FOSI ROM - Program Activities

In line with the findings derived from the earlier project Minority Rights in Practice, this is an effort of NDC to present national and international laws and practice related to promotion and protection of minority rights to representatives of seven multiethnic communities (Ulcinj, Bar, Tuzi, Kotor, Tivat, Bijelo Polje and Plav) and to enable open and constructive dialog on the status of minorities in Montenegro.

NDC will organize six workshops for representatives of local governments, NGOs, media, local politicians and leaders of ethnic and religious groups, as well as representatives of the Ministry for Protection of Minority Rights. A special seminar will be organized for the most active workshop participants, to enable them to exchange information, experience and knowledge and establish cooperation.

This is an effort to facilitate access to information concerning the work of local government to individual citizens and civil society organizations and thus contribute to transparency, effiicency and quality of that work.

MANS offices will request information about organization of secretariats, public enterprises and institutions and other authorities concerning public procurement and public spending on the local level. Together with the response obtained for 13 thousand request submitted to date, this information will be categorized by areas and municipalities.

The ultimate goal is to generate the need among public authorities, in particular the local ones, to post the information of importance for the general public on their internet pages and to provide concerned citizens with the opportunity to access information without having to submit requests.

1. Provision of Appropriate Human Rights Guarantees in the Constitution of Montenegro - Additional Activity

NGO Human Rights Action is working on material for a publication to be issued in both local language and English, that will present to the public expert comments to the new Constitution of Montenegro.

Initially, the publication was intended to contain only the presentations and comments from the Round Table "International Human Rights Standards and Constitutional Guarantees in Montenegro", the text of the Constitution and the opinion of the Venice Commission (adopted at the session held on 14 December 2007).

In the course of material preparation, it was concluded that it would be useful to add new inputs, which considerably increases the volume of the publication and requires additional funding for the project.

2. Program of Enhancing the Capacities of NGOs Concerned with Human Rights: Second seminar on Human Rights Monitoring (10-15 October 2008)

(in-house project) 10,704.46 EUR

The project provides funding for the seminar on Human Rights Monitoring to be held in October 2008.

This is the second of five seminars envisaged within the Program of Enhancing the Capacities of NGOs Concerned with Human Rights. The seminars are attended by the same group of fifteen NGO activists during 2008 and 2009.

In addition to training, the program includes a small grant scheme for projects on human rights monitoring; it involves expert assistance from FOSI ROM partners in the project - Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Warsaw.

The project aims to develop NGO capacities for more efficient monitoring and advocacy in instances of violation of human rights and for preparing better monitoring reports in the domain of human rights.

The project includes CEMI activities in the domain of political party financing from September 2008 to April 2009.

In addition to working on the data base (http://www.transparentnost.cg.yu/Pretraga/Kampanje.php) and advocating for establishment of an adequate legal framework in this area, CEMI will monitor potential abuse of state resources in political party finanscing. Activities to review the position of the National Electoral Committee, including lobbying for development of the Law on National Electoral Committee, are also planned.

FOSI ROM supported CEMI’s activities on improving the transparency and political accountability in the financing of political parties in Montenegro in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. With the engagement of consultant Marijana Trivunović, CEMI reviewed the activities to date and planned new, broader ones to be implemented within this project.

[The project is also funded by the network Human Rights Governance Grants Program in the amount of 7,590 EUR, total amount allocated for the project: 23,195.66 EUR]

The project refers to publication of results of activities implemented within the project Minority Rights: Legislation and Practice in Montenegro. Project results will be presented in three reports and on a DVD that will contain TV broadcasts in Montenegrin, Albanian and English.

The project Minority Rights: Legislation and Practice in Montenegro is a segment of the regional project titled Minority Rights in Practice in SEE initiated in 2004 by King Baudouin Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott and Open Society Institute.

This project has been implemented in Montenegro since last year by the following NGOs: NDC, CEDEM, CEZAM and ASK/Libertask.

2. Analysis of Effects of the Reformed Procedure for the Election of Judges in Montenegro

At the time, Human Rights Action organized a round table on the reform of the procedure for the election of judges and gathered an expert task force that proposed complete constitutional and legal provisions, based on the discussion during the event, analysis of international standards and comparative legal reform solutions. These were published in the Proposal for the Reform of the Procedure for the Election of Judges in Montenegro.

The same task force will analyse, within a new project, the constitutional, legal and regulatory provisions applied in the meantime to reform the procedue for the election of judges in Montenegro. The new publication will include the task force assessment of the extent to which its recommendations and recommendations as to how to accomplish the reform have been endorsed.

