How can we react more quickly and gain a common voice, for the good of more people?

Text by George Gurescu

Two months ago, during a sectoral meeting organized by ARC, a representative of an organization wondered: but what can we not also be like HORECA? Why can't we have one voice? Why can't we react quickly and in a unified way when something happens that affects the sector?

From this question I started when I put together the third edition of the Chronicles. What would it be like to be united enough to be heard when a law is made, when a pandemic comes upon us, when the rights of a minority are violated, or when we are putting the future of this country on the line?

Success is all about the united are us, and the articles we've collected show that. The pandemic and the humanitarian crisis that is happening now at Romania's borders have already shown us that it is in our nature to work together. Two years ago we were sharing medical equipment trucks with each other to get to hospitals faster, and now we are sharing resources at crossings or raising funds for organizations that know best how to intervene in a crisis situation. You will see, in the siret reportage written by Mădălina Olariu, how the organizations put their resources together to offer a little courage and a bit of security to the Ukrainians forced to leave their country because of the war.   

Cătălin Hopulele, a journalist at Ziarul de Iași, wrote about how organizations intervene in vulnerable communities in the north-east of the country, to help children overcome more of the obstacles they encounter on the way to an independent life. Many such hindrances should not have existed if we had a coherent public education.

We look at what the power of organizations also means when it comes to relations with the state. The Economic and Social Council (ESC), an institution established in 2003, brings representatives of civil society, trade unions and employers' associations to the same table with the aim of achieving a tripartite dialogue leading to better laws and better communication with the state. But what power does the opinion of the ESC, which is binding but advisory, have, and the authorities are not the fairest player? We discussed this with three professionals from the sector, two of them members in CES.

To be together is to bring to the same table those who help us do good. We look at what is happening in the Republic of Moldova and how vital it is to provide healthy funding to help organizations not only to continue to provide services, but also to create them. Georgeta Carasiucenco, from Moldova.rg, went on the field and talked to the people of the National Coalition "LIFE WITHOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE" about what it means for the financier to trust you. 

We need a framework in which to come together and talk about the sector, about what we can do for society. But more than that, we need confidence.

The stutters of the state in recent weeks, but also in the last 2 years, show us this. We cannot grow if the sector is not at the same table from the very beginning. If we only act after the event has happened, we can only mitigate the effects.