Sabiedriskās politikas centra PROVIDUS projekta “Risinājumi labākai Latvijas pārvaldībai” pamatmērķis ir nodrošināt sabiedrības interešu pārstāvību tam, lai uzlabotu valsts institūciju un politikas veidotāju izstrādāto un pieņemto lēmumu kvalitāti, lai lēmumi būtu pierādījumos balstīti un risinājumos būtu sabalansētas visu pušu intereses.

The main objective of this project is to ensure the representation of public interests to improve the quality of decisions made and adopted by state institutions and policymakers. The aim is to ensure that decisions are evidence-based and solutions balance the interests of all parties involved.

To achieve this, PROVIDUS experts will conduct research, organize discussions, write opinions, work in working groups, participate in parliamentary committee meetings, provide public comments in the media, and explore new and effective methods to represent public interests. PROVIDUS experts will prepare four summaries on significant topics: an assessment of corruption prevention policy, an evaluation of the quality of construction regulatory framework, lessons learned from refugee crises, and a summary on the quality of judicial work. They will also enhance the capacity of civil society organizations to participate in decision-making and inform them about participatory budgeting opportunities in municipalities and regulatory requirements for interest representation.

PROVIDUS will offer assistance and expertise to NGOs that need it, participating in their events as experts or individually advising them on interest representation or other areas of expertise. The project funding will enable the development of PROVIDUS activities by writing project proposals for other financial institutions.

The project will involve the following activities:

1. Participation in working groups, committees, and councils, providing PROVIDUS expertise to policymakers and implementers working on legislation and policy initiatives within the expertise of PROVIDUS.
2. In-depth work on topics such as corruption prevention and the quality of construction regulatory framework, reflecting on the tragedy that occurred in Zolitude 10 years ago to prevent it from happening again, and examining lessons learned from various refugee crises.
3. Continued collaboration with courts, analyzing visitor survey questionnaires to improve the work of the judiciary and increase public trust in the judicial system.
4. Assistance to various other NGOs in implementing their activities and ideas by providing expertise and experience in the field of interest representation.
5. Strengthening the ability of NGOs to represent their interests at the European Union level.
6. Organizing discussions/interviews on public administration issues and possibilities to change Latvia’s electoral and party financing system to make elected officials more accountable and parties more sustainable.
7. Conducting educational and informative events for NGOs and active citizens on participatory budgeting and the new regulatory framework for interest representation.
8. Compiling the most significant international indicators where improvements are primarily needed in Latvia.

The target groups of the project are:

1. Public sector employees and/or political figures developing new policies at the municipal, government, or parliamentary levels.
2. Various NGOs in different fields that could benefit from PROVIDUS expertise in variousgovernance issues in 2023 and 2024.
3. The broader society through major media outlets, where PROVIDUS experts will explain and provide information on activities and policy initiatives/directions in the field of PROVIDUS expertise—providing the wider public with an independent view of the quality of Latvia’s governance and specific decisions made.

Project is implemented within “NGO fund” project competition funded by the Latvian state budget, with financing from the Society Integration Foundation.