BACKGROUND

The Real Say on Policy project is a one-year activity implemented by a coalition of civil society organizations (CSO) lead by the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA).  The project is focused on helping citizens to interact with candidates and elected officials on issues of public concern.

The project works with Trag Foundation, the National Coalition for Decentralization (NCD), the Slavko Curuvija Foundaton (SCF) and 20 other CSOs to inspire citizen engagement in the policy process through open discussions based on facts and evidence.   

ACTIVITIES

In the period prior to elections, the project:

• Identified issues that citizens cite as most important to them and helped voters and candidates engage in dialogue;
• Developed a platform to better inform citizens on parties’ publically proposed programs and policies;
• Followed how media covered the identified issues of citizen concern;
• Gave citizens information on how to participate in elections;
• Initiated the “Ask the Right Question” campaign to establish dialogue between citizens and candidates.

After the elections, the project will:

• Monitor pre-election promises made by elected officials;
• Strengthen dialogue between citizens and their elected representatives;
• Support creative cultural events to encourage greater citizen debate about the role of citizens in modern democracies;
• Analyze issues of greatest citizen concern and organize public debates on them;
• Develop online tools that let citizens provide inputs on draft laws that will be shared with MPs;
• Organize a national conference “In Search of Citizen Engagement in Serbia” for CSOs, individual activists, academics and citizen groups to discuss concepts and practices of citizen engagement.

Project funded by:

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID/Serbia)

Project implemented by:

Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA)

Key counterparts:

Partners: National Coalition for Decentralization (NCD), Trag Foundation, Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation (SCF)

Where we work:

Nationwide

Project duration:

March 2016 – March 2017

Total amount:

$450,000

Contact:

Topolska 22

11000 Belgrade

Phone: (+381) 11  240 0062

E-mail:  office@crta.rs

Websites:  http://www.crta.rs;

Social media: www.youtube.com/user/Istinomer

www.facebook.com/CRTArs