Program of Cooperation between Government and the Non Profit Sector

1
Program of Cooperation between Government and the
Non -Profit Sector

• Croatia

2
Specifics (who, when, what?)

• Civil society organisations with Government
  office for cooperation with NGOs,
• Approved by the Croatian Parliament in December
  2000,
• Strategic document that states a framework for
  co-operation in developing and implementing
  public policies and building up the civic
  society.

3
Coordination

• Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.
• Monitoring of implementation
• Board for the civil society development

4
Important external factor in cooperation

• Further work influenced by key people leaving the
  Governments Office for Co-operation with CSOs
• Government appoints new person to head the
  Governments Office end of 2004
• Founding of National Foundation for Civil Society
  Development( public foundation founded by the
  Republic of Croatia by a special act passed by
  the Croatian Parliament on 16 October 2003).

5
Activity plan 2000-2002

• Review of the legal framework (Law on
  associations)
• Decentralizations
• Transparency
• Creation of models for financial assistance for
  NGO programs with commonly accepted criteria, and
  models for evaluation
• Promoting philanthropy

6
Law on associations

• A wide participative consultation process,
  lasting a year resulted in
• new, less restrictive Law on associations,
  October 2001
• provides for voluntarily registration of
  associations
•  requires at least three natural or legal persons
  to establish an association
• places on equal footing domestic and
  foreign persons as founders
• streamlines the conditions for registration of
  foreign NGOs and
• reduces the government's intrusion in issues
  related to the  internal government of an
  association. 

7
Law on volunteering

• National board for development of volunteering in
  Croatia (working groups)
• Working groups (legislative, education, promotion
  and information, cooperation with different
  sectors)
• 1st reading in the Parliament

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General determinants of the law

• Defines volunteer and volunteering, user and
  volunteer organiser
• Volunteer agreement
• Volunteers rights and obligations
• Outsourced with Labour Law, Law on health and
  retirement etc.
• Leans on Recommendations and conclusions of legal
  issues affecting volunteers-

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Involvement

• Founding of regional Foundations for Civil
  Society Development
• Creating database of regional CSOs
• Implementing national and four regional seminars
  "Development of Civil Society in Croatia - Models
  of Cooperation between the State, Local
  Authorities and NGOs

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Financing

• Different Government Ministries give yearly
  financial support (source State Budget and the
  State lottery money)
• The Foundation offers expert and financial
  support to programs which encourage the
  sustainability of the not-for-profit sector,
  inter-sector cooperation, civil initiatives,
  philanthropy, voluntary work, and which improve
  the democratic institutions of society and other
  programs
• From 2005 Regulatory act on CSOs being free of
  paying tax on foreign donations has been changed

11
Statistics

• Register of nonprofit organisations
• Lack information on economic units and general
  societal impact
• Hard to obtain information on the county level
  about the register

12
Civic education and promotion

• Support centers and training organisations
  projects (education elements, round tables,
  publications)
• Masters degree in Non-profit Management
• Promotion of voluntarism (1st National Conference
  on Volunteering)
• Think tank organisation (research)
• Web portal (Government Foundation)
• Newsletters (electronic and paper)

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The support structure

• Founding of regional Foundations for Civil
  Society Development
• Foundation invited all interested CSOs to
  participate in the curriculum development
• Developing education curriculum for the public
  sector
• Founded Regional Center for Intersector
  Cooperation in Zadar (Dalmatia) it will offer
  education for intersector cooperation for Croatia
  and abroad

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Contacts

• www.zaklada.civilnodrustvo.hr
• www.uzuvrh.hr
• www.centar-za-mir.hr/program_potpora.php
• www.udruga-mi.hr/info.php
• www.zoe-centar.hr/o_nama_eng.htm
• www.smart.hr