News and updates from BCSDN and the region
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 →As the final stage of the trialogue negotiations on the Digital Services Act (DSA) is approaching, the DSA Human Rights Alliance is calling for the Act to truly comply with international human rights standards. In the joint reaction the group of 27civil society organizations that came together around the central tenet that the DAC must
Read more →An article supported with interview statements from anti-corruption experts from the region examines the state of the whistle-blower’s protection practices in the Western Balkans was published by the European Western Balkans. The article notes that despite their contribution to transparency and justice, individuals who report illegalities are very often deprived of adequate treatment. Zorana Marković,
Read more →A policy brief published by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime looks at topics of common interest to CSOs in the Western Balkans dealing with issues related to organized crime. The main findings suggest CSOs in small communities can make a big difference but are also more exposed, they need support from other CSOs,
Read more →A guide published by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights underlines the added value to all of being a human rights city. The guide provides practical assistance for local authorities that want to drive respect for human rights. They can use it to design and implement their step-by-step policies and strategies across a wide range
Read more →The public discourse has been filled with discussion in the transparency, participation, and accountability (TPA) field on the role that information can – and can’t – play in promoting good governance and helping citizens to successfully make demands of the people and institutions that serve them. But there has been lacking focus on what kind
Read more →The video prepared and published by Accountable Now, playfully and thoroughly explains one, not so simple question – What is Dynamic Accountability? Through 80 seconds, the video enables CSO representatives to learn more about dynamic accountability, including how it can better serve communities, in this short explainer video. Watch the video here. Source: Accountable Now
Read more →A report produced and published by the Humentum offers recommendations on how funders could provide adequate cost coverage and strengthen their grantees’ financial health and resilience. The research team has completed an extensive survey on financial health and cost coverage, and a self-assessment questionnaire on CSO`s cost recovery practice, processed by adaptation of internationally recognized
Read more →The CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness – CPDE, has published a statement where that calls for higher levels of official development assistance (ODA) amid the world’s fragile recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The call follows the release of 2021 figures from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which claimed that members of the
Read more →Target groups: Informal or registered organizations from the Western Balkans Aim: Providing rapid funding (in the form of expert support or direct funding for regional actions) for CSOs’ urgent interventions, needed due to unpredictable changes in the conditions in which they operate or unique, time-bound opportunities for impact, and in the implementation of innovative uptakes
Read more →Target group: CSOs registered in Kosovo Aim: To strengthen Kosovan civil society organizations and independent media organizations’ capacity to counter cyberattacks, thereby strengthening their ability to better hold government institutions (national and local) accountable, increase transparency, and provide unbiased information that informs the public; To develop the capacity of Kosovo “white hat” ethical hackers and
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