Latvian NGDO Platform

1. Latvian NGDO Platform Success and problems in advocacy and policy dialogue of the Platform/country during 2005 The main issues for advocacy and policy dialogue of the Platform on national and international level in 2006 Trialog Central Training, Budapest 9-10 March, 2006

2. Education policy development transparency of information, prevention of corruption Civil society development Criminal law HIV/AIDS prevention, volunteer service Gender equality issues, reproductive health Children’s rights . LAPAS 24 members Structure of the Platform:24 member organizations, 7 board members, 4 staff members Expertise of members:

3. Aim of the Platform To create an environment favourable for NGOs, to provide opportunities for development co-operation at the national and international levelsMain activities • policy advocacy and lobbying activities at national and international levels, • public awareness rising activities, Development education • capacity building activities, • Faciliatingdevelopment cooperation opportunities with priority countries, • providing NGOs with information on fundraising options to carry out development cooperation activities Prioritycountries Georgia (2005) Moldova (2006)

4. Success and problems in advocacy and policy dialogue of the Platform/country during 2005Success/country: • Small ODA increase from 0,06 % GNI in 2004 to 0,061 % of GNI in 2005 • Development Cooperation Policy Plan for 2005 • Development Cooperation Policy Program 2006 –2010 • Financing from state budget for Development Cooperation Policy implementation 2006 – 2010. • Development Cooperation Policy Plan for 2006 • Development Cooperation Policy Council was created • Country strategy papers for Georgia and Moldova Success/Platform • Participation in Development Cooperation Policy Advisory Board at the MFA as a fully fledged member; • Awareness raising activities were initiated and implemented in close cooperation with the MFA (media seminar, booklet on MDGs, interviews); • Most of the Platform’s comments on the national Development Cooperation Policy documents and position papers are taken into account;

5. Success/Platform • MFA showed a greater interest to cooperate: request of information, involvement of Platform in designing position papers, invitation to participate in conferences (national and international) partly covering the travel expenses, participation of MFA in Georgia NGO Forum (organized by Platform) partly covering Forum expenses; • Establishing contacts with MPs (especially in the Foreign affairs committee); • Platform became a member of CONCORD, participation in CONCORD’s Working groups; • Fact finding mission to Georgia; • NGO Forum: Moving towards the EU, 5 – 7 October 2005, Tbilisi as a first visible evidence of cooperation between Latvianand Georgian NGOs • Involvement of President of Latvia, MFA, government, municipalities, media in NGO co-operation Forum, carried out in Georgia.

6. ×ÏÍÃÉ “ÙÉÀ ÓÀÆÏÂÀÃÏÄÁÀ – ÓÀØÀÒÈÅÄËÏ” Open Society – Georgia Foundation • “NGO Forum: Moving towards the EU” • To present Latvian transition experience • within three areas - “towards European Union”, “Education” and “Social area” and identify the needs and necessities of partner’s country; • To strengthenthe NGO participation and cooperation with Municipality and the Government in Latvia and Georgia • To establish the network within three areas of action • “towards European Union”, “Education” and ‘Social area” among the civil society representatives from Latvia and Georgia as an operational basis for further activities; • To develop the project ideas • within the three core areas of interest for further cooperation.

7. Participants of the NGO forum 13 Latvian NGOs – one of the leading and most experienced organizations in EU affairs, field of Education and Social area More than 70 Georgia-based NGOs: think-tanks, grass-root organizations, experts, opinion-leaders Latvian and Georgian Government officials Representatives from Riga and Tbilisi City Council More than 90 participants in total The speech of the President of Latvia

8. Results of the NGO forum Created the recognition of the expertise of Latvian NGDO Platform as a reliable partner Increased Government awareness of the development cooperation and the role of civil society in democratisation process Increased the association with Latvia as a role model and prospective gate for civil society development towards the EU Created groups of interest - network among the Forum participants within three areas of action as well as data base for future contacts Identified needs and necessities of Georgian NGOs and specific areas of cooperation Generated about 14 cooperation ideas

9. Problems • Process of ODA budget designing for the year 2006 showed that the government has a very low politicalwill. The ODA level in Latvia for Development Aid in 2004 was 0,06 % of GNI and 0,061 % of GNI in the year 2005. Although total sums have risen, official Latvian ODA commitment for the year 2006 is expected to be even less than year before – 0,057 % of GNI. There were no reactions on Platform’s advocacy letters for ODA budget; • ODA Call for proposals/grant programme still has not been enounced. It is expected that first Call for Proposals on Development Cooperation projects will be announced in 2006 by the MFA. Amount available for DC and public awareness projects is only 150 000 LVL (213 000 Euro); • Information exchange system with all relevant stakeholders on DC including MFA should be formalised and more regular; • Capacity of the Platform and its members shall be bigger to secure better advocacy results.

10. The main issues for advocacy and policy dialogue of the Platform on national and international level in 2006 • Public awareness on Development Cooperation, Development Education; • Highlighting national ODA policy, lobbying ODA budget for 2007, grant scheme on DC projects; • Highlighting ODA policy at regional level (Baltic states); all three states have foreseen 0,1 % from GNI till 2010 (instead of 0,17 %); • Communication among all relevant stakeholders; • Professional and lobbying capacity of Platform and its members; • More and better suitable grant opportunities available for New EU member states; • Ensure a stronger representation of Latvian experts in international ODA projects (especially in the post soviet region); • Advocacy activities at EU level on Development Cooperation (through CONCORD).

11. Actions in 2006 • Lobbying activities on ODA budget for 2007 and political awareness, • Round table discussions (civil society representatives, parliamentarians, civil servants from MFA and media, academics), • Preparation for the Baltic conference on Development Cooperation, • a research on the level of awareness and participation of NGOs in Development Cooperation activities and their expertise/informative materials based on the research, • Implementation of the project called “Market of Possibilities” (EC supported project in cooperation with Finnish partner KEPA), • Development of the project (MFA Call for Proposals on Public Awareness raising activities), • Needs assessment mission and experience exchange with Moldova, • NGO Forum in Moldova (in autumn 2006), • Development of cooperation possibilities with other transitional economy and developing countries (e.g. Belarus), • Participation in lobbying activities for DC policy at EU level (through CONCORD), • Seminar on Development Education (in April).