News and updates from BCSDN and the region
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
Read more →A sustained and escalating crackdown curtailed the vital work of human rights defenders in Turkey and left swathes of society in a state of constant fear, a new report from Amnesty International has revealed. The report, Weathering the storm: Defending human rights in Turkey’s climate of fear, reveals how few areas of Turkey’s once vibrant
Read more →A collection of articles produced within the project Raising capacities and advocacy potential towards more substantive involvement of CSOs of the Visegrad countries (V4) and the Western Balkans (WB6). This collection provides insights into challenges of civil society participation in policymaking in three countries of the Visegrad Group (Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia), in the
Read more →Non-profit organizations around the world are impacted by issues of financial access – inordinate delays in cash transfers, onerous due-diligence requirements, inability to open bank accounts and arbitrary closure of bank accounts – collectively classed as ‘de-risking’ activities by financial institutions. This study examines the drivers of this de-risking, situating it at the intersection of
Read more →Collective action on business integrity involves different stakeholder groups including civil society, government and business coming together to effect change, to create a business environment where corruption is no longer accepted and integrity prevails among all actors. This guide is for CSOs, such as Transparency International chapters, that are considering embarking on collective action initiatives
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