News and updates from BCSDN and the region
Though philanthropic flows are relatively modest compared to official development assistance (ODA), their contribution is substantial in certain sectors, according to a new OECD report. For the first time, Private Philanthropy for Development uses global, comparable data to analyse how private foundations are supporting development. According to the report, private foundations provided USD 23.9 billion
Read more →The slew of bad publicity that has affected the sector in the wake of the Oxfam scandal shows little sign of abating. The Times recently ran a story making fresh allegations about staff misconduct in Haiti – the latest in a series of front pages about Oxfam’s historical failures to address sexual harassment and exploitation.
Read more →The Department for Cooperation with Non-Governmental Organizations of the General Secretariat is organizing consultative meetings with the civil society sector regarding its Draft Strategy of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia for Cooperation with and Development of the Civil Sector, including the Action Plan 2018-2020. The consultations will be held in Skopje on April
Read more →The Online Platform for public consultations is a very important, although not the only tool for implementing the minimum standards for public consultations. Functional as of February 2017, this platform has enabled publishing of hundreds of different documents for public consultation. However, it is still halfway to fulfill its goal. The Kosovar Civil Society Foundation
Read more →Civic engagement, including that by CSOs, in governance is the bedrock of democracy. An informed and active citizenry, particularly skilled and engaged CSOs, have the potential power to strengthen public policies, promote the interests of the people, and hold elected officials accountable. CSOs — often in collaboration with government and the international community — have
Read more →Some of the most influential CSOs from Montenegro suggested to the European Commission to “seriously consider” the activation of the balance clause, that is, to freeze negotiations on Montenegro’s membership with the EU. A paper prepared by Institut Alternativa, Center for Civic Education, the Center for development of NGOs (CRNVO) and the Center for Monitoring
Read more →Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party signaled it could push on with legislation to crack down on organizations promoting migrant rights as soon as parliament reconvenes after Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s sweeping election victory on the 8th of April. A bill of the so-called “Stop Soros” package, submitted to parliament before the election, would impose a 25
Read more →In 2018, Nations in Transit registered the most score declines in the project’s 23-year history: 19 of the 29 countries had declines in their overall Democracy Scores. For the second year in a row, there are more Consolidated Authoritarian Regimes than Consolidated Democracies. While Serbia’s score declined for the fourth straight year, threatening its status
Read more →For most humanitarian workers, the mission to help vulnerable communities in crisis conditions, through relationships built on trust and empowerment, is nothing if not challenging. So, when news headlines scream about aid officials sexually exploiting earthquake victims as headlines that sent shockwaves through the aid world and sparked widespread public outrage did recently, that mission
Read more →This briefing and discussion paper analyzes how governments refer to transparency and accountability to argue for tighter regulation of CSOs. Invoking transparency and accountability, governments around the world typically propose regulation in three areas: transparency of funding, and especially of foreign funding; income and asset declaration of CSO leaders; and democratic accountability and governance. While
Read more →Residents of one of the 28 EU countries, 4 EFTA countries, Albania, Bosnia, Israel, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Associated Countries to Horizon2020 are eligible to apply for a scholarship financed by the European Projects Association through Educational Vouchers. 70 scholarships of EUR 1.000 each are available, aiming to contribute to education in
Read more →The Spring 2018 Call for Proposals for the Thomas J. Alexander Fellowship is open for candidates from any background, experience or origin that will present an innovative research project which puts to use OECD data and knowledge base from PISA, PIAAC and/or TALIS. The Fellowship encourages work on emerging economies whether by region or country
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