Project: Towards efficient policies on local level - budget line 481 for NGOs23Oct2015
How to ensure that that the funds from the budget line 481 are allocated to the real needs of the citizens
On 23rd October in Pirot, Serbia, the Centre for Development of Non-Profit Sector and the Centre for Public Policy Research organized a round table titled "Towards more effective budgetary policies at the local level - budget line 481”.
The round table was based on their research on the use of public funds in Serbia, supported by BCSDN through the Balkan Public Policy Fund. According to the research, only small part of the money actually goes to CSOs, contrary to popular belief. From the budget line 481 - Grants for NGOs, only 39% on national level is allocated to civil society, while 30% go to sports club, 18% to political parties, and 12% to religious associations, with the numbers similar on the local level too. The discussion by the interested citizens, representatives of civil society, the media and local governments focused on how to ensure that that the funds from the budget line 481 are allocated to the real needs of the citizens, and if the solution is in budget programing, establishing clear mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation, training of local administrative staff in charge of the line 481 etc. More information is available here.