Karin Dom is Part of the Public Council for the Development of Civil Society at the Council of Ministers

The Government established a Council for the Development of Civil Society (CDCS), chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for Effective Governance Kalina Konstantinova.

In 2018, the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act was amended at the initiative of civil society organizations after extensive public discussions with various representatives. It includes the creation of the CDCS to assist the state in developing and implementing policies to support the development of civil society. In short, the role of the council is to advise and provide guidance and feedback to the Council of Ministers on how to support and develop civil society. The civil sector in our country has been insisting and expecting this format of partnership for almost 10 years. However, this council has not been constituted until now, although rules of procedure have been drafted and elections have been held to nominate representatives.

The selected organizations are: Bulgarian Center for Non-Profit Law Foundation, Bulgarian Donors’ Forum Association, Civic Initiatives Workshop Foundation, World of Maria Foundation, Bulgarian Women’s Fund Foundation, Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria, Together in Class Foundation, Bulgarian Red Cross Association, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee Association, For Our Children Foundation, Association of Parks in Bulgaria Association, Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism Association, Foundation Karin Dom, Equilibrium Association.

Coincidentally or not, on March 1, when we gave each other the intertwined threads of white and red yarn, the first meeting of the Public Council of the Council of Ministers was held, and the occasion was the arriving refugees from Ukraine. The Council discussed with representatives of the Council of Ministers how adequate support and care for refugees can be provided. The priority topics of discussion were related to:

• Information about the needs of refugees – are there children / people with disabilities, chronic diseases, pregnant women, etc.
• Providing a basic package to support a family crossing the border – food, clothing, information on their rights, transport and shelter.
• Information collection about arrivals so that adequate support services can be planned.
• What are the opportunities for access to health care, social and psychological support for children, accommodation, etc.
• Establishment of coordination centers.

The Executive Director of Karin Dom – Borislava Cherkezova – attended the meeting and presented our ideas for targeted and long-term support for the arriving children and their families. A series of meetings are forthcoming, in which Karin Dom, together with other organizations, will give feedback from the field and suggestions for improving support. The next official meeting of the Public Council for Civil Society Development at the Council of Ministers will be on March 8 with a focus on strategic directions and a framework for stimulating civil society.

In recent days, we have witnessed the strength and importance of civil society organizations, which are always at the forefront of such crisis situations and flexible enough to organize local communities quickly in case of need.

We wish many successes and prescient decisions of the Public Council!