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Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Marilena Evangellou addressed the following address to the 30th Pancyprian Conference of the PSAE, on "The action and work of NGOs - Limits, Responsibilities and the Role of the State":
I would like to thank my dear friend Mr. Ilia Demetriou, President of the Pancyprian Coordinating Council for Volunteerism (PCVC) for the invitation. The 30th PACE Conference is being held this year with a very important and interesting topic "The Action and Work of NGOs - Limits, Responsibilities and the Role of the State."
In general, the PACE Annual Conferences are an opportunity for the exchange of views, suggestions and ideas on issues concerning Cypriot society, while at the same time they are also actions for mobilization and participation of Voluntary Organizations on a pan-Cypriot basis.
In general, the PACE Annual Conferences are an opportunity for the exchange of views, suggestions and ideas on issues concerning Cypriot society, while at the same time they are actions for mobilization and participation of Voluntary Organizations on a pan-Cypriot basis.
Organized Volunteerism in Cyprus is now part of a broader service delivery system, while the role of Voluntary Organizations is multi-dimensional and expanding across the whole spectrum of social life. The Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare sees organised volunteers in Cyprus as valuable partners who act in a complementary role to the role of the state.
The role of Voluntary Non-Governmental Organisations is expanding across the whole spectrum of social life. From voluntary efforts to alleviate human suffering, to offering services to socially excluded individuals or groups or providing social care services, culture, sport, and more broadly involved in all aspects of social activity.
The Ministry of Social Welfare has developed a remarkable partnership with the Organized Voluntary Movement and has been successful in implementing and improving services to meet important social needs, such as school and pre-school child care, 24-hour care for children, 24-hour In addition, in 2022, a total of 290 social care programs were subsidized by 163 institutions.
State Aid Plans are evaluated annually and adapted to the new requirements, priorities and emerging needs of society and the various institutions subsidized by them. Applications are evaluated on the basis of a series of quantitative and qualitative criteria, taking into account factors such as the geographical area, the size of the community, the type of programme, the number of beneficiaries, the financial data of the organisation, etc.
I want to make it clear that State Aid is not institutionalized. That is, it does not mean that the same amount received by an NGO one year will be received the next year. It will depend on the evaluation of the criteria. Besides, the common goal should be for the programmes to be sustainable.
In view of the need to provide state aid to the various entities as timely as possible, the Ministry of Social Welfare has differentiated the Minor State Aid Scheme in 2022 and 2023 by moving the application evaluation process to the first quarter of the year. We are continuously working on ways to further improve the provision of state aid by listening to the challenges faced by NGOs in order to ensure the provision of quality social care services to our fellow citizens. Officers of the Social Welfare Services in all provinces are at the disposal of NGOs and Local Government Authorities for any necessary support and guidance.
At the same time, in order to directly approach our fellow human beings who need the support and assistance of the state and recognizing the long experience of local Authorities in matters concerning their community, the program "Social Worker of the Neighborhood" is being implemented, whose pilot implementation has been completed and we are in the stage of evaluating the program, with the aim of its nationwide expansion.
In addition, the new State Grants Scheme has been announced this year for the creation of new or expansion of existing social care structures under the Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021 - 2026. The Plan focuses on creating new or upgrading/expanding existing Multipurpose Centers for Children, Child Care Centers and 24-hour Care Centers for adults with long-term care needs. Several institutions have already shown interest in this project.
The role of the State, especially in social policy issues, is not substituted. And the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare is responsible for the formulation and implementation of social policy.
NGOs come in as a subsidiary to contribute and complement, if you like, this policy.
The State supports NGOs both financially and in terms of supervision, and together we create a social safety net.
The decentralisation of social services is a practice followed by modern states.
It is also my conviction that the State of Welfare cannot be the State Ministry of Social Welfare on its own. Only through synergies with other Ministries, other Services, with other institutions, with local government, with NGOs, can we build a human-centred, empathetic and inclusive state.
I am an advocate of such synergies and all my efforts are focused in that direction, without substituting the central role of the State.
The role of volunteers in Cyprus and especially of Organized Volunteers who are actively involved in Non-Governmental Organizations is, as I have already mentioned, particularly important. It also carries with it responsibilities. Issues of Good Governance of NGOs and the legal framework affecting them are clarified in the manual previously published by the Pancyprian Coordinating Council for Volunteerism, which is a useful aid for every volunteer on their role, responsibilities and accountabilities.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not congratulate all, one by one, the Non-Governmental Organizations, members of the Pancyprian Coordinating Council for Volunteerism, but also, one by one, each volunteer for putting his or her soul into every selfless act. We must not forget that volunteering is the living illustration of active engagement and participatory democracy and helps to create a healthy society by promoting common values of solidarity, tolerance and respect.
In conclusion, I would like to assure you that the Government of Nicos Christodoulides and in particular the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare will continue to provide all possible support to Organised Bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations, so that through synergies we can contribute to the social development and progress of our country for an inclusive society.
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