Closer communication is needed between Certification Commission and CSOs

There should be closer communication between the Certification Commission and the civil society organizations (CSOs) so as to easier clarify the misunderstandings and problems faced by the nongovernmental sector. This is one of the recommendations formulated by the participants in the International Conference on the Financing of Civil Society Organizations by the State: New Opportunities for Developing the Civil Society Sector of Moldova. The Ministry of Justice’s Certification Commission issues public utility certificates to public associations, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to Maria Badan, coordinator of the Resource Center for Human Rights (CReDO), another recommendation is to improve the functionality of the Certification Commission. It was suggested creating a separate secretariat in a head office that would be more accessible to the civil society organizations as access to the Ministry of Justice is rather difficult sometimes. ”We consider the status of the Commission should be changed so that it consists of competent persons with experience in different areas, especially the financial sphere. The criteria for selecting the members of the Certification Commission should be clearer. We know that three members represent the Government, three the Parliament, while another three the President, but there should be certain criteria for choosing the CVs,” said Maria Badan. The participants in the conference recommended revising the term for selecting the applicants and granting the public utility certificate. There should be an exact term of at most 30 days as the public associations have to wait for a long period of time and don’t know what’s happening to the application. They also proposed adjusting and simplifying the method of presenting reports to the Certification Commission as the existing method is outdated and inappropriate. The International Conference on the Financing of Civil Society Organizations by the State: New Opportunities for Developing the Civil Society Sector of Moldova was organized within the FHI 360 Moldova Civil Society Strengthening Program that is supported by USAID. The event was held under the auspices of experts of the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law.