PARTNERS:
- the “Laiks Jauniešiem” association,
- the “Papardes zieds” association,
- the “Risinājumu darbnīca” association,
- the “Latvian Corporate Social Responsibility Platform” association,
- the “Riga TechGirls” association,
- the association “Safe House Shelter”
PROJECT OBJECTIVE: To ensure civic oversight of Latvia’s development cooperation funding, thereby increasing the efficiency of its use and its positive impact on improving public welfare and sustainable development.
CONTEXT: Latvia became a donor country in 2004 upon joining the European Union (EU). Development cooperation policy is, in essence, a financial mechanism through which Latvia provides support to partner countries for their development. Development cooperation is a significant global and EU mechanism through which the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are implemented. This financial mechanism is known as Official Development Assistance (ODA). Developed countries, including Latvia, have committed to aiming for ODA to reach 0.7 per cent of GNI (Gross National Income) by 2030. As a relatively new donor country, Latvia has committed to aiming for ODA to reach 0.33 per cent of GNI by 2030, including 0.23 per cent of GNI by 2027.
Latvia’s total ODA has gradually increased to EUR 47 million, or 0.12 per cent of GNI, reaching 0.25 per cent of GNI in 2022, including in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the provision of related aid.
The relatively low level of ODA (Latvia has consistently been one of the smallest ODA providers in the EU) ensured that a large proportion was provided in a transparent and accountable manner; however, the rapid increase, foreign policy objectives, regional expansion and greater private-sector involvement create a need to monitor this funding. Work must also begin on impact assessment, evaluating the implementation of horizontal priorities, and other essential quality monitoring and improvement mechanisms.
Within the framework of development cooperation, Latvia also provides humanitarian aid, which is a separate, equally highly regulated area, which encompasses both bilateral and multilateral assistance, including through the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism, which falls under the remit of the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD). In this context, Latvia has not developed any political or specific framework to help assess the effectiveness and quality of this area.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES: The project activities are designed to have a systemic impact on the rapidly growing funding for development cooperation and to strengthen the NGOs involved in the project themselves. The project partnerships, in turn, have been established taking into account the guidelines of Latvia’s development cooperation policy, horizontal priorities, regions and sectoral representation.
Project activities:
- Development of a methodology for evaluating development cooperation funding.
- Capacity building for the evaluation of development cooperation funding (thematic training and engagement of experts; participation in international events).
- Preparation of two monitoring reports.
- Monitoring the implementation of recommendations (discussions with decision-makers; preparation of opinions and position papers).
- Project communication.
Planned outcomes:
- The quality of the evaluation of development cooperation funding will be improved through the preparation of a methodology for its evaluation.
- Training/consultations on OAP topics will be organised, thereby enhancing the capacity of organisations involved in the field.
- Participation in international events will be ensured, thereby enhancing the capacity of the organisations involved and the quality of funding monitoring.
- The quality of development cooperation funding has been improved through the preparation of evaluations and recommendations.
- The recommendations in the reports were discussed, promoting more effective financing of development cooperation.
- Opinions and views prepared, contributing to improvements in the quality of development cooperation funding.
- Public awareness of the use of development cooperation funding has been raised by creating information posts on social media.
BENEFITS: By improving the quality of development cooperation implementation, the beneficiaries will be Latvian public administration bodies (including several dozen implementers of bilateral cooperation activities and Twinning projects), the private sector (including beneficiaries of EU project calls), academic institutions, NGOs and local authorities. The materials developed within the project will contribute to further improvements in the quality of projects and activities, as well as to a joint increase in capacity and competitiveness, by attracting EU multilateral funding.
An additional benefit is the improvement in the quality of funding through the development of mechanisms for assessing horizontal priorities and impact, the capacity building of participating organisations, cooperation between the public and non-governmental sectors, and the long-term growth of the collective capacity of the NGO network – LAPAS.
The implementation of the project will also contribute to shaping a positive international image of Latvia, which is particularly significant in the context of Latvia’s candidacy for the UN Security Council.
The project is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.