At Dar tal-Providenza in Siġġiewi, the Cabinet of Ministers met where on Tuesday morning they heard the experiences of associations and voluntary organizations as the Government released for public consultation a document on the reform in the voluntary and Non-Profit sector. During this first Cabinet for the people, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the Government is constantly consulting on changes that are being brought forward, chief among them on this reform.
“Before the Cabinet starts and we start discussing what should come out for public consultation, we even wanted to hear directly from those involved”, claimed the Prime Minister in the presence of a number of voluntary organizations coming from various sectors, including from environmental, sports, cultural field and those who work with children and young people.
Prime Minister Robert Abela reiterated the Government’s commitment to facilitate the work of volunteering not only through the strengthening of financial support but also through necessary changes aimed at injecting more energy and work into the sector of volunteering. List the benefits of this reform, including less bureaucracy, more simplification of processes that effectively mean more immediate and timely assistance to voluntary associations.
“The Government looks at the voluntary sector as a strategic partner in the socio-economic development of the country. A demonstration of this is how with a sense of trust, as a Government, we partner with a number of organizations in providing services that are important for our country”, emphasized Dr Abela. He reiterated that this reform will be touching thousands of people who need some service or another from some voluntary association.
Regarding the support centers for voluntary associations, the Prime Minister claimed that the Government is not only giving fiscal aid but is also offering a space from which they can operate. In fact, in the coming weeks another support center will be added in Gozo to join the three centers that have already been opened in Birkirkara, in Rabat and in Valletta.
The document on the reform in the voluntary and Non-Profit sector will be released for consultation next month.
Photo (OPM)
