Civil Society in Angola
Main Civil Society Organizations in Angola working with the PALOP-TL ISC Pro in social monitoring of public finances
- ADRA - Ação para o Desenvolvimento Rural e Ambiente
- Comissão de Justiça e Paz (Lubango)
- CICA - Conselho de Igrejas Cristãs de Angola
- PMA - Plataforma das Mulheres em Acção
In Angola, the involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs) in civic monitoring of public finances has been growing considerably. However, according to the 2015 Open Budget Survey Angola has minimal information available to the public in budget documents during the year. Angola's score (26 out of 100) is the lowest among Portuguese-speaking countries in terms of transparency of the state budget.
NA-ANG and the specialized committees introduced public consultations on the state budget. Contributions from CSOs in terms of analysis of the State Budget and public accounts (such as those provided by ADRA: Action for Rural Development and the Environment) are taken into account in the parliamentary budget approval process. However, these are limited experiences due to the scarce public openness and discussion of public expenditure and lack of budget execution reports. The Angolan Civil Society organizations in Angola established concrete targets at a first seminar involving CSOs, organized by Pro PALOP-TL SAI, namely: promote transparency, oversight and public participation.
Civil Society in Cabo Verde
Main Civil Society Organizations in Cape Verde that work with the PALOP-TL ISC Pro in social monitoring of public finances:
- Plataforma das ONGs
- OPACC – Ordem Profissional de Auditores e Contabilistas Certificados
- ADECO – Associação para a Defesa do Consumidor
In Cabo Verde there is little or no involvement of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the follow-up or scrutiny of budget-related policies - or even public involvement in budgeting processes or scrutiny of public expenditure. The government facilitates the discussion on the State Budget in the Social Dialogue Council, where non-governmental institutions that are invited to participate include trade unions, employers' associations, private entities, etc., while Parliament does not have available mechanisms to interact with civil society.
In terms of transparency, the general public can access information through the websites of the Court of Auditors of Cape Verde (TCCV) and the Ministry of Finance.
The Cabo Verdean Civil Society organizations established concrete targets at a first seminar involving CSOs, organized by Pro PALOP-TL SAI, namely: promote transparency, oversight and public participation.
Civil Society in Guinea-Bissau
Main CSOs working with Pro PALOP-TL SAI in civic monitoring of public finances:
- Movimento Nacional da Sociedade Civil para a Paz Democracia e Desenvolvimento
- Movimento Social Ação Cidadã
Guinean civil society is far from being involved in discussions on budgetary or Public Financial Management issues. The precondition for their involvement would, however, be to have the necessary information, which is not yet fulfilled.
Civil Society in Mozambique
Main CSOs working with Pro PALOP-TL SAI in civic monitoring of public finances:
- CIP - Centro de Integridade Pública
- Facilidade
- FMO - Fórum de Monitoria do Orçamento
CSOs are increasingly involved in technical issues of Public Finance Management (PFM), and have been increasingly organized around budget analysis, procurement and corruption, and recently in resource extraction natural.
Increased interaction of CSOs in budget-related policies has been fostered by the State Budget Monitoring Forum, a platform of about 30 civil society organizations including the Community Development Foundation ( CDC), Civil Society Training and Learning Center (CESC), Mozambican Debt Group (GMD), and the Center for Public Integrity (CIP), which work on PFM issues.
Regarding transparency, Mozambique's score in the Open Budget Survey has fluctuated a great deal. After the improvement recorded between 2010 and 2012 - when the score reached 48 of 100 - in 2015 Mozambique's performance dropped to 39. Despite the availability of several online documents, including a "citizen's budget", published since 2013, in the latest inquiry important documents such as the State General Account only published way too late, limiting the level of budgetary transparency.
Civil Society in São Tomé and Príncipe
Main CSOs working with the Pro PALOP-TL SAI in civic monitoring of public finances:
- WEBETO - Observatório São Tomé e Príncipe
- Plataforma DHEG - Direitos Humanos e Equidade de Género
- CIP - Centro de Integridade Pública
- Federação das ONG's
According to the Open Budget Index 2015, in São Tomé and Príncipe there is minimal information available to the public on budget documents. São Tomé and Príncipe’s score (29 out of 100) is the second lowest among the Portuguese-speaking countries in terms of transparency of the state budget. As a result of the Open Budget Survey exercise, a pilot participatory methodology was tested with the participation of some CSOs.
Civil Society in Timor-Leste
Main CSOs working with the Pro PALOP-TL SAI in civic monitoring of public finances:
FONGTIL - Fórum ONG Timor Leste
The National Parliament of Timor Leste interacts with civil society through public hearings, individual complaints and field visits. Parliamentary debates in the plenary on the budget are opened with live radio and television coverage and CSOs are allowed to participate in the discussions of the Commissions.
In 2013, the parliament created an "ad hoc Committee to Compile and Analyze Consensual Proposals for Amendment to the State Budget Proposal". Public involvement has been improving significantly in Timor-Leste with CSOs increasingly involved in Public Finance Management. CSOs are getting better at budget analysis, monitoring acquisitions and corruption, and overseeing extractive industries.