More transparency and efficiency for registration of civil society organizations needed, say participants of OSCE-supported conference

KYIV, 31 October 2014 – ‘To enhance public trust in civil society organizations in Ukraine, the Registry of Public Associations should provide citizens with access to the NGOs statutes and reports’ –  was one of the core recommendations adopted at the “Civil Society and State: Dialogue and Partnership" international conference, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator, on 30-31 October 2014, in Kyiv. 

The recommendations were developed by the working group, comprised of officials and civil society experts; the group operated with support from the OSCE Project Co-ordinator.

The participants of the conference, held in partnership with the country’s State Registration Service, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ministry of Justice, agreed that civil society organizations in Ukraine should be able to fund their activities through business operations while maintaining the non-profit nature and status. These changes of the legislation and regulatory framework are needed to ensure sustainable development of civil society as a strong partner able to support development and implementation of state policies.

Jeffrey Erlich, Senior Project Officer of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine said: “Strong and healthy civil society is an important element of security. Openness for dialogue and co-operation with civil activists enables authorities to enhance public trust in state policies. However, we also should not forget that involvement of civil society in decision making is the best way to ensure those policies are of high quality and do meet people’s needs and expectations.”

The participants also recommended the State Registration Service to improve information policies by providing samples of documentations and explanatory notes in the premises of its local offices, placing contacts of regional offices online. “One-window” approach for registering public associations should also be ensured, to simplify the process of submitting necessary documents to the Registration Service and taxation authorities.

The participants also discussed ways of enhancing co-operation between civil society and state institutions in policy-making on central and regional levels. An overview of registration policies regarding civil society in Latvia and Netherlands was presented.