News and updates from BCSDN and the region
All Western Balkan countries remained in the category of hybrid regimes in the newest Nations in Transit report published by the Freedom House last week. Serbia, which was previously the highest-ranking country in the region, dropped to third place, closely behind North Macedonia and Montenegro, which now share the first place in the Western Balkans.
Read more →A group of Western Balkan civil society organizations, members of the Think Balkans project, released a letter of solidarity with Ukraine and called for the immediate stop of the war as well as the prevention of any escalations or spillovers. The CSOs called on the leaders of the countries in the region to strongly resist
Read more →Last week, between the 20th and the 21st of April, our members from Serbia, Civic Initiatives, organized, now traditional conference – PRacka: trends in communications for active citizens. The conference covered many important topics that needed to be brought to the attention of the CSO representatives and taken into account while making plans for conducting
Read more →Organized by the European Policy Institute, a debate titled “Monitoring the Rule of Law for EU Member States and Candidates: Bridging the Gap” was held in Skopje, with the participation of our Executive Director, Ms. Anja Bosilkova Antovska, together with prominent researchers in the field of EU integration and the rule of law in the
Read more →CPDE hosted the launch of its capacity development materials for CSOs: the network management and project management modules, and advocacy toolkit, on 12 April. Through the event, CPDE aimed to help equip CSOs with skills and best practices in managing programs and in particular for EDC advocacy, organizing, and managing networks for EDC based on
Read more →At the core of its activities in the Western Balkans, the Global Initiatives for Transnational Organized Crime is the engagement with CSOs, media, and academia. The CSO community is the key partner when it comes to gathering information and researching risk, raising awareness of the impact of organized crime on local communities, and in strengthening
Read more →Brussels, Dublin, Ireland, Sofia, Bulgaria, and Tirana, in Albania have been chosen to pilot the Digital Rights Governance Framework. The framework focuses on the local safeguarding of human rights in the digital context of city governments. The cities will receive technical advice, ad hoc support, and advisory input to address the pressing challenges related to
Read more →Following the tragic developments of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, marking one month of war, we stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and call for an immediate stop of the war and killing of innocent people. Saddened by the news, and in awe of the resilience of people on the ground, the Balkan Civil Society
Read more →DCN community is sharing stories with the world in order to show a civil society perspective on the human aspect of the developments in Ukraine after the Russian aggression. Behind the tweets and news read online, there are human lives, impacted in unimaginable ways. Stories, photos, videos, and information collected, are to be amplified
Read more →Article published by the Balkan Insight, calls attention to EU integration of the Western Balkans countries, in the context of the conflict developments in the East. The author is stating that given the new geopolitical situation, the accession of those countries should be understood as a strategic commitment on the part of the EU. Read
Read more →On 29 March, the online regional forum “Civil society organizations response and adaptability” took place, organized by CRNVO within the framework of the regional project “Fostering regional cooperation and policy responses in time of crisis” led by Partners Albania. BCSDN’s Acting Executive Director, Anja Bosilkova-Antovska, participated in the panel about the regional overview of the
Read more →The Amnesty International Report 2021/22, which was published on 29 March, highlights the human rights situation in 154 countries in 2021. It presents Amnesty International’s documented concerns and recommendations for governments and others. From a human rights perspective, 2021 was largely a story of betrayal and hypocrisy in the corridors of power. But hopes for
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