International Conference on Relation between Public Administration Bodies and Civil Society Organizations

International Conference on Relation between Public Administration Bodies and Civil Society Organizations was held on 27^th and 28^th of March 2013 in the capital of the Republic of Turkey – Ankara. Conference has been organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, more precisely Department for Associations, and with support of TACSO project in the Republic of Turkey.

Aim of the Conference was to discuss the current state of affairs and the progress made in the Civil Society Sector in the South-Eastern Europe. Conference was attended by the representatives from government bodies responsible for cooperation with the CSOs and also by the representatives from CSOs, academic society, international organizations and media.

 

Conference was comprised of 4 panel discussions, divided into the following topics:

·         Relations between public administration bodies and CSOs worldwide,

·         Organizational structures of the government bodies' responsible for cooperation with CSOs,

·         Support Mechanisms for the Civil Society Development (Public Benefit Status, Tax Privileges, Projects Funding, Mechanisms for Supporting the Decision Making Process),

·         Accountability, Transparency and Auditing of CSOs.

 

Moreover, Conference was attended by the representatives of the government administration bodies and CSOs from the Republic of Albania, Republic of Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Croatia, Republic of Kosovo (under UN Security Council Resolution 1244), Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Serbia, Republic of Turkey, Turkish Republic of the Northern Cyprus and by various Experts from the European Union and the United States of America.

Igor Vidačak, Head of the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs, and Luka Margan, Expert Assistant in the same office attended this Conference on behalf of the Republic of Croatia. Igor Vidačak participated in the panel discussion on support mechanisms for Civil Society Development and presented Croatian experience regarding the creation of an enabling environment for the civil Society Development.

 

In his speech, Mr Vidačak has also explained the procedures necessary for the development and implementation of the National Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for the Civil Society Development 2012 – 2016 in the Republic of Croatia and informed on the progress made in the institutional framework for the cooperation between NGOs and public administration bodies.