CPI and Budget Monitoring presented the results of the academy for NGOs

SARAJevo, (Patria) - The Center for Civil Interest Representation/CPI Foundation, in cooperation with the organization Budget Monitoring from Amsterdam, today presented the results of the Budget Academy which was organized for seven non-governmental organizations operating in BiH over the past 16 months.

"The idea that guided us is related to the realization of the right to satisfy many important needs of the citizens of BiH, many of which are prescribed by law, often depend on the goodwill of domestic and foreign donors or those who make decisions in the executive branch at a given moment. Such a situation is unacceptable and undemocratic, and it violates human rights," stated the chief educator of the Academy, Mirjana Sirćo.
She added that the system of financing policies is often unknown to non-governmental organizations and citizens, which results in a reduced influence of citizens on how budget funds are spent. "The right to life and health, a dignified life, access to public services, psychological support, communication in sign language, and preschool education for socially endangered children are too important topics and issues to depend on anyone's goodwill," believes the director of the CPI Foundation, Zoran Ivančić.
He added that "Budgetary constraints, which are often cited as a reason why something is not financed from the budget, are often constructed, and these are constraints that arise because various needs in the interest of parties, individuals, and interest groups are financed preferentially, or public spending that is not necessary is increased."
Representatives of the organizations that successfully completed the Budget Academy - Donor Network BiH, Ekotim, Initiative and Civil Action – ICVA, Wings of Hope Foundation, Sumero Alliance, Kali Sara, Association of Dialysis and Transplanted Patients of FBiH, stated today that the knowledge gained during the past 16 months will greatly help them in ensuring that budget funds are directed towards goals that are important for the citizens of BiH, whether it concerns the inclusion of Roma children in preschool institutions, the use of sign language in public broadcasters, or raising citizens' awareness about the need for organ donation.
The Budget Academy was implemented by the Center for Civil Interest Representation/CPI Foundation, in cooperation with the organization Budget Monitoring from Amsterdam, and financed through the Matra program of the Embassy of the Netherlands in BiH.