Development cooperation the Slovak NGO experience

1
Development cooperation - the Slovak NGO
experience

• Romanian NGOs and the Romanian Development
  PolicySeminar Bucharest, 7 September 2006

2
NG(D)O networking and cooperation

• Vienna conference The enlargement of the EU and
  the role of NGDOs Vienna, 1820 November 1998
• Networking efforts within the country from 1999
  among slovak NG(D)Os active in development
  cooperation and humanitarian assistance abroad
• Meetings with the government representatives -
  MFA
• International networking with the Member States
  EU Platform NGOs (events under German, Finish and
  Portuguese Presidencies)
• Cooperation in the frame of the TRIALOG Project
• Born in January 2002 with 9 members
• Founding member of CONCORD
• Currently 32 member organizations

3
Platform objectives

• be directly involved and participate in the field
  of foreign development co-operation policy of the
  Slovak Republic, the European Union and other
  institutions aimed at the development in less
  developed countries
• contribute to the process of forming the
  awareness of people living in the Slovak Republic
  of solidarity and mutual assistance and thus
  contribute to addressing poverty, lack of freedom
  and humanitarian crises in the World
• provide its members opportunities for development
  and professional growth.

4
Capacity building

• Key players
• TRIALOG (networking with EU NGDOs)- seminars-
  visits to other Platforms- participation on
  various events and conferences- integration into
  CONCORD
• ODACE (funding for V4 plus baltic states)
  important partner for the Government - first
  grant for the Platform
• UNDP microprojects travel grants to the
  developing countries to identify partners and
  projects
• Partners of individual NGOs
• SlovakAid...

5
Institutional structure

• Members Meeting the supreme body of the NGDO
  Platform (32 members)
• The Board executive body (6 members, 5 elected
  members from regular members executive
  secretary)
• Control Committee 2 members
• Secretariat Executive secretary and Regional
  Partnership Programme Project Manager
• Working groups (DevEd, Africa, Humanitarian
  Aid...)

6
Main areas of work

• Development Projects
• Development Education
• Humanitarian Assistance
• Development Policy National Program of ODA
• Lobby work towards Government, Parliament,...
• Dialogue with
• MFA - ODA department
• Co-ordination committee for development
  assistance with representatives of line
  ministeries and one representative of the slovak
  NGDO Platform led by the State secretary of MFA
• UNDP Trust Fund and Bratislava-Belgrade Fund
• NGDO Platform representatives present in all
  relevant gremia and part of the consultation
  processes

7
SlovakAid mechanism

• Priority country Serbia and Montenegro
• Bratislava-Belgrade Fund
• Other project countries Kenya, Sudan,
  Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Ukraine, Belarus,
  Afghanistan, BiH, Mongolia, Mozambique, Cambodia
• Co-financing by ODACE Programme, ADA
• Development Education and Public Awareness
  Raising
• Trust Fund with UNDP
  
• Leading role of MFA

8
Public awareness work by NGOs

• ONEWORLD Film festival (People in Peril together
  with czech People in Need Foundation)
• GOOD NEWS Campaign (eRko together with catholic
  parishes and DKA Austria)
• Concerts, cultural and sport events (Slovak
  Committee for UNICEF, PLOP,...)
• Global Education Week activities
  (Slovak-Southafrican Society)
• GCAP campaign Svet bez chudoby
• Cooperation with media
• Projects through 2 SlovakAid calls for proposals
  on development education and public awareness
  raising

9
International programs

• RPP Regional Partnership Program
• Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungaria, Czech Republic and
  Austria
• ASA/GLEN Volunteering sending
  programmeGermany, Slovakia, Hungaria, Czech
  Republic, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
• Building support for MDGs in Austria and Slovakia
  a EC 21-02-03 cofinanced 3 years project by
  Sudwind Austria, eRko Slovakia, the Austrian and
  Slovak NGDO Platforms

10
Main challenges for the Platform

• creation of the Law for development cooperation
  
• increasing the ODA budget according to the
  Barcelona and Monterrey commitments
• the programme based Slovak ODA instead of the
  individual project system
• increase the expertise in the project selection
  processes

11
Main challenges for the Platform

• extend the participation of the Slovak subjects
  (NGDOs) in ODA related activities also through
  more transparent rules in the project selection
  processes
• modernization of the humanitarian system of the
  Slovak Republic
• capacity building of the institutions, NGOs
• putting the volunteer sending programmes into
  the system of the ODA
• stabilize the human resources for the Platform'
  s work

12
Public support

• through
• Successful development projects
• Volunteers sending programmes
• Development Education (formal and informal)
• Public awareness campaigns
• Advocacy campaigns
• Regional and international partnerships

13

• GCAP Global Call to Action against Poverty
  campaigns
• www.whiteband.org
• www.makepovertyhistory.org www.svetbezchudoby.sk
  
• www.one.org
• regular work with media
• and other...

14

• by Marián Caucík, chairman of board
• Slovak NGDO Platform
• Praská 11Bratislava811 04Slovak
  republicTel./fax [phone]
• e-mail office_at_mvro.sk
• http//www.mvro.sk