News and updates from BCSDN and the region
CPDE published their Report to the Public 2018-2019, encompassing activities from 2018-2019, supported by two complementary programmes, “Development Partnerships on People’s Realities and Realisation of their Rights,” and “Enhancing Civil Society Role in Development Partnerships Post-2015.” During the past period, fighting the trend of shrinking civic space, CPDE has expanded the cooperation with different CSO.
Read more →We gladly present our Accountability campaign showcasing the challenges and the new opportunities with which CSOs were faced during unprecedented times. This campaign demonstrates the network’s engagement and deliverables and our members’ products on CSOs’ needs and response amid COVID-19. By presenting the stories of CSOs’ resilience, trust, and legitimacy, we invest in our mutual
Read more →In a blogpost, ECNL presents the key points from the conference organised with BCSDN on participatory and multi-stakeholder approaches in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. It argues that some of the states in the Balkans imposed various limitations over the right to participation. They closed existing formal avenues for inclusion, disabling CSOs to participate in
Read more →Protests were held in Tirana after the murder of 25-year-old Klodian Rasha by the police. During the demonstrations, 268 people have been prosecuted, 89 have been arrested, while 8 people are wanted. The government and the opposition responded with mutual accusations. The opposition blames the government for the lack of responsibility for the security forces’
Read more →In a statement, the Serbian CSOs expressed their dissatisfaction because of the country’s insufficient progress within EU accession negotiations. They claim that the EU did not open a single negotiating chapter with Serbia in 2020, while in 2019, it only opened 2. This resulted from the deterioration of the rule of law and the lack
Read more →Civil society and media in Albania have played an essential role in providing relief aid to the affected population in managing devastating earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizations experienced a rapid evolution and innovation process in terms of self-organizing, learning from one crisis to inform the other’s response, creating platforms to match needs and
Read more →Media Freedom Rapid Response, MFRR, the Southeast Europe Media Organization, SEEMO, published a report, calling the new Montenegrin government to commit to reforms to develop and maintain media freedom. The report asks for an end to impunity for crimes against journalists and media workers by ensuring police and prosecutors investigations. It also calls for establishing
Read more →Turkey’s Parliament approved a controversial law authorizing the oversight of associations and foundations, which will bring to the closure of NGOs and overall damage of civil society. The law predicts NGOs’ boards to be replaced with trustees, and civil servants to conduct annual NGOs monitoring. The critics claim that NGOs’ assets and online donation campaigns
Read more →OSCE presents the second edition of its practical tool to help monitors collect reliable information by observing public gatherings and assessing the findings in line with international human rights standards. Based on ODIHR’s methodology, it provides a conceptual framework to guide the independent monitoring of assemblies. It includes vital information gathered in ODIHR’s training programme
Read more →As a CIVICUS member, BCSDN participated in a pilot program DIGNA which aims to identify how CSOs deliver on their diversity and inclusion (D&I) commitments. In a blogpost, Europe&Southeast’s evaluators share their experience of conducting a D&I audit with BCSD in line with Global Standard commitments under Cluster A (Justice & Equality, Women Rights &
Read more →For CSOs to be accountable, they should promote and fight for human rights, ensuring that do-no-harm guide program and project work and prioritize activities guided by sustainability values. Accountable Now presents how their members report against the Global Standard’s 12 commitments. Through the accountability reports, their members show their progress in line with the 12
Read more →Integrity Action launched an online brainstorm on how to sustain impact of social accountability. They present the citizen-centered accountability (CCA) mechanisms, in which citizens provide feedback on services they are entitled to, by looking at a survey analysis. The conclusions are that civil society’s prominence is unsurprising, and the interest in this topic among civil society practitioners
Read more →