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Empowering Civil Society in the Fight against Corruption in South East Europe
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SPAI regional conference
September 17-19, 2001
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Objectives
The success of the fight against corruption and the
democratization and integration process of Southeast Europe (SEE)
depends on an active involvement of all parties concerned. In this
context, the Stability Pact Anti-Corruption Initiative (SPAI)
Regional Conference on Civil Society will aim at reviewing the
existing legal and institutional framework in SEE countries for an
active involvement of civil society in the fight against corruption
and at strengthening this involvement.
Expected outcomes
- Diagnosis of the conditions for civil society's
involvement in the fight against corruption in South East European
countries
- Policy dialogue between SPAI representatives and
civil society organisations
- Discussion of technical assistance needs and
international donor community support
Methodology
The two and a half-day conference will include a thorough review
of the conditions for further involvement of civil society in the
fight against corruption, followed by round-table discussions. The
conference will also be a forum for discussion of specific key
civil society issues under the general framework of the SPAI and
will feature a special informal dialogue between SPAI Senior
Representatives and representatives of civil society that is
designed to facilitate an exchange of views on
strengthening/developing a collaborative partnership to combat
corruption. The meeting will also provide opportunities for
strengthening bilateral contacts with the donor community and allow
SPAI governments and civil society participants to discuss their
specific technical assistance needs.
The Conference will take place in Cavtat, Croatia.
The meeting will start at 9:00 a.m., Monday, September 17 and will
end at noon on Wednesday, September 19. Registration will take
place on Sunday evening, September 16.
Presentations by lead speakers will respectively be
limited to 10 minutes in order to leave time for discussion.
Interventions from the floor should not exceed 5 minutes. The
working language will be English. No translation will be
provided.
Target Countries and Audience
Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, FYROM, Moldova,
FRY/Montenegro, Romania. Participants will include SPAI senior
representatives and experts, representatives of selected SEE
business associations and trade unions, media and NGOs as well as
representatives of international NGOs, bilateral agencies,
Stability Pact donor countries and of observer countries. It is
hoped that the diversity of this group will facilitate co-operation
and alliances between the many stakeholders in the fight against
corruption. The SPAI welcomes and encourages participation by all
civil society groups in the Initiative.
Partner organisations
Government of Croatia, Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs -
FRESTA Programme, and US State Department.
Other participating organisations and
institutions
American Bar Association (ABA-CEELI), Balkan Human Rights Network,
Constitutional and Legal Policy Institute (COLPI), European Trade
Unions Confederation, Friedrich Erbert Stiftung (FES), Integra
Foundation, International Organisation of Employers, Medien
ex-Yugoslawien, Office of the High Representative (OHR),
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Trade
Union Advisory Committee to OECD, Soros Open Society Institute,
Transparency International, United Nations Center for International
Crime Prevention (CICP), United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), UK Department for International Development (DFID), USAID
and the World Bank
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Final Agenda
SUNDAY, 16 September 2001
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17.00 - 19.00 |
Registration
Participants receive basic orientation and documentation,
including list of participants.
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17.00 - 18.00
Congress Hall Bobara
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Stage Meeting
Meeting of the Managing Committee with the SPAI Senior
representatives, chairs and speakers.
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19.00 |
Welcoming Reception hosted by the
OECD and the US Government |
MONDAY, 17 eptember 2001
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9.00-10.00 |
I. OPENING SESSION |
Plenary
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Congress hall
Ragusa |
- Welcoming Remarks by SPAI Chairman G. di Gennaro
- Opening Address: Defining the Challenge for Civil Society in
Combating Corruption in SEE - by D. Palijas, SPAI Senior
Representative for Croatia.
- Presentation of the agenda and expected outcomes of the
Conference by F. Wehrle, OECD Anti-Corruption Division
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10.00-16.30 |
II. CIVIC PARTICIPATION IN THE FIGHT
AGAINST CORRUPTION IN SEE: AN INVENTORY |
Plenary
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Congress hall
Ragusa |
Plenary review of SPAI countries
under pillar V of the Initiative, followed by a general discussion
during which representatives of civil society will be invited to
express their opinion on the review.
