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News and updates from BCSDN and the region

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Hungary Sends Response to EC Regarding Infringement Procedures

Hungary has sent its response to the European Commission regarding the infringement procedures launched because of Hungary’s laws on NGOs financed from abroad and on foreign universities, a justice ministry official said on Monday. Last month, the EC stepped up an infringement procedure against Hungary for failing to bring its amended higher education act into

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Analysis: How We Fail to Support Real Civil Society

The debate over what civil society constitutes and which segment of civil society deserves donor support has been marred with disagreement. There is one school of thought largely represented by traditional donor agencies putting accountability as a key criterion. Rightly so, for most donors, other than a convincing project proposal aligned to the donor’s thematic

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How Can CSOs Become More Credible Watchdogs?

Civil society organizations are indispensable watchdogs against corrupt practices and global challenges found in complex, modern societies. Yet sometimes, CSOs themselves can struggle to live up to the ambitious standards they demand of others, such as responsible advocacy, ethical fundraising, and meaningful participation of stakeholders. In a piece originally published on the Blog of University

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Human Rights and Economic Growth

This report is part of MATTERS OF CONCERN – a working paper series focusing on new and emerging research on human rights across academic disciplines. This report seeks to answer the question whether human rights have a positive effect on economic growth, and therefore are not only the right thing to do in normative terms

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CfA: European Civic Academy: NGOs as Drivers for Enhanced, Civic and Democratic Spaces in Europe – 30 September – 1 October, Brussels (Deadline: 04.08.2017)

After a successful first edition in 2016 which gathered about 200 activists from social, human rights, culture and environment organisations from all over Europe to discuss with high level academics complex questions raised by citizens’ disenchantment, practice, and expectation with regard to democracy in Europe, the second European Civic Academy will provide space for civil

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CfA: CampaignCon 2017: A Global Activism and Technology Skillshare – 7-9 November, Nairobi

CampaignCon is a regular global event where these actors share ideas, co-create and find best practices through participatory exploration of campaigning theory and practice. At CampaignCon 2017, over 100 participants will together explore how to build a more nimble, responsive civil society and social movements that can mobilise and campaign more effectively in the digital

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CfP: Protecting Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression in the Western Balkans (Deadline: 31.08.2017)

The objective of the small grants programme is to amplify advocacy efforts undertaken by local, national and regional civil society actors in collaboration with journalists and media organizations and to set topics of media freedom and journalists’ safety on mainstream agenda in the Western Balkans region – more specifically Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro

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CfP: UNFPA Turkey Grants Programmes (Deadline: 31.12.2017)

As part of the UNFPA 6th Country Programme and the Humanitarian Programme on Syrian Crises, UNFPA Turkey is currently inviting CSOs and community-based not-for-profit organizations registered and working in Turkey to express interest in receiving grants for 2017 of up to 30.000 USD for projects with a planned duration of from 3 months to one

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