Press Release

                                                      June 5, 2023

The ILFOV Project: NGOs, Social Partners, and Local Public Administration - Engaging in Dialogue for the Development of Public Policies

Within the framework of the Tools and Training for Successful Organizations_ILFOV project, SIPOCA/SMIS 2014+: 963/151482, Transparency International Romania is organizing a series of 8 workshops aimed at debating and validating proposals for public policies, starting from the needs identified within the local community, in the fields of education, culture, health/social, and environment.

The first workshop took place on February 23, 2023, at the Branesti Town Hall and brought together representatives of civil society at the local level and representatives of the Brănești Commune Town Hall, with a focus on education and culture. During this meeting, potential starting points were identified for future proposals for public policies in the fields of education and culture, as follows:

• Promoting local cultural specificities, such as Cucilor Day, through public policy proposals regarding thematic days, representations outside the commune, workshops for learning the specific crafts of this local celebration, etc.;
• Creating a dedicated space for recreational and cultural activities for citizens, especially for children, youth, and local organizations, where activities can take place after school hours and during leisure time;
• Establishing a center based on the After-School model, dedicated to learning activities for students, aiming to provide them with support regarding homework completion, identifying children's skills, etc.

In April 2023, at the Transparency International Romania headquarters, the project beneficiary, the second workshop took place, which brought together only non-governmental organizations at the central level, and the three topics mentioned above, derived from the discussions at the first workshop, were debated.

The next workshop is scheduled for 20 June 2023, in an online format, where non-governmental organizations and social partners from the Branesti and from the Bucharest-Ilfov Development Region, as well as representatives of the Branesti Town Hall, are invited to debate and identify proposals for public policies in all four areas of interest of the project, namely education, culture, health/social, and environment.

The general objective of the ILFOV Project is to strengthen the capacity of non-governmental organizations and social partners to get involved in formulating and promoting local development through the elaboration and implementation of mechanisms and tools for interaction with local public authorities, as well as through specialized training and cooperation networks at the local level.

The expected results of the ILFOV project are:

• A local consultation mechanism called the Consultative Group for Development of Branesti, developed within the project and implemented in partnership with the Branesti Town Hall.
• 4 proposals for public policies discussed, validated within the Consultative Group for Development of Branesti, and submitted for approval to the Local Council.
• Minimum 90 representatives of NGOs and social partners certified at the end of the training sessions.
• A thematic cooperation network at the local level.
• 4 tools for monitoring and independently evaluating public policies applied at the local level.

For more information about the Tools and Training for Successful Organizations_ILFOV project, SIPOCA/SMIS 2014+: 963/151482, please visit our website or contact us at office@transparency.org.ro.

Total project value: 419,748.81, of which 411,353.83 are total non-reimbursable funds.

The project is co-funded by the European Social Fund through the Operational Programme Administrative Capacity 2014-2020.