News and updates from BCSDN and the region
A new United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) has launched to support projects that promote human rights, strengthen civil society’s voice, and encourage public participation. Among others, UNDEF particularly calls for projects that address the civic space and democracy challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grant allocations range between 100,000 USD and 300,000 USD for projects
Read more →The World Justice Project (WJP) is hosting a global competition to identify good practices and impactful projects that protect and advance the rule of law during the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition aims to support and provide a platform for the positive initiatives emerging amongst the global health crisis. Six projects that show positive and promising
Read more →In accordance with the General Assembly resolution 75/4, a Special Session of the General Assembly in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic will be held from 3 – 4 December, 2020. In order to participate in the Special Session of the GA in response to the COVID-19, the following categories of relevant entities not
Read more →EU TASCO 3 is calling for CSOs from the Western Balkans and Turkey to apply for their Strategic Mentoring. The programme intends to deliver practical support to regional CSOs using mentors and experts and providing tailored assistance to these organisations. EU TASCO will cover the experts and mentors’ costs of up to 4,000 EUR for
Read more →The European Parliament is offering two opportunities: traineeships in the Secretariat and traineeships with Members of the European Parliament. The traineeships are designed to educate and provide vocational training to young applicants while familiarising participants with the European Parliament’s inner workings. Applications are open to nationals of a Member State of the European Union or
Read more →The Visegrad Fund-support project intends to increase the awareness of democratic processes among the Western Balkan youth and strengthen youth participation in policy-making processes. The project is organised as three meetings, which include various democracy and politics modules. Applications are open to 18-30 years young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia. Read
Read more →ABD is collaborating with the Open Government Partnership to offer funding for individuals or teams to develop tools and mechanisms to strengthen the monitoring of COVID 19 related spending. The programme is looking for innovative solutions to guide citizens about monitoring the government budget and is offering 10,000 USD or more for the winning solution.
Read more →The Cross Culture Programme in Germany is offering Fellowships aimed to deepen participants’ expertise and intercultural skills. The programme is designed for people working in policy and society, media and culture, human rights, peace, and sustainable development. Applicants must be between the ages of 23 and 45 with at least two years of professional experience
Read more →BCSDN is happy to announce it has launched a new website for monitoring the enabling environment for civil society development in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The new website is based on the comprehensive Monitoring Matrix tool, developed to assess the legal, regulatory, and financial environment in which CSOs operate. The website features present the
Read more →USAID published the 23rd edition of their Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index (CSOSI) for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, covering developments in 24 countries in the region during 2019. In 2019, CSOs across Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia continued to be impacted by and respond to major political developments, including elections and changes
Read more →BCSDN, as part of AGNA and the Global Standard for CSO Accountability, celebrated the Global Accountability Week (GAW) 2020 to promote civil society accountability by presenting CSO accountability initiatives across the world, and to improve the understanding of dynamic accountability. On the second day of the GAW, BCSDN led a session on CSO Accountability in
Read more →In a statement, Serbian CSOs demand the Government to provide sufficient resources and formal competencies for mechanisms to involve citizens in decision-making processes. They also request the Government to explain why the decision to abolish the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society and reduce the existing competencies within the new Ministry, was made through a
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