On November 1, 2023, the Government adopted the Civil Society Organisations Development Programme 2024-2027 (CSODP 2024-2027). This is the first policy document concerning CSO development, adopted three years after the expiry of the previous policy document (Civil Society Development Strategy 2018-2020). According to a self-evaluation of the Government, the previous strategy had an implementation rate of only 50% of the planned actions.
In focus: participation, financial sustainability and enabling environment
The new CSODP 2024-2027 has three main objectives:
- Strengthen the cooperation mechanisms between central and local public authorities and civil society, and increase transparency in policy formulation and decision-making;
- Increase the financial sustainability of CSOs; and
- Improve CSOs’ capacities in addressing social issues and promoting democratic values.
Accordingly, the programme is expected to (i) improve access to decision-making processes at all levels; (ii) create sustainable funding for CSOs from both public and alternative sources; and (iii) strengthen CSOs’ enabling environment to effectively and sustainably achieve their proposed mission.
CSO Meter helps inform CSODP 2024-27
The actions included in the CSODP 2024-2027 resonate with CSO Meter recommendations, specifically the ones seeking to:
- strengthen State-CSO cooperation;
- digitalise CSO registration;
- adjust the legal framework for contracting social services;
- increase the tax deductions for philanthropic activity;
- promote and extending the designation mechanism to legal persons;
- stimulate social entrepreneurship; and
- provide digital solutions for transparency in decision-making process.
The connection with the CSO Meter can also be traced in the indicators: the list of impact and key indicators of the programme include quantitative indicators based on the CSO Meter annual country update scores in the areas of State-CSO Cooperation and Access to funding.
Controversies around adoption of CSODP final version
The Government initiated work on the CSODP 2024-2027 in May 2023. The programme was developed by an independent expert under the authority of State Chancellery, with the support of GIZ Moldova and plenary contributions of CPA and CSO representatives. The draft was consulted in two rounds of public consultations with CSOs, but the last consultation had some timeline issues: the programme was adopted in its final version even though the public consultation period announced by the Government was still open for one more week. This raises questions about compliance with legal decision-making procedures, and questions about whether and how many recommendations have been omitted.
Unlike previous strategies that were adopted by the Parliament, the new CSODP was approved by the Government. The total cost of implementation of CSODP 2024-2027 amounts to 5.7 million EUR, of which 3.9 million EUR include planned state budgetary means. The remaining difference accounts for unplanned state budgetary means and external, yet unidentified sources.
The monitoring of CSODP 2024-2027 implementation will be carried out by the State Chancellery. It will publish annual progress reports based on the half-yearly reports of the implementing authorities. The interim evaluation will be carried out in 2025, and the final evaluation will be carried out ex-post at the end of the implementation period.