OFOP – Civil Society Proposals for Poland

28 September 2023 | Members' Corner

2023 is a decisive election year in Poland. As the pre-election period approaches, the Polish Federation of Non-Governmental Organizations and other civil society organizations have teamed up to put forward civic policy proposals for Poland!

The majority of Poles (64%, according to the More in Common Polska survey) say that things in our country are going in the wrong direction. When thinking about the future we feel fear, frustration, sadness, but also hope: because we know what kind of country we would like to live in. 

When we envisage Poland in a decade, we think about a country that is safe, democratic, truthful, modern, open; where social justice, rule of law, and green economy are shared standards of all public institutions.  

Unfortunately, we know that our state is not to be trusted and that we will have to fend for ourselves in a crisis situation, as was the case during the first weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic and in the first days after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. It was thanks to the mobilization of civil society – the involvement of social organizations and hundreds of volunteers that networks of assistance to those in need were created. Organised civil society was ready to act and is also ready to build a better future.

In the summer, OFOP together with other non-governmental organizations took part in large events (Freedom Day in Gdańsk, Campus Poland of the Future in Olsztyn, Freedom Games in Łódź), during which we presented proposals for policy solutions to the most urgent problems in our country.

On September 29th, together with the Stefan Batory Foundation, Mamprawowiedziec.pl Association61 and the “Our Ombudsman” Initiative, we are organizing an electoral civic convention “We have a vision for Poland”. We invited representatives of non-governmental organizations and politicians who want to get to know and officially endorse civic proposals for reform.

Our policy platform includes the following topics:

  • Rule of law – independece of the judiciary
  • Rule of law – Constitutional Tribunal 
  • Rule of law – independence of the prosecutor’s office
  • Education
  • Climate
  • Women’s rights 
  • Pupils’ rights
  • Migration and integration
  • Public media
  • Culture
  • Local government
  • LGBTQ+ rights 
  • Civil society
  • Rights of persons with disabilities and caregivers 
  • Transparency
  • Protection against surveillance

 

These policy proposals are the only coherent reform packages that operate in current policy debate – we cannot imagine a situation where they would not be taken into account before and after the elections.