Chair: G. di Gennaro, Chairman, SPAI
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10.00-10.45 |
Albania |
(presenter: CoE) |
In this session,
participants will review the enabling environment for civil society
participation in the fight against corruption in SEE countries on
the basis of the assessment report prepared by SPAI agencies. In
reviewing the situation in each country, lead presenters will
present the main findings of the assessment report. Following their
5-10 minutes presentation, the country under review will have the
opportunity to provide some additional information. Civil society
participants will then be invited to express their views on the
report, focussing in particular on the draft recommendations
attached to the report. Interventions from the floor will be brief
so that the review of the country does not exceed 45 minutes. |
10.45-11.00 |
Coffee break |
11.00-11.45 |
BiH |
(presenter: OHR) |
11.45-12.30
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Croatia |
(presenter: OECD) |
12.30-14.00
Konavle Restaurant
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Buffet lunch for all
participants |
14.00-14.45 |
FYROM |
(presenter: CoE) |
14.45-15.30 |
FRY/Montenegro(presenter:
OSCE) |
(presenter: OSCE) |
15.30-15.45 |
Coffee break |
15.45-16.30 |
Romania |
(presenter: UNDP) |
16.30
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Meeting adjourns
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19.00
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Reception offered by the Government of Croatia
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TUESDAY, 18 September 2001 MORNING
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8.00-9.00 |
Donors' meeting |
For donors countries, international
organisations and NGOs, and Managing Committee only. |
9.00-11.00 |
III. BREAK-OUT SESSIONS: THE
VALUE-ADDED OF PARTNERSHIP |
Three simultaneous focus group discussions
to address good practices in terms of patterns of interaction
between governments and NGOs, and the role of media, business
associations and trade unions in the fight against corruption. The
goal is to share ideas on joint anti-corruption strategies under
the SPAI Compact.
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Congress Hall
Orlando
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Focus Group A: Civic and government action: patterns of
interaction
Facilitator: Mrs. Joanne Caddy, OECD
Presenters
- Mrs. Sara Morante, Program Co-ordinator, Transparency
International, Germany
- Mr. Stevo Muk, Director, Center for the Development of NGOs,
FRY/Montenegro
General discussion
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Policy-makers cannot be expected to
consistently take the lead on anti-corruption efforts. They are
much better positioned to achieve concrete results if they enter a
productive and efficient dialogue with civil society organizations
and social partners. Topics to be addressed in this focus group
include: How can civil society act against corruption; civil
society support for anti-corruption initiatives; Raising public
awareness; engaging in consultation with civil society and social
partners. |
Congress Hall
Sipun
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Focus Group B: Enlisting business and trade unions
Facilitator: Mr. Allan Bussard, Integra Foundation
Presenters
- Mrs. Liliana Deac, Director, Foreign Relations Department,
Chamber of Commerce, Romania
- Mr. Dumitru Costin, Chairman of Romania's Trade Union Bloc
General discussion
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Businesses and trade unions can be
powerful allies in the fight against corruption. This focus group
will look at co-operative efforts linking the public and private
sectors and what concrete results business and employees
associations can achieve. Issues to be addressed include:
developing links between governments, businesses and trade unions;
business ethics promotion; trade unions mobilisation.
