Summary:

The dialogue in the global healthcare sector has recently been revolving around patient - oriented care  It is a concept of  healthcare management, which describes provision of healthcare services that are respectful of and corresponding to patient’s individual needs and values that lie at the core  of clinical decision-making. It is also one of the three criteria used to measure the quality of healthcare in European institutions. The implementation of this complex concept in Lithuania is inefficient, and the current healthcare system is unable to address patients’ needs - according to research conducted by the National Audit Office of Lithuania, Lithuanians are dissatisfied with the quality of healthcare services. According to this criteria, Lithuania ranks 31st out of 34 European countries. 

Target groups

Patients, doctors and nurses of partner healthcare institutions, in addition to the managers of other Lithuanian healthcare institutions and stakeholders within municipalities and the Ministry of health.

Results

Two health care institutions will implement patient and employer-oriented systems which will:

increase involvement of patients in decision-making process;

increase patient satisfaction;

decrease burn-out level among health care workers and improve psychosocial climate.

b. Increased patient level of awareness.

c. Founders of healthcare institutions are presented with recommendations for corrections for legal state-level documents.

d. Heads of healthcare institutions are presented with methodical recommendations for the implementation of patient-oriented policies in their institutions,

e. Increased competencies of the Lithuanian Junior Doctors’ Association.

Granted amount: 76 630,15 Eur

Implementation period: 06/10/2020 - 05/02/2022

Summary:

Project seeks to address the lack of meaningful and informed engagements of the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) in EU-Africa relationships building, which is currently among the highest EU priorities. There is also a need for new participants to engage with African countries, colonial and traditional, without donor-recipient relations, who could contribute to changing the established dynamics and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Due to a lack of competences and experience of the Baltic states, neither the public authorities, the media nor academia can ensure a meaningful debate on this issue. Given the needs of our target audience - the Baltic policy makers - to deepen their knowledge and expertise in EU-Africa policy making and to clarify their own positions on EU-Africa relations, the solution proposed by our project is a public policy expert debate based on an analysis of Baltic experiences, attitudes and interests. With this project, we seek to encourage Baltic policymakers to deliberately engage in EU-Africa relations on the basis of the Sustainable Development Goals and the equal partnership principle. Seeking to ensure project sustainability and long-term impact, implementation of project activities will be methodologically oriented to stimulate active engagement of Baltic countries’ policy makers and will create conditions for the target group to refine possible strategic foreign policy initiatives, discuss their implementation and establish progress monitoring mechanism. 

Civil society involvement in foreign policy making is more complex by its nature (while CSO capacities in this area are often dependent on government (non-)funding), but the lack of established principles and Baltics’ strategy for the African region offers a unique opportunity for CSOs to contribute to foreign policy making that would be based on the SDGs and equal partnership building.

Partners: Centre for Small States Studies at the University of Iceland (CSSS)

Granted amount: 49 500,00 Eur

Implementation period: 01/12/2020 - 31/03/2022

Partners:

NGO “Circular economy”

Lithuanian Soil Science Society at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences

Granted amount: 46 730,80 Eur

Summary:

Lithuania has neither political will nor consistent public advocacy on mineral fertilizer use and soil protection policy. Excessive use of these fertilizers results in soil degradation, greenhouse gas emissions and increased nitrate concentrations in Lithuanian rivers.

In the agricultural sector, the most influential stakeholders in the decision-making process are institutions and agribusiness lobbying associations. CSOs defending public and environmental interests often operate on a voluntary basis. Therefore, their activities are rather fragmented, resulting in inconsistent representation of these public interests in the decision-making processes related to the environment. 

The weak representation of public interests related to fertilizers, soil and other natural resources threatens farmers and the future of farming. Deterioration of the environment can affect food quality, which may further negatively affect consumers. Settlers, tourists, anglers would encounter other negative consequences such as polluted waters and changing climate.

The aim of the project is to put together interdisciplinary knowledge into a position paper on sustainable fertilization. The position would be presented to the decision-makers at national level, and further used for advocacy. The position will also be presented and communicated to farmers and other stakeholders in the region. Such position would strengthen the CSO's advocacy work and make pressure on decision-makers in public governance processes related to mineral fertilizer use, offering more sustainable alternatives.

The project is aimed at strengthening the voice of environmental CSO and to represent environmental interests in decision-making processes related to fertilization and soil protection policies. This in turn should encourage environmentally and climate friendly decisions that further protect the environment for the future generations.

Implementation period: 02/01/2021 - 01/01/2022

Partners:

World Economic Forum Global Shapers Vilnius

Community Initiative Centre in Kėdainiai

Local Action Group Kupiskio district

Information Sharing and Education Centre of Kelme

Biržai Youth Club "Žalias!" (Green!)

