Open Data on Civil Society Organizations (MK0148)

Which public problem is addressed by the commitment? According to data from the Central Register of RNM, there are 15,581 associations and foundations registered pursuant to the Law on Associations and Foundations. Based on Art.47 of the Law on Associations and Foundations and related to priority area “civil society” under the Government of RNM’s 3-6- 9 Plan, the Central Register publishes the list of civil society organizations in open format (excel), available at: https://www.crm.com.mk/mk/otvorenipodatotsi/gragjanski-organizatsii. At the moment, information published as part of this list concerns organization’s name, ID number and contact e-mail address. 27 The browsing function allows individual search by entity name or identification number: https://www.crm.com.mk/mk/otvoreni-podatotsi/osnoven-profil-naregistriran-subjekt, and retrieves information such as: SIN-B, STN, full name, abbreviated name, date of establishment, legal form, legal status, address, additional information (under receivership/liquidation), primary activity, size. Article 47 of the Law on Associations and Foundations defines enlistment of register information in respect to: organization’s full and abbreviated name, when available; organization’s seat; act of establishment; date of establishment; name, surname and SIN-C and single identification number for founders; date of adoption, i.e. amendment of the statute; period for which the organization is established; goals and activities; name, surname and SIN-C of legal representative; data on organizational units (branches, offices, etc.); data on the status of public benefit organization; data on status changes; data on receivership and liquidation; comment on initiated procedure for prohibition of activity performance; termination of operation; number and date of the registration decision, decision on change of enlisted data and decision on entry deletion from relevant register according to Art. 40 (1) of the law. It could be concluded that, at the moment, information/documents that are not made available free of charge include: act of establishment, information on founders and authorized persons, goals and activities, status of public benefit organization. Participation of civil society organization in policy making is considered democratic minimum in any society. For that purpose, institutions apply different methods, including creation of separate registers, like in the example of the Secretariat for European Affairs: https://www.sep.gov.mk/post/?id=706 or the Council for Cooperation with and Development of Civil Society: https://www.nvosorabotka.gov.mk/sites/default/files/4.%D0%9Ebrazec_Regist ar_GO_0.pdf. Non-state actors that also need broader consultations, communication and networking rely on registries they have created, like in the example of the platform “Dialogue to EU”: (https://bit.ly/3wnsQ1O) or Civica Mobilitas: https://civicamobilitas.mk/adresar/. Both, international and interstate organizations often engage in activities aimed at mapping organizations active in different fields, for example, UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org/northmacedonia/media/3541/file/MK_MappingCSOsC WD_Report_MK.pdf. The need for creation of separate registries (databases on associations and foundations) arises due to the lack of access to open data on civil society organizations registered in the Central Register pursuant to the Law on Associations and Foundations, which are regularly updated and which users can browse on different grounds, for different purposes. Above-mentioned registries kept outside the Central Register do not allow such insight, as they are partial and imply unnecessary funds spent for one and the same purpose. Moreover, the list of civil society organizations records various forms of civil association, including associations, chambers, sports clubs, fan groups, driver associations, pensioner associations, women organizations, etc. It would be impossible to assess the structure of civil society without additional information on individual entities.

Main objective of the commitment 1. Promote transparency of the civil society; 2. Promote inclusiveness in policy making and monitoring processes, through possibility for thematic, geographical or other type of targeting civil society organizations; 3. Ensure adequate policy creation for civil society development, taking into account specificities of all entities registered according to the Law on Associations and Foundations; 4. Reduce administrative burdens for associations when they apply for financial support with public and private donors.

