Latvian Civic Alliance: NGO funding debate lacks respect and quality data

The Latvian Civic Alliance (LPA) reports that Tuesday's meeting with Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs highlighted the need for both quality data and mutual respect in discussions on the public funding system for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). According to LPA communications director Ulla Čonka, the meeting brought together government representatives, NGO representatives, and members of the council implementing the cooperation memorandum between NGOs and the Cabinet of Ministers. The participants discussed how NGOs receive public funding.

LPA says that after presentations by the Finance Ministry, the Culture Ministry, and the State Chancellery, the prime minister expressed dissatisfaction with the data prepared by the state administration, arguing that it did not allow for full conclusions about the effectiveness and usefulness of funding. While the organization acknowledges that critical assessment of data quality is necessary, it maintains that the tone of the discussion and several remarks were disrespectful and, in some cases, humiliating toward state administration institutions and their employees.

The alliance also notes that NGO representatives on the memorandum council were not involved in preparing the meeting agenda and learned about its content shortly before the gathering. It was also unclear by what criteria the prime minister's office chose which organizations to invite. NGO representatives were not given the opportunity to present their own proposals for improving the funding system, but could only comment on the presentations prepared by the state administration.

LPA reminds that NGO council representatives had previously developed proposals that include introducing unified public funding principles across the state administration, ensuring full transparency, regularly evaluating the social impact of funding, and improving the system based on data and professional assessment. The proposals were sent to the prime minister before the meeting, but not enough time was allocated to discuss them.

The organization expressed disappointment that the conversation failed to produce a shared vision of the role of civil society and the goals of public funding. In LPA's view, the discussion demonstrated a persistent lack of understanding about how the state administration should cooperate with the NGO sector and what NGOs contribute to achieving state policy goals, which makes it harder to discuss funding system improvements in substance.