The project intends to assess implementation of free legal aid in practice, its quality and possible ways of improvement. The Center for Legal Aid will conduct field research among relevant institution representatives - providers or beneficiaries of free legal aid. Open Society Justice Initiative methodology, adjusted to Montenegrin context, will be used for the purpose of this research.

Research report is to provide material for the team developing the Law on Free Legal Aid (in addition to the legal framework analysis, developed by the Ministry of Justice).

The project aims to contribute to a more efficient survey of the existing situation in the domain of free legal aid and development of the Law on Free Legal Aid, expected to be adopted in 2009.

[FOSI ROM allocated to this project 4,297.89 EUR from its European Program and 3,897.30 EUR from Women’s Program, making the total amount allocated 18,195.19 EUR]

1. Program of Enhancing the Capacities of NGOs Concerned with Human Rights: First seminar on Human Rights and Strategy of NGO Activities

The project provides funding for the seminar on Human Rights and Strategy for NGO Activities to be held in early May 2008.

This is the first of five seminars envisaged within the Program of Enhancing the Capacities of NGOs Concerned with Human Rights. The seminars will be attended by the same group of fifteen NGO activists during 2008 and 2009.

In addition to training, the program includes a small grant scheme for projects on human rights monitoring; it will involve expert assistance from FOSI ROM partners in the project - Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Warsaw.

2. Engagement of Marijana Trivunović as Consulant for the Purposes of Implementing the Activity in the Sphere of Political Party Financing in Montenegro

The project refers to the engagement of Marijana Trivunovic, an expert consultant on anti-corruption issues, studies, analyses and methodologies for identification of corruption, and on legal, institutional and educational measures to suppress corruption.

For the past four years, FOSI ROM has supported activities in the sphere of political party financing through its partnership with CEMI.

The expert will assist CEMI in defining further course of action and FOSI ROM in planning future activities in this sphere.

3. Enhancing the Transparency and Political Accountability in the Sphere of Political Party Financing

CEMI is working on Draft Law on Financing of Political Parties that would incorporate current standards in this field and relevant recommendations of the Council of Europe and address the findings from the 2007 European Commission monitoring report.

The project is a follow up to the activities funded by FOSI ROM in 2007. The project resulted in the Bill Law on the Financing of Political Parties entering the parliamentary procedure following a citizens’initiative (6,000 signatures).

In addition to continuos advocating for the adoption of the new law, the project includes the following activities: monitoring of financing during presidential elections, amending and updating the existing database (previously funded by the Foundation) available at: http://www.transparentnost.cg.yu/Pretraga/Kampanje.php, a study visit to Romania and publication of the annual report on findings of the monitoring activity and general project results in 2007.

[The project is also supported by the OSI network Human Rights Governance Grants Program, which allocated 11,613.46 EUR.]

4. Implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information in the Northern Region of Montenegro – II

With this project, NGO Bonum continues its evaluation of the quality of implementation of the given Law in the northern municipalities. The NGO submits requests to local authorities and organizes discussions to promote the legal provisions pertaining to free access to information in Bijelo Polje, Žabljak, Mojkovac, Kolašin, Rožaje and Andrijevica.

In line with the findings generated by the previous project, this project will include publication of a booklet which will contain all guides on free access to information issued so far, the text of the Law and request forms. The publication will be distributed to citizens during the discussions.

1. Costs of Needs Assessment for the Purpose of Planning a Training for Human Rights NGOs

As part of FOSI-ROM’s efforts to enhance the capacities of NGOs concerned with human rights, a meeting of NGO representatives with Lenurom Kerymov, representative of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Warsaw was organized in Podgorica, on 10 December, 2007. An assessment was made concerning the type of training needed, which resulted in a framework plan for a human rights training to be implemented through the network Law Program in the two forthcoming years.

The project covers the expenses related to the organization of the meeting and Lenur Kerymov’s visit.

2. Representation of Minorities in the Election Process - Local Elections in Tivat and Herceg Novi and Presidential Elections

CEMI will monitor participation of minorities in the presidential election process in Montenegro (6 April, 2008) and the concurrent local elections in Herceg Novi and Tivat. Wars in the neighbouring countries brought about a considerable change in the ethnic structure of population of the two municipalities.

The project envisages meetings with representatives of minorities, state authorities, international organizations, political parties, relevant NGOs and presidential candidates. CEMI will monitor the attitude of print media towards minorities during the election process and, on the day of elections, conduct a survey on participation of minorities in the process.

Research material and findings will be posted on the website: www.cemi.cg.yu and printed in report format after the elections.