Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre - Institutional partnership with competent authorities -

Partnership negotiation Negotiation premises: corruption is a priority problem both partners stand to win both partners are of good faith, bona fide each partner has a strength of its own the partnership's beneficiaries are the citizens common goal/objective is fighting corruption [common element in the institutional mission] the differences between the two partners complement each other

Cooperation protocol The technical modalities of the cooperation protocol (MoU) must satisfy and ensure: the need for prompt communication of the cases; successful operation of assistance activities; successful operation of advocacy activities, should the case arise; honouring confidentiality agreements signed with the assisted beneficiaries; avoiding image misuse situations; creating mechanisms for monitoring the way in which the partner public authorities handle cases; understanding the meaning of director principles set by partners in the protocol.

In order to avoid crisis, NGO sector should: Crisis management In order to avoid crisis, NGO sector should: Promote NCs in a more effective way (political will) Educate and inform authorities of plans, via MoUs and related documents Aim as high as possible in contacts, although not at the expense of establishing relationships at all levels Convince authorities that cooperation will be assistance to them (sharing workload and contribute to their public image and improve the way they are operating)

Cases management The cases are sent by ALAC to the partner authority, according to the partnership protocole and to the co-operation rules jointly agreed upon by the parts; The cases are always assumed by the clients and are accompanied by a forwarding note and the Center’s report, representing an impartial opinion; The cases should not be sent to the partners if you are not sure they are well-documented and substantiated and will be sucessfully solved

Partnership assessment The assessment is based on the set of common objectives The assessment should have a qualitative and a quantitative component Discuss the assessment before introducing it into the quarterly report to be published (even if you are not obliged to introduce the partner’s points of view) The partnership assessment should refer to the three pillar of the ALAC project (legal advice, education, advocacy) The assessment should take into account the agreed calendar, and should point aut the delays The assessment should be regarded as a feedback source, rather than a pressure tool.

Strategies to avoid risc: politisation, organisaţional culture, image distorsion Governmental organizations are often not very willing to co-operate with NGOs; NGOs should be minimum as transparent and accountable as expected from the government authorities; The National Chapters need to remain non-partisan, contact both government and the opposition in order to involve both; Media are often “hired guns”; Sometimes NGOs get different responses from people within the same party.