In 2017, the YTILI Fellowship will engage up to 100 young European entrepreneurs in a series of professional development and leadership activities that are designed to support the growth and development of commercial and social business ventures in their home communities. YTILI Fellows will build networks, linkages and lasting partnerships to attract investments and support for their entrepreneurial ventures. Candidates will be considered without respect to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexuality, national origin, disability or any other protected characteristic as established by U.S. law. Applicants with disabilities are eligible and encouraged to apply for the YTILI Fellowship Program. The…
Author: anja
Comparative Balkan Politics (CBP) is a new annual journal in the field of comparative politics and international studies with a focus on Southeast Europe. CBP aims to publish original articles that give new insights into Balkan politics in order to promote better understanding and informed debate on political processes in Southeast Europe. Comparative Balkan Politics are now accepting manuscripts for its forthcoming issue, on the topic “The Presidentialization of Political Parties – Limiting Internal Party Democracy”. Both theoretical and empirical research articles are welcomed, single case studies, as well as comparative perspectives. Manuscripts of research articles should be between 6000 and 8000 words,…
The overall objective of the Programme is to contribute towards the implementation of the Regional Cooperation Council SWP 2017 -2019. The priorities of this Call for Proposals are: Support to implementing SEE 2020 Strategy through flagship approach; Support to governance, rule of law and security cooperation; Support to horizontal and supporting activities. The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 150,000. Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the minimum EUR 10,000 and maximum EUR 60,000. Any grant requested under this Call for Proposals must fall between the following minimum 20%…
The overall objective of this Call for Proposals is to foster socioeconomic development and strengthen the neighborly relations in the programme area through encouraging cooperation among people, communities and institutions. The thematic priorities under this call are: a) Protecting the environment, promoting climate change adaptation and mitigation, risk prevention and management; b) Encouraging tourism and cultural and natural heritage; c) Investing in youth, education and skills. The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 2,040,000. Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the minimum EUR 250,000 and maximum EUR 500,000. Any…
On 12 December, Civil Society Europe together with the European Center for Not-For Profit Law and the European Foundation Center sent a letter urging the Commission to respond to the European Parliament’s proposal on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. The authors believe that such a mechanism will help to safeguard the “EU values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities” as enshrined in article 2 of the EU Treaties. A closing civic space…
Hungary’s populist right-wing government has offered a robust defense of its plans to curtail foreign-backed civil society groups and suggested the change in the US administration means a new era is at hand. In comments that will alarm many non-government organisations, an official spokesman for Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, confirmed there would be changes to the rules governing civil activists, many of whom he accused of behaving like de facto politicians. In a telephone interview, Orbán’s spokesman Zoltán Kovács did little to allay those concerns and appeared to suggest the end of Barack Obama’s presidency would usher in a…
A collective of hackers and researchers has launched a new site called Security Without Borders that aims to provide cyber-security help to CSOOs, activists, and other at-risk groups. Security Without Borders acts as a sort of free consultancy for activists. The site’s Request Assistance feature allows organizations to seek help with bolstering their communication protections or getting a suspicious email or file examined. Security Without Borders has a team of 20 to 30 volunteers who are giving their time to the project. The organization is also accepting more volunteers who want to help out. More information is available here. Source: Digital Trends
The Macedonian Center for International Cooperation (MCIC) issued a policy document, titled “Direct State Funding to CSOs – Basic Overview”. The aim of the document is to contribute to the improvement of data availability and to review the practices of direct budget financing of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Macedonia. In Macedonia, state funding for CSOs through direct budget support is existing, nonetheless, in order to assess for why it is not a significant source for CSOs sustainability and why reforms are necessary, one must examine the availability and transparency of the data, the policies for support and the implementation of the…
The ability to assemble and act collectively is vital to democratic, economic, social and personal development, to the expression of ideas and to fostering engaged citizenry. Yet despite the increasingly prominent role that assemblies play in today’s world, there is sometimes a lack of clear understanding of the applicable international human rights law and standards. The report is designed to help civil society advance the protection and promotion of human rights in the context of assemblies domestically. The Guide provides suggestions, tools and inspiration to CSOs as they consider how they might push for the implementation of the practical recommendations…
The Global Summit on Community Philanthropy took place in Johannesburg, South Africa from 1 – 2 December 2016. Speakers and delegates alike made the call to “Shift the power” to the people, to the local, to the community. The European Foundation Centre (EFC) Chief Executive, Gerry Salole took part in the Summit and in a recent interview explains what “Shifting the power” means. He stated that assuming the fact that local communities have a better understanding of what their exigencies and needs are, “shifting the power” really means local ownership. The full interview is available here. Source: OpenDemocracy