News and updates from BCSDN and the region
Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TUSEV) published the Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development Turkey Country Report 2017, prepared in line with the Monitoring Matrix methodology. Developed under the Monitoring Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development Project coordinated by Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) through 2012 and 2016, the Monitoring Matrix
Read more →Access Info Europe and MANS called on the Montenegrin government to undo its 2017 amendments to Law on Free Access to Information (originally adopted in 2006) in order to bring it back into line with international standards. In an analysis of the Law, Access Info and MANS signaled that a particular concern is Article 1,
Read more →Partners Albania has prepared a monitoring report on the NPOs fiscal legal and regulatory framework and its implementation. Although the sector has been in operations for about three decades, its regulatory framework is still in development, marking very frequent changes, which often do not go through open consultative processes. The purpose of this paper is
Read more →In the Open Government Declaration, OGP countries pledge to protect CSOs in their pursuit to become more transparent, more accountable, and more responsive to their own citizens. CSOs are indispensable to fulfilling OGP’s vision of improved governance and improved quality of services. This chapter aims to support governments in their efforts to live up to
Read more →Around the world, there is an outbreak of vague, repressive, and overreaching legislation that represents a serious threat to civil society’s operations and influence. Because they often seek to protect human rights and hold governments accountable, civil society organizations are often a thorn in the government’s side, and therefore can face enhanced repression and legal
Read more →In a recent public appearance, during a TV pre-election debate on 17 May, SDS deputy Branko Grims announced that his party would abolish public funding for NGOs if it wins the elections, saying that “300 million EUR are wasted annually for NGOs, such as the Peace Institute and similar organizations, of which Slovenia has no real
Read more →Following a recent rejection of more than 90 freedom of information requests (FOI) in Montenegro, in an effort by MANS to obtain financial disclosures related to the recent presidential election, Transparency International denounces the actions of the government agency responsible for refusing the public access to important campaign spending information. Many of the rejected requests
Read more →Open civic space is key to successful OGP processes. In open civic space, CSOs can participate as full partners, and citizens are free and able to demand greater accountability and transparency from their governments. Although OGP member states are not immune from the global civic space emergency, data suggests that civic space in OGP member
Read more →The upcoming CIVICUS State of Civil Society Report, to be published in September 2018, will focus on the special theme of ‘Reimagining Democracy’. The publication will explore the current state of democratic practices, the contemporary trends that are having an impact on them, and civil society initiatives to respond to major democratic challenges and reinvent
Read more →In recent months, Turkey has continued to experience serious violations of freedom of expression. The government has mainly relied on the legal system to target anyone who expresses critical opinions, including journalists, teachers, academics and others. Online spaces for dissent have been under attack since Turkey’s failed coup in July 2016, and hundreds of people
Read more →From attacks on human rights defenders to limits on civil society’s work, we are facing an emergency on civic space. Many of the current restrictions on civil society are knee-jerk responses, sometimes pre-emptive, to popular mobilizations, a sad and unexpected result of the initial hope of the so-called Arab Spring. Of course, this pattern is
Read more →Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize societies in positive ways. However, as with any scientific or technological advancement, there is a real risk that the use of new tools by states or corporations will have a negative impact on human rights. While AI impacts a plethora of rights, ARTICLE 19 and Privacy International
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