DPCC with new chairman

On working meeting of the Coalition “Civil Activity against Corruption” (CAAC) and District Public Council Against Corruption (DPCC) on 15th of September were discussed the results from the made corruption signals and the future activities of DPCC. In spite of the end of the projects, in the frames of which functionalizing the District council until now, its members decided to continue their activity.DPCC chose a new chairman – Dimitar Petkov – District advisor and member of Association “International initiatives and partnerships”. The members of “CAAC” and DPCC listened also report for the activity on project “Local public mediator in District Pazardjik – guarantee for anticorruption politic on local level. Advocacy campaign for influence on the practice of their institutionalizing”, which will finish this days. Marina Manolcheva – Executive Director of Fund – IGA and Dimitar Rusinov – Program Director acquainted the present with starting projects of the organization, in the frames of which will be possible to realize some of the activities of “CAAC” and the District Public Council against Corruption in the next two years. The decision was taken about in the beginning of October the District Public Council against Corruption to make public the results from its activity on press-conference.

The anti-corruption instruments on Municipality level were made clear on seminar

Seminar themed “Anti-corruption instruments on Municipality level” was carried out on 28th of July in the resort “Tsigov chark”. The training was in the frames of project “Local public mediator in District Pazardjik – guarantee for anticorruption politic on local level. Advocacy campaign for influence on the practice of their institutionalizing” of Fund – IGA. Participation in the forum took representatives of “Civil Activity against Corruption” Coalition, members of District Public Council against Corruption (DPCC), the Deputy- district Governor Ivan Avramov, the mayor of Rakitovo Municipality Dimitar Andonov, Municipality councilors from Rakitovo, Pazardjik and Batak Municipalities.
Lecturers of the seminar were representatives of Institute for Public Environment Development – IPED – Antoaneta Tsoneva – chairwoman of the Managing Council and ex-ombudsman of Sofia Municipality and Svetoslav Georgiev. To the participants was introduced the Guidelines “The local budget and the civil participation”, whose authors are the two lecturers. The members of DPCC – Dimitar Petkov – Municipality councilor from Pazardjik and representative of “International initiatives and partnerships” Association, Dora Papanova – Municipality councilor and director of House for old people in Batak and Sergey Vachev – chairman of “Vazrajdane ‘2002” Association and mayor of Kalugerovo village shared their experience also.
The project whose main aim is institutionalizing of local public mediators in Belovo, Bratsigovo and Rakitovo Municipalities is funded by the Trust for Civil Society in Central and East Europe and “Open society” Institute – Sofia.

The Regulations of the public governor in Belovo is accepted

On their regular session at Thursday (29.06.06) the public councilors of Belovo adopted Regulations for the activity of the public governor of Municipality Belovo, thus beginning the procedure for election of local public mediator. Only a month after her appointment the chairwoman of the Public council Violeta Zadreva took responsibly the engagement towards the project of the previous chairman, and succeeded to make the first step towards the institutionalizing of local public mediator. The Municipality is a partner of Fund – IGA together whit the Municipalities Bratsigovo and Rakitovo on project “Local public mediators in District Pazardjik – guarantee for anticorruption politic on local level. Advocacy campaign for influence on the practice of their institutionalizing”.
Just a week ago on a round table in Bratsigovo the chairmen of the Municipalities councils of Bratsigovo and Pazardjik shared their intentions regarding to institutionalizing of local mediators. The next step for the Municipalities is choice of a Temporary commission, which will start the election procedure.
The project is supported by the Trust for civil society in Central and East Europe and “Open society” Institute and will finish in September.

