Capacity building within Government (CZ0045)

Brief Description of the Commitment

Strengthening the knowledge and skills of Government representatives will enable a better understanding and appreciation of the role and potential benefits of effective cooperation with civil society organizations.

1. What problem does the commitment aim to address?

In 2022, an Analysis of Cooperation between the State Administration and NGOs and NGO Networks was carried out, which identified the main pitfalls of cooperation between the two sectors and also formulated possible recommendations. 4 The results of the analysis show that the biggest obstacle to increased cooperation is mutual lack of knowledge and lack of information. On the one hand, the ministries do not know who they can turn to in the framework of cooperation, what they can expect from civil society organizations (CSOs) and in which areas they can utilize the cooperation. CSOs, on the other hand, perceive a certain reluctance and lack of knowledge on the part of the Government on how to involve umbrella organizations, networks and other CSOs in cooperation.

2. What are the causes of the problem?

The concept of partner cooperation between the state administration and CSOs is not yet sufficiently developed in the Czech environment. The involvement of CSOs in consultation or commenting processes depends very much on the CSOs activity itself and the ministries do not facilitate this path much. Strong support for consultative, participatory and deliberative processes and cooperation with civil society is also evident from the European Union - see for example COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION on promoting the engagement and effective participation of citizens and
civil society organisations in public policy-making processes (C/2023/8627).

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem?

Different ministries approach the problem differently (not always in a bad way, there are examples of good practice). However, the problem has not yet been addressed in a conceptual and cross-cutting manner. In 2022, the Methodology for the Participation of NGOs in Consultative and Working Bodies and in the Drafting of State Administration Documents was created.5 Six central administrative authorities have signed up to pilot it in 2023-2024. The piloting shows that the state administration does not know how to approach effective cooperation with CSOs and/or does not have the necessary capacity to do so.

2. What solution are you proposing?

In accordance with the Strategy for Cooperation between the State Administration and Non-Profit Organizations for 2021-2030 (Strategic Objective B - Promoting Effective Partnership and Cooperation between the Public Administration and the Non-Profit Sector)6 , in the period 2025-2027, the existing information resources of selected ministries (especially their websites) should be analyzed with the aim of focusing on the availability of information on the possibilities of mutual cooperation, including an overview of the existing advisory and working bodies in the given ministry. On the basis of the analysis and in cooperation with the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic (or other concerned entities), individual ministries would then proceed to modify their websites - however, this phase is not part of the commitment for the period 2025-2026. In parallel, practical trainings will be prepared and implemented for representatives of the individual ministries to introduce the functioning and possibilities of cooperation between CSOs and the state administration. The trainings will include both theoretical part and practical training i.e. piloting of best practices of cooperation between the state administration and CSOs. In cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior - Civil Service Section, a training module will be prepared focusing on the role of CSOs and on cooperation i.e. on participation of non-state actors in general. The Office of the Government of the Czech Republic will provide the content of the training module and the lecturers. The Civil Service Section will then propose the most appropriate implementation within the framework of the training of civil servants. In the case of the analysis of existing information sources, it is planned to implement it within the BETA3 program implemented by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. The estimated cost is approximately CZK 0.5 million. Preparation and implementation of practical training for representatives of individual ministries and preparation of the training module will be provided from internal resources of the Department of Human Rights and Protection of Minorities of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic

3. What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment?

• Analysis of the websites and implementation of measures to improve the availability of information on partnership cooperation. • Preparation of a training module for civil servants and employees under standard employment contract on the topic of Cooperation and participation of non-state actors. • Implementation/creation of the training module.

1. How will the commitment promote transparency?

How will it help improve citizens' access to information and data? How will it make Government more transparent to citizens? Civil society, represented in this case by CSOs7 , their umbrella organizations and networks, should receive not only information and data on their opportunities for active participation in public policy-making as a result of the implementation of the commitment. In particular, they should gain an informed partner in the public administration who is aware of the importance of cooperation with non-state actors.

2. How will the commitment help foster accountability?
How will it help public agencies become more accountable to the public? How will it facilitate citizens’ ability to learn how the implementation is progressing? How will it support transparent monitoring and evaluation systems? As a result of a more frequent and better involvement of CSOs and other actors in public administration at central level, CSOs will have easier access to information on how policy and document development is progressing and will be better able to participate in transparent monitoring and evaluation of the measures taken.

3. How will the commitment improve citizen participation in defining, implementing, and monitoring solutions?
How will it proactively engage citizens and citizen groups? Improving citizen participation in the design, implementation and monitoring of the solutions adopted is the main objective of the commitment. Specifically, the commitment aims to improve citizen participation indirectly by increasing and improving the involvement of NGOs, their umbrella organiyations and networks, through their easier access to the necessary information as well as by strengthening awareness of the importance and necessity of cooperation with the civil sector by the public administration.

Milestones | Expected Outputs | Estimated Completion Date

Preparatory phase: Setting up cooperation | 1-2 meetings with ministries and other central administrative authorities and NGOs 1 external expert involved | 06/2025

Implementation phase: a) Carrying out an analysis on the availability of information on opportunities for mutual cooperation. b) Preparation and implementation of training. c) Preparation and pilot implementation of the training module. | Ad a): Newly-created analysis with recommendatio ns on how to improve accessibility of information Ad b): Preparation of learning texts for the so-called Initial Education Follow-up. Implementation of at least 3 training courses and training of at least 40 public administration staff Ad c): Creation of a training module and its pilot testing (implementation of min. 2 training sessions, training of min. 20 people) | 10/2026

Final phase: Evaluation of the implementation of the measures and proposal for further steps in with the central administrative authorities involved | 1-2 meetings with ministries and other central administrative authorities and NGOs | 12/2026