One third of NGOs in Lithuania claim that state support to the third sector lacks transparency, representative survey of the NGO representatives commissioned by the Transparency International Lithuanian Chapter reveals. 1 out of 7 NGOs are convinced that during official competitions for public funding state institutions protect their favoured organizations.
According to 34 per cent of thew NGOs, state as well as municipality calls for funding lack transparent criteria for NGO financing. Similar trends were notable a decade ago – back in 2007, 40 per cent of the NGOs claimed that Lithuania lacked transparent NGO funding guidelines.
Every seventh organization (14.5%), which had participated in state or municipality competitions at least once over the last two years, claims that state institutions during the project aid allocation procedures had been advocating their own companies.
33% NGO representatives also claim that some organizations are using “NGO” name to increase profit or just acting on own interests.
The vast majority (88%) of NGOs believe that if non-governmental organizations want to operate transparently, they must have more than one funding source, publish activity reports (82%), publish information about their lobbying in governmental institutions (80%), publish information about their own supporters (77%) and funds received (75 %).
However, only every fifth NGO is reveals detailed information about its own finances (21%) and only every fourth publishes its activity reports (27%).
“It is clear that we still do not know how many non-governmental organizations are in Lithuania and how many operates. Therefore I am inviting all active NGOs to visit website www.nvoatlasas.lt and sign up into our register, which have been developed and soon will let people fast and easy to find information about NGOs activities. It is happy to see that vast majority of NGOs supports this register, which, according to them, would let NGOs to work more transparently“, says Sergejus Muravjovas, director of „Transparency International“ Lithuanian Chapter.
NGO’s representatives survey was carried out by a sociological research company „Vilmorus” under the commission of TI Lithuania in November 2015.
646 NGO’s workers had participated in the survey.
Learn more about the research here (report available in Lithuanian only).