Local ombudsmen and municipal councilors gathered at a round table in Bratsigovo

On the 20th of June a round table meeting was held in Bratsigovo on theme” Local ombudsmen in Pazardzhik district- regulation of clear and effective rules for interaction between citizens and administration officials” . The event was carried out within a project of Fund – IGA on electing local ombudsmen in three municipalities in Pazardzhik district (Bratsigovo, Belovo and Rakitovo)- “Local ombudsmen in Pazardzhik district- safeguarding local anti-corruption policy. Advocacy campaign to bring influence on the practice for their institutionalizing. “, funded by Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe Trust and Open Society Institute –Sofia Host of the round table meeting was the chairman of the municipal council Gruycho Slavchev. Chairman of the Municipal Counicil of Pazardzhik and Belovo, Todor Popov and and Violeta Zadreva, mayor of Bratsigovo municipality dr. Sonya Misheva, municipal councilors and members of the municipal administration of Belovo municipality , ombudsmen of Pazardzhik district and representatives of Civil Activity against Corruption Coalition took part in the event. Main lecturer at the round table meeting was Antoaneta Tsovena- the first ombudsman of the Capital Municipality, chairman of the managing Board of the Institute for Public Environment Development IPED . Own experience in institutionalizing the ombudsman of Pazardzhik municipality was shared by Todor Popov- chairman of the Municipal council. Malina Dimova- ombudsman of Batak municipality presented her activity and shared with the other participants her practice in local authorities interaction. Sergey Vachev- a member of the Coalition Civil Activity against Corruption presented to the participants with the Coalition activity and results achieved, and the chairmen of the Municipal Councils of Bratsigovo and Belovo confirmed their intentions on having local ombudsmen elected in autumn. The forum was staged at a great interest demonstrated by the participants of the tree municipalities- Pazardzhik, Belovo Bratsigovo and gradually turned into a discussion of the role of local ombudsmen for improving the relations between citizens and administration, as well as the opportunities given by the activity to reduce corrupt practice in places.

Advocacy campaign will support the choice of local public mediators

Today in the office of Fund – IGA was carried out the first working meeting on the newest project of the organization “Local public mediator in District Pazardjik – guarantee for anticorruption politic on local level. Advocacy campaign for influence on the practice of their institutionalizing”, whose aim is the institutionalizing of three more public mediators in District Pazardjik – in Municipalities Bratsigovo, Rakitovo and Belovo. Participation in it took the chairman of the Municipality council – Bratsigovo Gruicho Slavchev, the deputy chairman of Municipality council – Belovo Argir Tsvetanski, the technical secretary of Municipality council Rakitovo Elena Dobcheva, the public mediator of Municipality Lesichovo Maria Dimitrova and Nedelka Prejdarova – chairwoman of the District Public Council against Corruption and Civil mediator of District Pazardjik.
The manager of the project Marina Manolcheva – Executive director of Fund – IGA acquainted the partners of the project whit the experience of the organization during the realization of project for institutionalizing of the local ombudsman. The participants in the meeting listened to the report “Local public mediators in District Pazardjik. Achieved stages in the procedure of choosing. Public adjustments. Media reflection”, produced by the team on the project. The Strategy plan for carrying out of advocacy campaign and the coming concrete steps in it realization were discussed.
The Municipality council – Bratsigovo has already started the procedure for institutionalizing of local mediator of Municipality Bratsigovo through the adoption of Regulations of the local ombudsman. The Temporary commission for election is being set up.
The project of Fund – IGA won funding after participation in competition of “Open Society” Institute – Sofia and Foundation for local government reform, Foundation “Interethnic initiative for human rights”, BlueLink information network and the network of the clubs “Open Society” in Bulgaria. The competition is part of the project “Strategy for strengthening of the nongovernmental sector in Bulgaria”, funded by the Trust for Civil Society in Central and East Europe.

Project for institutionalizing of local Municipality mediators is starting

The local Municipality mediators in District Pazardjik – guarantee for the anticorruption policy on local level. Advocacy campaign to influence the practice of their institutionalizing” is the newest project of Fund – IGA, started recently. It won competition for funding of activities within advocacy for effective change and influence of local public politics. The competition is part of the project “Strategy for stronger stability of the nongovernmental sector in Bulgaria”, funded from Trust for civil society in Central and East Europe, announced from the Institute “Open society” – Sofia, jointly whit Foundation for local government reform, Foundation „Inter-ethnic initiative for Human rights”, Bluelink information network and the network of “Open society” clubs in Bulgaria. The project of Fund – IGA is one of the two projects supported in the area of local/regional development and it envisages an advocacy campaign for institutionalizing of three more local public mediators in District Pazardjik – in the Municipalities Belovo, Bratsigovo and Rakitovo.