The Slovenian Human Rights Ombudsman (HRO) invited the NGOs and individuals who are active in the field of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion to the traditional monthly meeting with the representatives of civil society, which took place on Tuesday, 24 May 2011.  

The meeting at the HRO's premises was attended by six representatives of the NGOs, as well as by the HRO's Deputy, Kornelija Marzel, and the Director of Technical Services, Bojana Cvahte.

The discussion focused on the exchange of information on the operation, experiences and findings of the NGOs in the fields mentioned above. The participants were unanimous in their view that Slovenia should actively join the Food Bank project and start implementing it. In addition to the lack of material goods, the reality of severe mental distress should also be emphasised, since the human dignity is at risk in such cases. Therefore, a great deal of attention should be paid to other forms of assistance.

The participants pointed out that the NGOs are not heard well by state bodies. More specifically, they claimed that their proposals are not sufficiently considered and, as a consequence, also neglected in terms of funding.

There were many observations in relation to the Social Entrepreneurship Act and inadequate tax incentives for the development of such entrepreneurship, which will play an important role in employment and the creation of new jobs.
The HRO will communicate the findings and proposals from this meeting to the competent authorities. Cooperation with NGOs will continue.