Varėna Senior Citizen Health and Sports Club "Ropė" (Turnip)

Zarasai women politicians' community

Granted amount: 71 669,43 Eur

Summary:

The problem addressed by the project is that decision-makers in the regions do not reliably use data and confirmed evidence to analyze the problems that exist on municipal level. Hence regional policy decisions are rarely evidence-based. Also active citizens and their organizations or communities lack skills and tools and access to influence policy decisions through evidence-based arguments. This project will help local communities and individual interested citizens to represent the interests by proactively using openly available data to identify key issues in their respective regions. The project will strengthen the capacity of local organizations to identify problems in municipalities, strengthen government oversight in specific areas, and develop recommendations for appropriate solutions, advocacy plans and communication strategies. The project will also help local organizations and communities to acquire the necessary skills and experience and strengthen the role of local citizens' organizations in the regions.

Implementation period: 03/11/2020 - 02/05/2022

Summary:

In 2019, the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the State Audit Office have all criticised the state of Lithuania's health system and highlighted the need for reform. At the end of 2021, the Ministry of Health started working on a health system reform (Reforma). The Reform derives from

the implementation of the National Progress Plan 2021-2030, approved by Government Resolution No. 998 of 9 September 2020. One of the purposes of the Reform – increase social and civic engagement, participation in voluntary and community activities, and mutual trust, public social responsibility – Strengthening civil society organisations, improving the environment for NVOs to operate, and providing opportunities for public engagement and active participation in addressing issues of public concern in the areas of health care and access to social services.

Regardless of the objectives of the Reform, health NVOs have not been involved in the discussions on the Reform. GMEI, together with LMS and SKGS, initiated the drafting of a letter to the HSE* (signed by 18 representatives of health NVOs) on the involvement in the planning of the Reform and submitted it to the HSE (https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/sveikata/682/1560321/medikai-isplatino-kreipimasireformuojant-sveikatos-prieziuros-istaigu-tinkla-mediku-organizacijos-paliktos-uz-pasitarimu-duru).

GMEI, together with LMS, SKGS and LŽSHA, highlights the following issues:

1) Lack of trust in SSVAI by health system NVOs and patients and lack of SSVAI oversight;

2) Health NVOs do not have effective, legally based guidelines and a common strategy for working with SSVAI on issues of concern to the Lithuanian health system and patients.

Focus groups:

1) Health system NVOs;

2) Patients.

The Project:

1) Propose new legal instruments, thereby increasing the effectiveness and transparency of cooperation between SSVAI, NVOs and patients;

2) Encourage closer cooperation between health NVOs and SSVAI;

3) Empower target groups through the organization and provision of legal aid, education and training;

4) Introduce a cross-sectoral cooperation strategy based on effective and legally-backed cooperation;

5) Educate the medical community, patients and the general public using a variety of outreach methods.

The Project became the basis for strengthening the activities of health system NGOs, their opportunities to get involved in the activities of SSVAI, decision-making, legislation, etc. Trained health system NGOs actively and efficiently presented drafts of legal acts and proposals for their change and achieved results. In the same way, the health system NGOs actively and professionally began to express their public, civil, legal and political positions in the press, talking about the problems of the system and ways of solving them. Previously, there was no space for such a constructive, economic, legal and fact-based conversation between health system NGOs and SSVAI. SSVAI recognized the capabilities and capacities of health system NGOs to perform state functions, so state functions were newly transferred to the Lithuanian Chamber of Dentists - licensing of specialists and supervision of their activities.

The project was beneficial to GMEI and the Project partners, as it further strengthened their mutual ties and relations, and created the basis for extended cooperation.

Health system NGOs and their representatives, having acquired new knowledge and competences, begin to participate more actively in the control of SSVAI activities, SSVAI decision-making processes (working groups), legislation and supervision of its implementation.

Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25fuxiv1h6U

Granted amount: 40212,20 €

Implementation period: 2022-06-01 - 2023-08-31

Summary:

The goal of the project "New reality - challenges and opportunities for NGOs" is to ensure sustainable and consistent empowerment of the NGO sector, strengthening skills and activities that would help to adapt to new realities created by COVID ("new normal") and to enable high-quality and full-fledged involvement and participation of NGO representatives. in decision-making processes from the first stages.

The target group includes NGO representatives (employees, volunteers, members of governing bodies, shareholders), state politicians (elected/appointed at the national/regional/local level) and public sector representatives (civil servants, employees of institutions).

The goals set in this project have been fully achieved and the formulated tasks have been fully implemented.

The success of the project is confirmed by many factors, the most obvious of which is the wider and better participation and involvement of the National NGO Coalition and its members in various government institutions, i.e. working groups, commissions, etc., results in activities. For example, an important indicator is the collected and systematized information confirming that more than 200 representatives of NGO coalition members actively participate in various working groups and commissions at both national and local levels. This is not only a numerical value, but also a clear indicator of the commitment of coalition members to participate and get involved in the processes of government institutions.

