We are witnessing insufficient and incoherent teaching throughout Europe of essential civic competences, i.e. the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are needed to act as a responsible, active and democratic citizen. The European citizens’ initiative allows one million EU citizens to participate directly in the development of EU policies, by calling on the European Commission to make a legislative proposal. More intensive incentive measures are needed to support member states in their responsibility of providing the basic civilizing tools needed to become a functioning member of a democratic diverse and open society. You can sign the petition here. Source: MoreThanEducation
Author: anja
IPD is announcing its next International Winter Programs in Peacebuilding, Conflict Transformation, Mediation, Security and Intercultural Dialogue, which is going to be held in Switzerland. Applicants could choose either 10 days winter academy or three Month CAS-Research program in their filled application. The deadline for submitting applications is 15 November 2016. More information is available here. Source: IPD Institute
Metamorphosis Foundation announces: Request for Applications To support the actions of civil society organization within the project “Accountability through Citizen Engagement” implemented with financial assistance from the British Embassy. The project will provide support to civil society organizations to tackle issues related to accountability, transparency and social cohesion and to promote good governance by awarding approximately 10 small grants to CSOs in Macedonia (ranging between 2000 GBP to 5000 GBP). These grants will support initiatives aimed at increasing public knowledge and scrutiny over performance of public institutions, as well as civic actions addressing/promoting community values related to Rule of Law,…
The subject of this open call is funding a three-year development and humanitarian projects in the field of international development cooperation for the period from 2017 to 2019 carried out by non-governmental organizations registered in the Republic of Slovenia. The total amount of the tender is EUR 1.195.000. The subject of the tender is divided into 3 main sections: Lot A: Development projects in the West Balkans and Eastern Europe; Lot B: Humanitarian projects in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East; Lot C: the education of children about their rights through the use of materials Our rights in one country of…
CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation is launching its next generation tool – CIVICUS Monitor: Tracing Civic Space on October 24th, 2016. Designed in reaction to the lack of reliable information on civic space on a global level, the tool is intentionally narrow and focused on an assessment of the three basic elements that provide the necessary space for civil society development – freedom of association, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. The tool uses multiple data streams to map, track and analyze civic space trends around the world. Not only does the tool allow for global comparisons,…
The first national consultation meetings of The Global Standard for CSO Accountability will take place in: Skopje, Macedonia on the 17th of October, Prishtina, Kosovo on the 19th of October, Tirana, Albania on the 20th and Belgrade, Serbia on the 21st of October. BCSDN members and partners will be hosting the events that will organize an internal discussion with the management of the members on BCSDN own Code of Conduct. The Standard to be presented to other CSOs has been created by nine CSO accountability initiatives from across the world including the Balkan Civil Society Development Network. In times of…
On September 29, in the premises of the European Movement in Serbia, the Western Balkans 6 group was established as an initiative of the Western Balkans CSOs from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Serbia. The Western Balkans 6 group, should facilitate and accelerate the integration process of the entire region in the EU. Changing the negative image on the region is one of the priorities that the group will address. They aim at promoting regional cooperation and facilitating a common approach to European decision makers, to point out the importance of Western Balkans region for EU, and…
The establishment of the Western Balkans Fund, in the framework of the Berlin Process, is considered as an important political decision, and a significant positive mark of the new cooperation spirit taking roots in the Balkans. Through it, the WB countries give another clear demonstration of their political will for strengthening the good neighborly relations, the spirit of cooperation in the region and towards the European integration processes. The Fund’s main objective is to boost cooperation between member states, strengthen relations, advance integration into the European Union, and by promoting common values among citizens, civil society and regional actors, providing…
The International Center for Non-Profit-Law (ICNL) issued the Survey of Trends Affecting Civic Space: 2015-16 in its quarterly review of NGO law trends around the world – Global Trends in NGO Law. The paper elaborates on several multilateral initiatives at regional and international levels that have had an impact on enabling environment for civil society and the positive trends showcasing the decisive influence of civil society when given the space to act. Amid its extraordinarily influential and essential role in responding to challenges, nevertheless, states recognizing civil societies’ unleashed potential resort to variety of tools to erode its influence. In…
In some of the countries of the former communist world, it has become more difficult for civil society to operate freely, while in others, civil society plays a strong role promoting reform and responding to regional challenges. These are just some of the divergent trends identified in USAID’s 2015 Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index (CSOSI*), which assesses the health of the civil society sector against key indicators in 24 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Practitioners and scholars discussed these trends, what it means for civil society leaders and activists in these countries, and what can be done…