News and updates from BCSDN and the region
In the context of the fight against the pandemic, the Standing Committee of the Conference of INGOs expressed its strong commitment to the construction of a diverse and open society, based on human rights, the rule of law and meaningful democratic participation. The statement emphasize that NGOs fulfil a fundamental role in checking the emergency
Read more →CROSOL and CONCORD sent a letter to Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman ahead of a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council presenting the recommendations by CSOs across the EU regarding the Union’ response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The letter states that solidarity must continue to be a guiding principle
Read more →In the wake of the global pandemic, BCSDN Executive Office continues to undertake preventive mechanisms against the COVID-19 outbreak to protect its employees and our surroundings. During this period, we invite you to embrace the success stories of our joint regional actions. At this moment, we hope to continue our work based on empathy, partnership
Read more →The whole planet faces the same emergency, and Europe has become, after China, the centre of the Covid-19 dissemination. All institutions, governments, communities, all of us are asked to act responsibly as individuals and as a community. We have to change our life to protect ourselves and others. Many CSOs are obliged to close their
Read more →The EU is the main donor, investor and trade partner of the Western Balkans. Especially in this period of crises, the EU and the Western Balkans should work hand-in-hand, in solidarity, supporting each other. In response to that, the EU announced a package of bilateral financial assistance to all six partners in the region. The
Read more →In the face of the continuing spread of COVID-19, the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness expresses solidarity with the peoples of the world, especially the poor and vulnerable communities in developed and developing countries. CPDE urges that we must respond to this denial of social justice. The article states that as civil society, they emphasize
Read more →ARTICLE 19 has published a briefing on how states, the media and social media companies can help to combat COVID-19 (coronavirus) by committing to transparency, tackling misinformation and promoting authoritative health advice. They also have a role to play in addressing hate speech directed at individuals of Chinese or Asian descent, connected to the coronavirus
Read more →BCSDN together with NALAS organized a workshop which gather at one place 30 representatives of EU Institutions, representatives of Local Authorities and Local Authority Associations and CSOs from the WB countries to discuss a bottom-up approach to EU Enlargement and the new Instruments for Financial support for the benefit of its future and current citizens.
Read more →The EC presented updates on the progress made by Albania and North Macedonia in further addressing rule of law related reforms. Both countries have delivered further tangible and sustainable results and Commission’s recommendation to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia remains valid. In the case of Albania, the update outlines progress in the
Read more →BCSDN’ s Policy and Advocacy Officer Biljana Spasovska participated at the panel discussion “Future of Europe” during the second day at the Western Balkans Think Thank Forum, hosted by Institute for Democracy ‘Societas Civilis’ Skopje. The event is an integral part of the 2020 Berlin Process Co-Presidency programme hosted by the governments of the Republic
Read more →The objectives of the Western Balkans CSO Summit were to make possible to increase awareness on the importance of nurturing regional cooperation and to promote people to people links through fostering dialogue between WBF’s stakeholders. Introducing the WBF CSO Summit as a potential tool to enhance cooperation and reconciliation, WBF as a civil society pillar
Read more →An independent assessment of the Voluntary National Review (VNR) reports submitted to the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) commissioned by civil society in 2019 is out. The fourth in a regular series, the assessment notes positive trends in reporting on leaving no one behind and stakeholder engagement, but highlights the continued silence of UN Member
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