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Congress Hall
Bobara
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Focus Group C: Mass media and public
information
Facilitator: Mr. Ruediger Dossow, Media Division, Council
of Europe
Presenters
- Mrs. Ljubica Markovic, Director, BETA Press Agency, FRY
- Mrs. Alexenia Dimitrova, Senior Investigative Reporter, Public
Opinion and Investigations Division, "24 hours Daily", Bulgaria
General discussion
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The public at large is increasingly
focusing on questions of integrity, proper accounting, and
transparency. Parallel to this, there is a growing understanding of
the role that the media can play in ensuring integrity. In this
focus group, examples of efforts by the media to create awareness
and raise ethical standards and initiate other actions to curb
corruption will be highlighted. Issues to be addressed include:
conducting investigative reporting; accessing public information;
nurturing co-operation with public administration. |
11.00-11.30 |
Coffee break |
11.30-12.30 |
Report to the Plenary |
Plenary
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Congress hall
Ragusa
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Chair: Giuseppe di Gennaro, Chairman, SPAI
- Chairperson of Focus Group A
- Chairperson of Focus Group B
- Chairperson of Focus Group C
General discussion
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12.30
Konavle Restaurant
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Buffet lunch for all
participants |
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14.00-16.00 |
IV. GOVERNMENTS/CIVIL SOCIETY
INFORMAL DIALOGUE |
Break-out country groups |
Informal country-dialogue between SPAI
Senior Representatives and civil society for an exchange of views
on how they can work together collaboratively to effect reform to
implement the SPAI Compact. Each country dialogue is facilitated by
an international expert who will report on the outcomes of the
dialogue to the plenary.
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Country meetings:
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Congress halls: Bobara (Croatia), Sipun
(FRY/Montenegro), Orlando (Albania, BiH, FYROM), Salon IV
(Romania), Salon V (Moldova) |
Group A: Albania
(A. Abdiu, CoE)
Group B: BiH
(J. Peyton, OHR)
Group C: Croatia
(J. Caddy, OECD)
Group D: FYR Macedonia
(A. Seger, CoE)
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Group E: FRY/Montenegro
(B. Kralj, OSCE/ODHIR)
Group F: Moldova
(P. Borgna, STABILITY PACT OFFICE)
Group G: Romania
(T. Anusiewicz, UNDP)
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During this informal dialogue,
discussion will focus on strengthening/developing a collaborative
partnership to combat corruption. Discussions should culminate in
the adoption of a concrete and "actionable" country plan for the
next 12 months that the plenary will discuss at the end of the
session. |
16.00-16.30 |
Coffee break |
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16.30-18.30 |
Summary of conclusions of country
informal dialogue |
Plenary |
Congress hall Ragusa |
Report to the Plenary from the six
breakout country groups. Following the reports, SPAI governmental
and civil society representatives will engage in a dialogue on the
proposed action plans with representatives of the donor
community. |
Chair: Mr. Giuseppe di Gennaro, Chairman,
SPAI
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Group A: Albania
Group B: BiH
Group C: Croatia
Group D: FYR Macedonia
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Group E: FRY
Group F: Moldova
Group G: Romania
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During the discussion, representatives
of the donor community will explain in what respect they can
respond to the major needs of governments and civil society of SPAI
countries and are able to support their efforts in fighting
corruption in the region. |
18.30 |
Meeting adjourns |
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EVENING FREE
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WEDNESDAY, 19 September 2001
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9.00-10.30 |
Ad hoc meeting with donors and
international NGOs |
Ad hoc meetings |
Congress hall
Ragusa
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Open informal dialogue between SPAI
and civil society representatives and the donor community on
specific technical assistance needs of SPAI countries. |
10.30-11.00 |
Coffee break |
11.00-12.00 |
Framework of action: towards an
enhanced role of civil society in the fight against corruption
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Plenary |
Congress hall
Ragusa
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Chair: Mr. Giuseppe di Gennaro,
Chairman, SPAI
Account on key outcomes (Mr. Drew Engel, ABA-CEELI,
FRY/Montenegro)
General discussion on follow-up actions
Chairman's summary and conclusions
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During this last session, an account on
key outcomes of the conference will be given. Follow-up actions
will be identified on the basis of this account. |
12.00 |
Conference adjourns |
12.00-13.30
Konavle Restaurant
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Quick Lunch & departure for
airport |
12.30-13.00 |
Press Conference |
For host country and Managing
Committee only |
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CSD.bg |
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Center for the Study of Democracy. |
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