Charaka Portal (MO0013)

Strengthening mechanisms to promote transparency on public funding of civil society organisation using the “Charaka” portal
30 June 2018 – 30 June 2020
Lead implementing agency/actor
Ministry delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of Relations with Parliament and Civil Society, Government Spokesperson.
Commitment description
What is the public problem that the commitment will address?
The Ministry delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of Relations with Parliament and Civil Society launched the Charaka portal in 2017 to increase transparency and good governance in the system for publicly financing associations by publishing all data on civil projects financed with public funds on this portal. Even though the portal has been operational for more than one year, the anticipated goal of this project has not been achieved. The uploading to the portal of continuous, reliable data by institutional actors has not taken place, despite the existence of the Prime Minister’s Circular No. 7/2003, which sought to lay the groundwork for a new partnership policy, understood as the whole of relations with associations, the participation and sharing of human, material, and financial resources to provide social services, the carrying out of development projects, and the provision of services in the collective interest. The goal now sought to resolve this problem is to give new strength and momentum to this instrument so that government actors respond with greater seriousness, responsibility, and assiduousness, and to achieve the goals set by the government program through the regular uploading of data on public financing to the Charaka portal.
What is the commitment?
The Ministry delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of Relations with Parliament and Civil Society launched the “Charaka” portal to translate the Government’s willingness to promote partnerships with civil society organisations, considered as a solid instrument to Spearhead the new policy of proximity. It also facilitates access to information through support provided by the state to nongovernmental organisations and publication of the Partnership’s call for proposals. This commitment seeks increased involvement by all the government actors involved in the disbursement of public funding to civil society organisations. It also enables civil society actors and other stakeholders to receive useful information on public funding awarded to civil society organisations. The indicators for this commitment are: ▪ Drafting and adopting the Executive decree on partnership between the state and civil society organisations, ▪ Increasing the number of government bodies involved in public funding of civil society organisations from 20% to 70%, ▪ Increasing the number of government bodies committed to publication in the Portal from 20% to 70%, ▪ Mapping the distribution of public funds by region, type of project financed, and contact details of the beneficiary associations; ▪ Ensuring the publication of calls for proposals at (50%), to reach (80%) by 2020; ▪ Drafting and publishing an annual report that assesses public funding awarded to civil society organisations.
How will the commitment contribute to solve the public problem?
▪ The adoption of an Executive Decree on the partnership between the state and civil society will have a legally imperative force that will oblige institutional actors to upload data regularly to the portal related to public funding of civil society organisations, ▪ Supporting the portal’s regulatory and technical functioning with a mixed committee (government departments and civil society) to oversee and assess the “Charaka” portal will incite institutional and civil actors to respond to requests from the portal’s direct managers; ▪ The publication of an annual, large-scale assessment report will hold institutional actors responsible, and provide civil actors with means to apply additional pressure to demand greater compliance with the goals set and to hold the government accountable.
Why is this commitment relevant to OGP values?
The commitment is relevant to integrity and fighting corruption: ▪ Achieving accountability and holding public and civil actors responsible by applying imperative rules and adequate mechanisms on the forms and manners of public spending allocated to civil society organisations.
The commitment is relevant to access to information: ▪ The commitment helps the dissemination of information on public funds granted to civil society organisations, ▪ Opening the data allows for its reuse by citizens and civil society. The commitment is relevant to budget transparency: ▪ It creates greater transparency on the spending of public funds allocated to civil society organisations; ▪ It ensures equitable access to public funding granted to civil society organisations; ▪ It guarantees good financial governance in terms of public funds. The commitment is relevant to civic participation: ▪ Information on public funding improves the public offering and the good governance of publicly funded projects by involving civil society actors ▪ The standardisation of rules on public funding provides significant opportunities to citizens and civil society organisations to participate to the monitoring, implementation, and assessment of public projects steered by public or civil actors.
Additional information
The commitment’s budget is covered by the Ministry in charge of Relations with Parliament and Civil Society, and it also receives funding and technical support from the European Union to improve the Charaka project (state-civil society partnership); ▪ Direct link with the first axis (promotion of the role of civil society) and the second axis (consolidation of good governance) of the government’s programme; ▪ Link to the Country/OECD Programme; ▪ Link with the National anti-corruption Strategy; ▪ Link with SDG goals 16 and 17; ▪ Link with the European Union programme “Success for Advanced Statute II” regarding the support for the process of institutional convergence and reinforcement.
Milestone Activity with a verifiable deliverable
Drafting and adopting the Executive decree on partnership between the state and civil society organisations
January 2019 January 2020
Mapping the distribution of public funds by region, type of project financed, and contact details of the beneficiary associations
February 2020
August 2020
Drafting and publishing an annual report that assesses public funding awarded to civil society organisations.
October2018/2019
Contact information for the focal point
Name of focal point (Project manager)
Mr Nour Eddine ZAALAMI
Title and department
Ministry delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of Relations with Parliament and Civil Society. Government Spokesperson.
Email and telephone
zaalaminoureddine2020@gmail.com, n.zaalami@mcrpsc.gov.ma 00212661796552
Other actors involved
Head of Government, ▪ Government departments, ▪ Public institutions,
Civil society