News and updates from BCSDN and the region
On Think Tanks has published the report “Think tank state of the sector 2022,” which provides an annual snapshot of the state of the think tank sector across the globe. Drawing on data from the Open Think Tank Directory and a survey conducted by On Think Tanks, this year’s report offers insights into political funding
Read more →The OECD’s first comparative report on civic space offers a baseline of data from 33 OECD Members and 19 non-Members and a nuanced overview of the different dimensions of civic space, with a focus on civic freedoms, media freedoms, civic space in the digital age, and the enabling environment for civil society. It provides an
Read more →As part of the regional workshop on “The risk of misuse of non-profit organizations for terrorist financing in the Western Balkans”, held in Tirana, BCSDN member Partners for Change and Development Albania presented the Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment Methodology for CSOs. The two-day event focused on the common understanding of global standards of relevance in
Read more →The policy paper published by the European Trade Union Institute explores the EU recovery strategy with a specific focus on its potentially transformative aspects vis-à-vis European integration and on its implications for the social dimension of the EU’s socioeconomic governance, intending to reflect on whether the established measures put forward sufficient safeguards against the specter
Read more →The UN report reflects the outcome of a hybrid roundtable on CSOs’ engagement in countering terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism in South-East Europe. The document notes that most of the SEE countries have adopted comprehensive national counter-terrorism strategies, and there is a trend of increasing engagement and openness among member states in the
Read more →The European Civic Forum has launched its podcast series under the title #CivicSpace – an audio piece dedicated to conversation with those fighting for systemic change in Europe and beyond, highlighting important campaigns and sharing inspiring stories of successful activism. The first episode focuses on the 2022 events and why Europe needs strategies for open
Read more →The report titled “Under Surveillance: (Mis)use of Technologies in Emergency Response” is the result of the joint effort of ECNL, the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations and Privacy International, to track the negative impacts of surveillance technology and measures deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic on activist movements and organizations in collaboration with local organizations
Read more →The CSO community in Montenegro has pointed out that the Bill on the Budget grossly violates the Law on NGOs, in terms of financing. As stated, the Law on NGOs stipulates that the state provides money for financing projects and programs in areas of public interest implemented by NGOs, in the amount of at least
Read more →The Institute for Democracy and Mediation has prepared and presented the Civil Society Sustainability Index Report for Albania, providing an assessment of the enabling environment for the civil society sector by analyzing several important developments that took place during 2021. Although most of the dimensions of CSO sustainability have remained largely unchanged, the legal environment
Read more →The Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA) has promoted a report on monitoring digitally mediated public gatherings in North Macedonia. The report deals with the current state of digitally mediated public gatherings in the country, including the relevant legal framework, the frequency, occurrence, and types of digitally mediated public gatherings, and the enabling environment in which
Read more →The SMART Balkans Project organized the first regional conference “Elephants in the Civic Space” in Podgorica Montenegro. Bringing together participants from 6 countries of the region, and people from the civil sector, religious communities, media, academia, and researchers of social processes, the event aimed to open a dialogue on two essential topics: “The role of
Read more →Since 2017, the CIVICUS Monitor has tracked an ongoing crackdown on the right to peaceful assembly. Most recently, governments have used the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to restrict further fundamental freedoms, including the right to protest. According to CIVICUS Monitor data gathered trough the period October 2021 – September 2022, protests took place in
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