Promoting participatory methods in promoting social inclusion locally (CZ0046)

Brief Description of the Commitment

Ensuring the participation and empowerment of disadvantaged or discriminated groups in the development of local social inclusion policies supported by the state budget or European funds.

1. What problem does the commitment aim to address?

Socially excluded groups continue to have a low level of participation in social and political life and in local policy decisions. For example, according to the RILSA 2024 Report on the Socioeconomic Situation of the Roma Population in the Czech Republic 2023/2024, when asked "Do you vote in local, regional, senate, parliamentary or presidential elections?", 52.2 % of the Roma surveyed responded that they never participate in elections and 22.5 % responded that they vote only occasionally. Socially excluded persons are also represented only to a limited extent in local governments and their advisory or working bodies.

2. What are the causes of the problem?

The causes of this problem are not sufficiently researched, but according to the experience of the Agency for Social Inclusion (ASI), they include, in particular, the lack of financial and other resources of the socially excluded, a higher proportion of below-average educated persons among the socially excluded, insufficient compensation for health and other disadvantages, discrimination or prejudice.

Commitment Description

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem? One of the instruments currently used by the state to support the solution of social exclusion is the Coordinated Approach to Social Exclusion 2021+ (CASE 2021+). It relies on inter-ministerial cooperation and strategies focused on social inclusion, using national or European funds to support the inclusion of socially excluded people and the prevention of social exclusion. CASE 2021+ provides support for the planning, management and implementation of integration and inclusion measures within the autonomous competence of the participating territorial units. The principles of the CASE 2021+ focus on individual planning adapted as much as possible to the needs of the locality, on the use of participatory methods of work, open communication and sharing of experience of individual actors, on initial intensive but also continuous networking and support for community work. These principles must also be adopted to by local authorities seeking to participate in the program. CASE 2021+ is primarily implemented by the Agency for Social Inclusion (of the MRD) in cooperation with the managing authorities of the respective operational programs (OPs) - MLSA (OPE+), MRD (IROP 2021-2027), MEYS (OP JAK).

2. What solution are you proposing?

We are proposing the continued use of the CASE 2021+ and its gradual revision, which would reflect the change in the financing options for social inclusion policies (JTF, Modernization Fund, SCF etc.) and would establish even more firmly the commitments and mechanisms for participation and empowerment of disadvantaged groups. The ASI will provide expert support to cooperating municipalities in the preparation and implementation of integration measures, gradually promoting the use of participatory practices with an emphasis on the involvement of marginalized groups, including Roma. The ASI will support municipalities in the implementation of public meetings (round tables etc.), the involvement of vulnerable populations in the activities of platforms established by municipalities to address specific problems (various commissions, working groups etc.), not only in CASE+ municipalities, but also in other municipalities cooperating with the ASI that are cooperating in other forms and openly adhere to these principles of participation. The declared commitment will be funded from the current ASI budget and subsequently from the planned budget for the project Systematic Coordination of Social Inclusion, which will start on 1 April 2025 under the OPE+ program. The financial allocation of the project, along with other details, was still under negotiation at the time of the development of the Seventh Action Plan.

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

The outcome of these activities should be to strengthen the participation of representatives of marginalized groups in local partnership meetings, strategic planning and the preparation of projects and local policies that affect social inclusion in order to improve the quality of decision-making in the municipality's independent competence and to strengthen the ability of vulnerable populations to promote their own interests.

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? The commitment will improve access for disadvantaged citizens to information on local policies through the participation of representatives in local partnerships and working bodies.

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? The commitment will strengthen citizens' awareness of the implementation of local policies through the participation of representatives in local partnerships and working bodies. Page 23 (total 36)

3. How will the commitment improve citizen participation in defining, implementing, and monitoring solutions? How will it proactively engage citizens and citizen groups?
The commitment will strengthen the participation of disadvantaged citizens in the design, monitoring and implementation of local solutions through the participation of representatives in local partnerships and working bodies

Milestones | Expected Outputs| Expected Completion Date
Preparation and elaboration of the revised CASE 2021+: elaboration of the draft revised methodology and its pilot verification in practice discussion on the draft and adoption of the revised methodology into the practice of the ASI. | Revised CASE 2021+ methodology supplemented with elements of active participation of marginalized groups | 12/2025

Implementation of the revised CASE 2021+. | Number of municipalities using participatory procedures under the revised CASE 2021+: a) MRD (ASI) will support the creation of basic conditions for the active participation of inhabitants from vulnerable groups in decision-making on social inclusion measures in 20 municipalities in which it operates and in which events with the involvement of the public in selected topics will be implemented. b) The MRD (ASI) will support the creation of conditions for systematic public participation in social inclusion policies in 6 additional municipalities (at least 20 in total), where public meetings (etc.) will be held and the public will be involved in the activities of municipal platforms (e.g. commissions, working groups). | Ad a): 12/2028. Ad b): 12/2028