How will the commitment contribute to addressing the public problem? 1. Expand open data on CSOs with those available from individual browsing under existing functions Expanding the scope of open data published by the Central Register for civil society organizations (list of civil society organizations) free of charge on the website: http://www.crm.com.mk/mk/otvoreni-podatotsi/gragjanskiorganizatsii, with all data that are publicly available, free of charge, through the service “general profile of registered entity” (http://www.crm.com.mk/mk/otvoreni-podatotsi/osnoven-profil-naregistriran-subjekt). Data will be obtained from current information available in the Register of Associations and Unions, Register of Foundations and Register of Organizational Forms of Foreign Organizations (all three registers defined in the Law on Associations and Foundations) and will be updated on monthly basis. Expanding the scope of data available will enable browsing filters on different grounds, for example, according to location of seat, legal form, size, etc., i.e. per each parameter of available data, and will result in increased use value of such data. Having in mind that the Central Register is responsible for these data, they will be updated and complete. Other registries kept by state institutions and non-state actors are partial (include only information about organizations that are registered for specific purpose) and do not imply sustainable mechanisms for updating data. Such information will serve the civil society, but also donors and international organizations, in respect to consultation processes and information dissemination. Also, public availability of such information will facilitate applying for financial support (public and private) in administrative terms. 2. Provide access to dynamic reports with customizable data on civil society organizations for budget beneficiaries (central and local authorities) While the Central Register offers free access to information for state institutions, it is evident that some institutions are not informed about this possibility, and some of them do not benefit from the format in which information on civil society organizations is made available, so they decide to create and use own registries of associations and foundations, often created per thematic commitment of organizations, like the examples given above in respect to SEA and the Council for Cooperation with and Development of Civil Society. Enabling the function for creation of dynamic reports with customizable data on associations and foundations for institutions that are state budget beneficiaries 29 (central and local authorities) will allow direct and authorized access to such reports. Data contained in these reports will be obtained from current status in the Register of Associations and Unions, Register of Foundations and Register of Organizational Forms of Foreign Organizations (all three registers defined in the Law on Associations and Foundations) on the basis of pre-defined entry criteria (filters) such as: geographical location according to the organization’s seat, organizational form, size, area of operation based on keyword in organization’s goals and objectives, etc. Final definition of input criteria and output data will be decided in inclusive process, by working group composed of representatives from FOSM as the lead organization proposing this commitment, representatives from the Central Register, the Government’s Department for Cooperation with Civil Society Organizations, and the Council for Cooperation with and Development of Civil Society. By allowing the possibility for access to updated data that could be processed according to particular interest of institutions, the latter will be able to increase the scope of organizations they communicate with, inform and include in ongoing consultation processes. Finally, policy making on civil society development is another end in itself. The Government has established the Council for Cooperation with and Development of Civil Society and has adopted, i.e. develops the new Strategy for Civil Society Development. However, creation of quality policies depends on availability of quality data. The current format in which data on citizens’ associations are available is not usable and useful in policy making. Enabling free access to data on civil society organizations will greatly facilitate work of the Council in this regard.

How is the commitment relevant to OGP values? COMMITMENT IS IMPORTANT FOR TRANSPARENCY because it promotes transparency of the civil society, improves quality and access to public and free information by making all data available in one central location and, in addition to individual search, it also allows analytical use of data, provides conditions for reliving civil society organizations of administrative burdens when applying for funding with public and private donors. COMMITMENT IS IMPORTANT FOR CIVIL PARTICIPATION because data are available to state institutions, allowing them to target civil society organizations based on thematic, geographical, typological and other aspect, in order to be included in policy creation and monitoring processes. CSOs and donors have access to integrated data in one place, which they can use for organization of consultation processes or for information dissemination to associations and foundations. The commitment will improve creation of civil society development policies, based on credible and reliable information from integral database.

Additional information Link to the Government’s Strategy for Cooperation and Development of Civil Society 2018-2020: The Government’s Strategy for Cooperation and Development of Civil Society 2018-2020 includes MEASURE 12: Increase availability and dissemination of public data on civil society organizations enlisted in the Central Register of the Republic of Macedonia. This measure is accompanied by two activities: 30 12.1. Improve the database of civil society organizations enlisted in the Central Register, by expanding publicly available information on registered civil society organizations 12.2. Improve the legal framework for procedures on obtaining necessary information from the Central Register for the purpose of public funding to projects and programs of civil society organizations. Link to UN Sustainable Development Goals Link to SDG16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions SDG target 16.10: Ensure access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements. Measures anticipated under this commitment contribute to improved access to public information through more efficient enforcement of the laws and better information to citizens.

No. Milestone Indicators Activity holder Start date End date 1.5.1 Publish data on civil society organizations in open format on the Central Register’s portal and the government’s open data portal Number of registered associations and foundations whose data is published in open format (According to data kept by the Central Register, there are 15,580 registered organizations) Number of open data downloads from the Central Register’s portal and the government’s open data portal CRRNM MISA December 2021 December 2021 1.5.2 Regular updating of open data referred above Frequency of open data updates (target: at least monthly) CRRNM December 2021 continuously 1.5.3 Establish working group to determine input criteria and output data on civil society organizations to be included in dynamic reports Criteria and output data are defined (yes/no) FOSM as lead institution proposing the commitment, representative s from CR, GS of GRNM, Council for October 2021 October 2021 31 Cooperation with and Development of Civil Society 1.5.4 Provide access to dynamic reports with customizable data on CSOs for budget beneficiaries (central and local authorities) Access is granted to dynamic reports with customizable data on CSOs (yes/no) CRRNM October 2021 May 2022 1.5.5 Deliver training and written instructions for budget beneficiaries (central and local authorities) on use of dynamic reports Number of employees trained Number of employees presented with written instructions on use of dynamic reports CRRNM May 2022 May 2022 1.5.6 Use of dynamic reports on CSOs Number of downloaded reports with data on CSOs CRRNM, GS of GRNM, Council for Cooperation with and Development of Civil Society. May 2022 continuously

Action Plan Review

Commitment 1.5: Ensure free access to data for civil society organisations

● Verifiable: Yes

● Does it have an open government lens? Yes

● Potential for results: Modest