Objectives;
Situation Analysis;
Strategy;
(Expected) Results / Outcome;
Major activities |
Situation analysis: Reform of legislation governing civil society organizations (CSOs) continues to remain problematic in many CIS countries. Techniques making it difficult for CSOs to register have become particularly sophisticated as a political tool, both in existing legislation as well as in terms of how this legislation is interpreted and enforced. If a CSO is unable to register, it no longer exists as a legal entity and thus is unable to open bank accounts, hire staff, rent property, etc. Further, Central Asian governments have used finances as a means to control CSO activity. Other unorthodox strategies include imposing heavy fines or levies on CSOs, which – in principle – not-for-profit organization should be immune to.
Proposed programme:
This initiative proposes to review the legal environment for civic existence, expression, and engagement in several countries of the CIS. It will serve as a resource that UNDP Country Offices and legally-oriented CSOs can draw upon to address challenging issues pertaining to an improved civic environment. The larger objective is: to facilitate an improved civic (enabling) environment through an examination of legal and regulatory principles at the national level within the CIS.
Anticipated results:
Select activities to be undertaken (and outputs to be achieved) include: i) sensitization workshops and seminars on regulatory parameters for government officials, ii) capacity development initiatives to strengthen legal awareness for both CSOs and national and local awareness, iii) where possible, re-drafting of NGO legislation, iv) development of new methodologies and tools such as a “How-to-Guide on Strengthened Legal Principles for Citizen Participation in Central Asia” and an indicator to measure the robustness of NGO law in the CIS, and v) the establishment of a small ‘rapid-response’ discretionary fund to address legal issues immediately as they arise.
Current status:
Project currently in development phase. Initial steps have been taken, however. UNDP has recently commissioned the “how-to-guide” (but on a global scale). The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), the leading institution in this area, will be jointly producing this how-to-guide with UNDP. It will be published in the summer of 2007. |
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