Institute for Public Environment Development

The Institute for Public Environment Development is a non-governmental organization founded on 4 April 2003 and registered as a not-for-profit legal entity. The main activities of the organization are development of civil-society participation in government; elaboration and application of controlling and accounting instruments designed for public institutions, and implementation of new practices and models in connection with public administration. The Institute pools together the efforts of people who have ample practical and theoretical experience in public administration, local self-government, regional development and civil-society participation. The organization has amassed unique experience in the institutionalization of the so-called community ombudsman in Bulgaria. The Chair of the IPED Board is the first Ombudsman of Sofia Municipality (2001-2003). The members of the organization have been trained in advocacy and lobbyism and are experienced in training civil-society structures in the practices of citizen participation and control. The organizational appraisal by experts is highly appreciated by non-governmental organizations seeking assistance for implementation of their project activities. The Institute for public environment development was actively involved and initiated advocacy campaigns for revisions of the Local Self-Government and Local Administration Act, statutory instruments of secondary legislation adopted by central and local government authorities, the Rules of Organization and Procedure of the Sofia Municipal Council for the 2003-2007 term of office and 2007 - 2011, and the Rules of Organization and Procedure of the 40th National Assembly.