Belgrade Open School, in partnership with Toplica Center for Democracy and Human Rights within the project "Strengthening Local Transparency", held a program to strengthen the capacities of civil organizations "We have something against corruption" in two rounds, from March 9th to 11th and from March 11th to 13th in Vrnjačka Banja.

The program brought together 50 representatives and representatives of local civil society organizations who had the opportunity to hear lectures in the area of civic participation, proactive transparency of public administration bodies, civilian control of public finances, data visualization, the role of civil society in the fight against corruption, and the role of State bodies in the field of access to information of public importance and audit of the budgets of local self-governments.

The seminar was opened by Vesna Đukic,General Director  of the Belgrade Open School, Milorad Bjeletić, Executive Director of the Belgrade Open School, members of the project team Sanja Nasevski, Mihailo Gajić and associate of the Belgrade Open School Jovana Tripunovic, as well as Dragan Dobrašinović on behalf of the partner association, Toplica Center for Democracy and Human rights. The lecturers were Rodoljub Šabić, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, Duško Pejović, Supreme State Auditor at the State Audit Institution, Miodrag Milosavljević from the Open Society Fund, Danilo Milić from Olof Palme International Center, Dragan Dobrašinović from Toplica Center for Democracy and Human Rights, Aleksandar Đekić from Bečej Youth Association, Sanja Nasevski and Mihailo Gajić from Belgrade Open School and Jovan Tripunovic, associate of the Belgrade Open School.

Among others the participants discussed about recommendations for improving proactive transparency advocated by the Belgrade Open School and the Toplica Center for Democracy and Human Rights. These recommendations envisage amendments to the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance in the sense of reforming the information booklet and proactive publication of frequently requested information of public importance.

The project "Strengthening Local Transparency" is being implemented by the Belgrade Open School in partnership with the Toplica Center for Democracy and Human Rights, in cooperation with the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, and with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia. The project was financed by the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. For more information about the project see www.dostup.no.