Partners

The EWPPP has two equally important partners for programme implementation – the parliaments and civil societies in participating countries. While CSOs usually take the lead in programme organization, parliaments actively contribute to strategic planning by providing important feedback, information and resources to facilitate CSO activities. Presently, the EWPPP employs 15 local staff in 7 countries throughout Eastern/Southeastern Europe and Eurasia on a project basis.

Participating parliaments are represented by Local Consultative Committees (LCCs), which are cross-party advisory bodies composed of MPs and parliamentary staff. All parties sitting in parliament are represented in LCCs; however, the EWPPP makes a concerted effort to ensure that ethnic minorities and women also constitute part of any LCC. Working from a domestic perspective, LCCs assist programme development, planning and implementation to determine realistic programme objectives. LCCs are also responsible for evaluating progress and results, and also proposing follow-up activities. Furthermore, LCCs advise the EWPPP on selecting national and international participants relevant to sustainable programme development. Thus, once a project has been completed, the EWPPP maintains regular contact with LCCs to ensure that EWPPP programmes continue to address strategic issues in a suitable manner.

Local CSO partners are selected on the basis of several criteria: reputation, independence, effectiveness, transparency and implementation capacity. CSO partners must be respected organizations – both among their civil society colleagues and the parliaments of their countries – and must be perceived as non-partisan liaisons between the parliament and the public. In addition, local CSOs must possess the necessary infrastructure to continue working alongside the parliament long after the programme has ended. The EWPPP concludes formal partnership agreements with each CSO partner for the duration of the programme following final selections.

Since 2000, EWPPP CSO partners have included: