serve as a good example, and as for the content, the document is, in his opinion, planned in such a way that the non-governmental sector will be even louder and stronger in the future, that the state will be able to use it even more as a resource with which it is possible to improve the quality of life in Montenegro.
"The added value of the Strategy is that it plans direct investments in the non-governmental sector, which the previous Strategies only did to a small extent," said Forbici.
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