The programmes focused on health promotion and the encouragement of civic engagement, funded under the Lithuanian-Swiss Cooperation Programme, make a significant contribution to building public wellbeing: the quality of health services for mothers and children is being improved, opportunities are being expanded for people of different ages, nationalities and social groups in Lithuania to actively participate in public life, and community spirit and inter-institutional cooperation are being strengthened.
On March 24, meetings of the Steering Committees for the programmes “Maternal and Child Health and Wellbeing” and “Civic Engagement” were held at the Central Project Management Agency (CPMA). These meetings are important for coordinating the programmes, monitoring the progress of their projects, addressing any emerging challenges, and planning further activities that contribute to strengthening public wellbeing.
The meetings were attended by members of the both Steering Committees and observers – representatives of Lithuanian institutions, Switzerland, and the CPMA. The CPMA, which administers these programmes in Lithuania, ensures their smooth implementation, coordinates processes, and assists partners in achieving common objectives.
At the meeting of the Steering Committee for the “Maternal and Child Health and Wellbeing” programme, the 2025 annual report for this programme was briefly presented, project progress was discussed, and planned activities for the coming months were outlined.
Attention was focused on inter-institutional and expert-level cooperation between Lithuania and Switzerland, which aims to strengthen the exchange of experts, the sharing of experience, and joint initiatives in the field of children’s development services. This cooperation is considered one of the programme’s most important added values (more information can be found here).
The meeting also emphasised the strengthening and continued implementation of the programme’s activities to improve health services for pregnant women, postpartum women, newborns, infants, children, and children with special needs, by developing a sustainable structure of integrated health, education, and social care services and promoting easily accessible, integrated, and professional care.
At the meeting of the “Civic Engagement” programme, Steering Committee members reviewed the progress of ongoing projects, discussed relevant implementation aspects, and planned further work. The discussions focused not only on existing projects but also on a new project under development aimed at promoting civic engagement among school students.
It is planned that the new project – “Promoting School Student Engagement in Social and Civic Activities” – will be implemented by the organisation “Lithuanian Scouting” together with its partners: Lithuanian “Caritas,” the Lithuanian Youth Council, the Order of Malta Relief Organisation, and the Lithuanian Students’ Union. This project aims to inspire school students across Lithuania to develop ideas for social and civic initiatives, which schools will be able to submit for funding.
It is expected that this initiative will strengthen schools’ collaboration with non-governmental organisations, provide more opportunities for youth groups to volunteer, engage in activities that benefit society, and participate more actively in civic life. The project is expected to be launched in the second half of 2026.
“Although the project is still in the planning stages, we hope for a smooth commencement and that the direct involvement of school students in generating and implementing initiatives will encourage and motivate them to be active ambassadors for their school, district, county, and country,” noted Brigita Nikonovičė, Senior Project Manager at CPMA.
These regular Steering Committee meetings provide an opportunity not only to monitor project progress and discuss future activities, but also to strengthen cooperation between Lithuanian and Swiss institutions and organisations. Such consistent dialogue helps coordinate activities, align financial and human resources, and drive sustainable change in the areas of health and civic engagement.