The issue of sustainable financing of NGOs remains one of the main work priorities and an urgent aspiration. This issue was successfully raised and implemented with the amendment of the Law on Charity and Support, regarding the allocation of 1.2 percent of GPM to NGOs from 2025, these amendments aim to ensure that as many NGOs as possible secure and seek an additional/alternative source of funding.

In order to improve the advocacy skills of NGO representatives when participating in decision-making processes, capacity-building trainings on communication and a long-term strategy development session of the NGO coalition were organized.

In summary, it can be said that the implemented project made a significant contribution to ensuring sustainable and consistent empowerment of the NGO sector, strengthening skills and activities that helped to adapt to the new realities created by the COVID-19 ("new normal") and other newly emerging challenges and crises, and created prerequisites for quality for the involvement and participation of NGO representatives in decision-making processes. The supervision of public authorities carried out by NGOs was also strengthened, ensuring greater openness and accountability of state and local government institutions and bodies to the public, continuous monitoring of measures and programs of state institutions, relevant legal acts of NGOs and its implementation at the national and local level, proposals to be submitted, as a result of which it became stronger and the National NGO Coalition and its members, representing the consolidated position of the NGO sector in state institutions at the national and municipal level, became more visible and audible.

Links: https://www.ngo.lt/projektai/ 

Granted amount: 47655,29 €

Implementation period: 2022-05-06 iki 2023-08-05

Summary:

The project offered a three-day intensive training course for Baltic African foreign policy actors, led by international experts, which resulted in a set of expert knowledge-based recommendations for Baltic policy makers. The course was designed to strengthen the targeted empirical and methodological knowledge needed for the Baltic countries' engagement in EU African foreign policy and to promote networking among Baltic actors. Based on an intensive learning model, the course provided participants with thematic knowledge (migration, security, digital and green transformation) and deepened their understanding of the EU's African partnership based on equal partnership and the principles of the Sustainable Development Agenda.

The proposed solution has directly contributed to a more inclusive and informed foreign policy making, as the process is not only developed and participated in by CSOs, but also by other foreign policy actors, and the networking between CSOs in the Baltic States and other foreign policy actors has been strengthened through the joint activities.

The project ‘Deepening the Expertise of the African Policy Stakeholders in  the Baltic countries’ aims to address the lack of expertise on EU-Africa relations among Baltic African foreign policy actors - diplomats, civil servants, academics and civil society representatives - which hinders the Baltic countries from seizing the unique opportunity to start building a relationship with African countries based on equal partnership and the Sustainable Development Goals. While all the Baltic States have expressed their ambition to develop relations with African countries, there is a lack of in-depth expertise (especially in the priority themes identified - migration, security, digital and green transformation) and access to such knowledge. Without investing in strengthening their own (Baltic) expertise, the Baltic States risk following the example of traditional European actors in Africa, characterised by paternalistic donor-recipient relations, and/or formulating policies on the basis of superficial knowledge and stereotypes. 

Links: https://osmos.lt/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OtURm2Xl-6E45ORncRewdWFBXmyItr3C/view

Granted amount: 44593,54 €

Implementation period: 2022-05-25 - 2023-09-01

Summary:

This project addresses the problem of illegal labour immigration from third countries and the related negative consequences for the socio-economic security and well-being of labour migrants.

The project aimed at strengthening civil society advocacy in the field of labour migration policy. We initiated and promoted an evidence-based review of the policy and regulatory environment for labour migration in order to ensure a more favourable institutional environment for third-country labour migrants and to safeguard their socio-economic freedoms and rights, equality, security, integration and well-being. We analysed labour migration policies, regulations and their impact, monitored and evaluated legislative initiatives, formulated and presented evidence-based proposals for removing unjustified regulatory barriers to legal labour migration, and promoted national and regional public discourse through wide dissemination, roundtables and media communication. The main target groups were public authorities, public policy makers and opinion leaders from the political, business, academic and legal communities, local governments, civil society organisations and local communities.

LFMI work and this project, laid the foundations for liberalising migration from third countries, including for low- and medium-skilled workers. In June 2022, the Lithuanian Parliament adopted amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners and liberalised labour migration of non-EU citizens. Some of the redundant employment regulations for low- and medium-skilled migrants from third countries were abolished.

The project has established an evidence-based public discourse, strengthened media communication, civil society awareness and engagement and their impact on public policy-making, and led to policy decisions on improving the institutional conditions for labour migration from third countries.

Links: https://www.llri.lt/

Granted amount: 80000,00 EUR

Implementation period: 2022-04-29 - 2023-04-28