PROJECT TITLE:

Contribute to exposing flaws in institutional efforts to fighting COVID-19 pandemic through new legislation pieces and public contracts

OVERALL OBJECTIVE:

The overall objective of the Action is to promote accountability and transparency during public spending through public procurement.

LOCATION:

Kosovo

SECTOR:

Accountability and Transparency

DURATION:

Start Date: 1st of January 2021. End Date: 31st of December 2021

VALUE:

Total cost of the project €110,442.60; EU contribution € 58,225.34

IMPLEMENTING AGENCY:

Democracy Plus (D+)

PROJECT PURPOSES:

• SO1. Contribute to reframing the cultural environment and political identity to change societal values towards rule of law, corruption, gender and ethnic discrimination; • SO2. Promoting collective deliberation to reach a consensus on national standards in the processes against corruption and other forms of societal abuse and rights violations; • SO3: Contribute to breaking the cycle of reciprocity and moral obligation within closed networks that is prone to lead to corruption, and strengthening citizen participation and the accountability of elected officials towards their voters.

TARGET AREA:

Public procurement and transparency

BENEFICIARIES:

• Government • The 4 targeted municipalities • Procurement Review Body • Public Procurement Regulatory Commission • The Assembly and its Committee on Health • Hospital and University Clinical Service of Kosovo • Citizens • Media

ACTIVITIES:

• Monitoring the work of public institutions in the fields of good governance, transparency and accountability, public spending and public procurement; • At least ten (10) tenders from 2020 and ten (10) tenders from 2021 will be analyzed as reaction to the pandemic/carried out through negotiated procedure. • Two monitoring reports on tenders awarded during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 • Direct Monitoring of procurement activities in four municipalities • One monitoring report on the findings observed during the direct monitoring of tenders in the targeted municipalities • Monitoring and contributing to better policy-making through proposing recommendations and engaging in drafting laws, regulations, and administrative directives at the central and local level in the fields of good governance, transparency and accountability, public money spending/public procurement • Issuing Six (6) Fast Reaction Briefs to Government/Public Institutions responses to the COVID-19 pandemic • Providing recommendations for at least ten (10) primary and secondary pieces of legislation regarding central and local government, good governance, transparency and accountability • Exposing cases of corruption and mismanagement of public funds and reporting them through the media in the form of media appearances, op-eds, blogs and media appearances • One Cost of Corruption animated video highlighting the main findings of the entire project • Organising/holding about 50 media appearances through interviews and participation in televised debates or articles of online, print and TV media outlets; • About 20 advocacy meetings aiming to raise identified issues with public institutions and other civil society organisation • Carrying out an awareness raising campaigns to inform citizens on the impact of corruption on their daily life and how their taxes are spent by central and local level institutions

RESULTS:

1. Elected leaders and policy makers learn to discuss the importance of the policies and laws; 2. Information campaigns held in order to reframe the cultural environment and political identity, aiming to change societal values towards the rule of law, corruption, gender and ethnic discrimination; 3. Civic engagement activities take place in order to contribute to breaking the cycle of reciprocity and moral obligation within closed networks that is prone to lead to corruption, and strengthening citizen participation and the accountability of elected officials towards their voters; 4. Social media is utilised as a mean to promote policy briefs and activities that engage citizens and make them contribute effectively to events with policy makers and elected officials; 5. The use of current platforms is enhanced and new ones are developed in order to echo the work done to strengthen citizen participation in the policy process and to change attitudes and behaviours related to culture of corruption, abuse and violation of rights, social apathy and lack of civic engagement.