News and updates from BCSDN and the region
On 7 June 2021, the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe organized an event for the start of the Conference. The discussion brought representatives of the European Commission and the Parliament members who, together with the Convention participants, among which BCSDN EO representatives, reflected on the scope of civil society participation in the
Read more →The eighth annual Opinion Poll prepared by the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) examines public perceptions of citizens’ trust in institutions, transparency and accountability, corruption, citizens’ engagement in policy and decision-making, satisfaction with public service delivery enforcement of non-discriminatory laws, and policies. The publication presents a critical perspective to the monitoring framework of major
Read more →On 1-2 June 2021, the Civil Society & Think Tank Forum of the 2021 Berlin Process, initiated by the German government, discussed the scope and the success of the Berlin Process. The forum brought prominent participants and high-level officers, which focused on specific issues, including WB civil society ownership of the process; civil society as
Read more →Identifying the accomplishments and areas of concern, FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2021 reflects on significant developments in the field in 2020. The main chapter of the report focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 on fundamental rights, while the other chapters focus on: the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; equality and non-discrimination; racism, xenophobia, and
Read more →The OECD DAC Civil Society Days 2021 (27 May – 4 June) highlighted the need to increase individual and collective donor efforts to enable civil society’s responses to crises and development needs. It looked for enhanced partnerships to promote sustainable development by respecting, protecting, and promoting civic space; supporting and engaging with civil society; encouraging
Read more →On 27 May 2021, BCSDN took part in the first meeting of one of the five working groups as per the thematic clusters of the CSO Convention on the Future of Europe, coordinated by Civil Society Europe. Over 75 European networks and platforms have come together to scrutinize the democratic functioning on the Conference of
Read more →On 1- 2 June 2021, the Aspen Institute Germany, together with the Southeast Europe Association, organizes the online Western Balkans “Civil Society & Think Tank Forum I: Road to Berlin” of this year’s Berlin Process Summit. The forum is hosted by the German Government, and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office. The first day
Read more →In its latest report, CIVICUS evokes 10 years of civil society activity and highlights vital concepts of civil society actions in 2021 and beyond. The report draws from a number of in-depth interviews and online consultations with civil society activists, leaders, and experts, who shared their civil society stories. The report is based on the
Read more →The three-year EU-funded Western Balkans Enabling Project for Civil Society Monitoring of Public Administration Reform (WeBER) presents its PAR Monitor report 2019/2020. The publication results from the monitoring conducted in 2020 by the Think for Europe Network members. It is a comparative collection of key findings from the WB in the six areas of PAR
Read more →The European Center For Not-for Profit Law (ECNL) and Anna Rurka, Past President of the Conference of INGOs, delivered a paper assessing the participatory trends during the COVID-19 emergency responses. The research marks how CSOs could meaningfully participate in decision-making and draws conclusions from the existing good practices. It also provides recommendations on what is
Read more →In its 2020 Anticorruption Report, the Southeast Europe Leadership for Development and Integrity (SELDI) presents the needs and priority concerns for the origin of the corruption sources and provides a model for advancing governance integrity and squeezing corruption in the Western Balkans. Besides the region’s recent progress in curbing corruption and the adoption of anticorruption
Read more →We gladly present our latest video, sharing insights on how CSO accountability is implemented in practice and how we can do more and inspire others. The video highlights that CSOs do a lot of great work to make our societies a better place. People are at the core of our work, but there is still
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