Training for Administrative Servants on Open Government Topics (MK0188)

Brief Description of the Commitment

The commitment aims to contribute to the improvement of the regular annual programs for generic training of administrative servants, as well as the specialized trainings that are available on MISA’s learning system - (LMS). In this way, administrative servants (at national and local level) will be enabled to continuously learn and acquire knowledge through training on topics related to transparency and accountability, anticorruption, participation of citizens in decision-making, etc. This commitment, in addition to improving knowledge, also aims to build continuous cooperation between civil society organizations and MISA in the direction of sharing and using permanent resources for joint learning, building skills and cooperation. In that direction, the permanent training provided by civil society organizations in the areas of interest will be adapted and made available for the continuous skills building of administrative servants, through the electronic learning management system (LMS), once a year, all administrative servants will be obliged to successfully pass the developed trainings related to the topics of interest for this commitment through an obligation set forth by the Government and finally to get a certificate - to have a certificate that he has successfully completed the set trainings that will result from this commitment thereat.

Problem Definition

1. What problem does the commitment aim to address?

A key problem addressed through this commitment is the low capacity of public servants to recognize, report and act in cases of corruption; the low capacities of public servants to identify and share information and data with the public; and the low capacities for creating mechanisms for continuous communication with target groups.

2. What are the causes of the problem?

The reason for this problem is that public servants are not obliged to attend trainings on these topics. In addition to national regulations, public servants do not have the opportunity to find relevant information, literature, examples, tools, etc. in one place, which can help them in building their knowledge.

Commitment Description

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

There is an Academy for professional development of administrative servants within the framework of the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, which organizes trainings to strengthen the capacities of public servants. In addition, every year, following the proposal of public servants and an assessment by the Ministry, an annual training program for public servants is prepared on various topics, such as: strategies, programs, communication, cyber security, etc. The trainings are conducted through the LMS e-learning portal. During 2023, MISA implemented a procedure to improve the functionality of this portal. Part of the public servants in the past period had the opportunity to attend trainings related to corruption, access to information, inclusion of citizens, which were organized by relevant institutions or NGOs. This approach did not allow all employees to be covered, and those who were covered to have the opportunity to improve their knowledge in these areas.

2. What solution are you proposing?

In order to enable all public servants to have access to content, materials and training on topics related to corruption, access to information, and the participation of citizens, as well as to enable the continuous renewal of their knowledge, this commitment will enable the upgrade of the electronic learning system with content from the above areas that will be continuously available and updated with the latest information and content. Additionally, these trainings will be mandatory for all public servants and will generate a certificate that will be key in measuring their performance.

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

The operation of the public sector as a provider of services to citizens and the business community represents the largest part of every society. Without its continuous improvement, i.e. modernization, the overall development of the country is not possible. Hence, the basis of the action of every government, in addition to policies and strategies, also consists of expert, professional administration. The knowledge and skills of administrative servants, the use of information and communication technologies should ensure efficient service for citizens. With the rapid development of society and through digitalization, the expectations of citizens from the work of the administration are also increasing. Also, the administrative capacity is a prerequisite for the delivery of the agreed obligations to the European Union. That is why it is necessary to improve human resources and their performance, which is the primary task of professional development. In addition to the expertise of the officers, their commitment to high values such as ethics, integrity, responsibility, efficiency, professionalism, and adaptability generate trust and security among citizens and the business community. To that end, the permanent training provided by civil society organizations in the areas of interest will be adapted and made available for the continuous building of skills of the administrative servants, through the electronic LMS, guidance and obligation from the Government will be provided to visit those trainings and finally to get a certificate - to have a certificate for successfully completed the set trainings that will result from this commitment.

Commitment Analysis

1.How will the commitment promote transparency?

The information, materials, examples, positive practice, and tools that will be presented to them during the trainings will contribute to improving the awareness of public servants about the meaning, importance and opportunities for improving the transparency of the institution in which they work.

2.How will the commitment help foster accountability?

The information, materials, examples, positive practice, and tools that will be presented to them during the trainings will contribute to improving the awareness of public servants about the meaning, importance and possibilities for improving the institution's accountability for the decisions it makes.

3. How will commitment improve citizen participation in defining, implementing, and monitoring solutions?

The information, materials, examples, positive practice, and tools that will be presented to them during the trainings will contribute to improving the awareness of public officials about the meaning, importance and possibilities of communication and consulting the public prior to making key decisions.

Commitment Planning (Milestones | Expected Outputs | Expected Completion Date)

2.2.1 Signing Memorandum of Cooperation between MISA and Association for Emancipation, Solidarity and Equality of Women (ESE) | Signed Memorandum of Cooperation | May, 2024

2.2.2 Identifying topics of importance for building administrative servants’ skills in the field of transparency, accountability, corruption, good governance, citizen participation, etc. (example: proactive publication of information, provision of information in a procedure for free access to public information, how to recognize and prevent corruption, what are the benefits of involving citizens in decision-making processes and what are the mechanisms you can apply, etc. | Prepared list of topics. Developed standards (technical and content) that the training should meet. Developed criteria for selection of elearning materials (next point) | June 2024

2.2.3 Public call for collection of e-learning materials developed and implemented by civil society and other organizations in the field of transparency, accountability, corruption, good governance, civil participation, etc. | Collected at least three proposals | September 2024

2.2.4 Scoring and selection of received materials. | Selected at least 1 elearning material/solution for each topic | October 2024

2.2.5 Posting materials that should be in Macedonian, Albanian and English on the LMS - platform | Posted at least one training from each area on the LMS | December 2024

2.2.6 The government should adopt a decision on mandatory attendance of these trainings on an annual basis and obtaining a certificate) | Adopted decision that the trainings are mandatory | December 2024

2.2.7Inserting into a training program - training of administrative servants | Inserted all set trainings in the LMS training program | December 2024 and 2025

2.2.8 Notifying all administrative servants regarding the availability of trainings and the need to adopt the trainings. | Delivered notification to all administrative servants | January 2025

2.2.9 Conducting the trainings | 60% of the administrative servants got a certificate for completed training | January 2026