Strengthening transparency and accountability in financing prevention and repression of forest fires with the contribution of civil society
In 2018 the forest fire in Mati/Attica tragically revealed that thousands of fires that burst in Greece every year, apart from the natural environment, are a growing threat to the citizens.
Integrated prevention and firefighting requires the establishment of sound operational frameworks, the mobilization of civil society and the efficient and transparent use of the available resources. The proposed project is focusing on the latter, which with certain exceptions, is out of the public discourse.
In Greece, there is complexity and gaps in the disclosure of the data related to the resources invested; the funding sources and the process of accessing them. Improving transparency will lead to better use of resources and therefore better results.
The aim of the project is to enhance transparency in the management of state resources for the prevention and suppression of forest fires and to propose institutional interventions that will promote good governance by strengthening social control mechanisms.
Actions include: Data collection, mapping of funding and stakeholder groups, identifying gaps & malfunctions at different levels of management and decision-making for which specific interventions will be proposed to supervise the absorption of funding, highlight good practices from abroad, and disseminate knowledge that will be produced through cooperation with mass media and information measures for the target groups.
The target groups will be: forest firefighting volunteer groups, other NGOs, public authorities & local authorities in high fire danger risk areas. Beneficiaries will have full access to the findings of the survey and will contribute to the development of the tools that will strengthen their watchdog role allowing them to exert political pressure and become agents of change.
WWF Greece, as the implementing body, will coordinate and implement all actions except the investigative journalism and dissemination of research results, which will be undertaken by MIIR partner.
