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News and updates from BCSDN and the region

CIVICUS Monitor: Tightening the Screws on Dissent in Serbia and Continuous Onslaught on Freedom of Expression in Turkey

CIVICUS Monitor reports that smear campaign against journalists in the WBT region continues. For instance, TV N1 program director accused him of receiving illicit funding to work against Serbia’s interests. The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia urged for a thorough and impartial investigation, highlighting that this is not just a case of public vilification,

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5 Ways Civil Society Can Build Resiliency as Civic Space Changes

Around the globe, restrictions on freedoms of speech, assembly, and association are shrinking and transforming the space for CSOs to operate. Whether the challenges come from government crackdowns on internet access, scrutiny over international funding, or citizen distrust of terms like “human rights,” it is certain that the operating environment for CSOs has changed. In

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Can NGOs and Social Movements Be Authentic Allies?

Campaigning organizations are moving beyond the question of ‘if’ they should engage with movements to asking ‘when’ and ‘how’ – reflecting an understanding of systems change as complex, nonlinear and unpredictable in which NGOs can have little impact on their own. However, these institutions have a completely different DNA to movements, with heavy layers of

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Uniting European Fundraising for A Stronger Future

Donors are at a fascinating and equally challenging time for fundraising in Europe, when the sector is broadening to encompass new types of charities. At the same time, donors are seeing increased emphasis on environmental causes in reflection of growing public concern about the climate crisis. Within this rapidly changing environment where the borders of

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How Funders Can Help Reimagine the Relationship between International NGOs and Local Partners

Private foundations working internationally have a challenging agenda to pursue if they want their practice to be consistent with organizational values. They need to figure out how to foster relationships of trust not only with their own grantees — almost all of which are international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) — but also with the in-country CSOs

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For New Narratives, Human Rights Needs New Forms of Economic Power

The rise of authoritarian political options globally has fostered an agenda that rejects multilateralism and international cooperation, while blaming traditional parties’ corruption, human rights and social movements, and migrants for the most endemic problems that societies are facing today. If the human rights movement wants to keep its role as a game changer, it substantially

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CfP: Women’s Economic Empowerment – Serbia (Deadline: 24 February 2020)

UN Women Office in Serbia is inviting CSOs working on gender equality, women’s rights and/or antidiscrimination to apply with project proposals supporting women’s economic empowerment. 5 projects will be supported, which will contribute to the implementation of the National Strategy for Gender Equality 2016-2020, more specifically to the improvement of position of women in the

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