News and updates from BCSDN and the region
The “Future of Europe CSO Network” urges European Institutions, Member States, and the upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU to ensure that the Conference on the Future of Europe will start promptly. The Conference’s scope should be broad and aimed at developing policy priorities that matter to citizens and institutional proposals, including proposals
Read more →More than 200 civil society groups from over 50 countries that operate internationally call on the United Nations and its member governments to establish the instrument of a World Citizens’ Initiative that would enable citizens to put items on the UN’s agenda. The campaign, coordinated under the slogan of “We the Peoples,” was initiated by
Read more →More than 500 political, civil leaders, Nobel Laureates, and pro-democracy institutions have signed an open letter to defend democracy, warning that the freedoms are under threat from governments who are using the crisis to tighten their grip on power. The coronavirus pandemic poses severe threats to democracy. Many governments worldwide have assembled emergency powers that
Read more →The report “Assessment on the State of the Enabling Environment and Capacities of Civil Society against the Guidelines for EU support to Civil Society in Enlargement Region, 2014-2020” for the period 2018-2019 was prepared by a consortia of researchers led by BCSDN. It presents key findings, conclusions, and recommendations concerning the three major areas: a
Read more →The report updates the interim report published in November 2019, and affiliates the main conclusions from the EESC’s high-level Conference on the rule of law, presenting an increasing weakening and stigmatization of civil society in Europe over the last years. Freedom of association, including the right of CSOs to freely conduct their activities and access
Read more →Based on real experiences of Lifeline consortium partners and other CSOs, the guide aims to provide a “menu of options” of various tactics to be used in a difficult or restrictive context. The guide offers inspiring case studies, concrete examples and tools of how civil society can be useful even under significant duress. The guide
Read more →In its submission for the consultation on the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) White Paper, ECNL urged the EC to prioritize public interest, the protection of individual rights and freedoms, non-discrimination, and equal access to resources and participation, as core concerns of any future strategy and regulative framework on AI. While the EC highlights the potential
Read more →The report is part of an ongoing series that examines employment and wages in private, nonprofit establishments in the USA. The report seeks to explain two aspects of the current nonprofit employment scene. The first aspect is the pre-COVID-19 nonprofit workforce realities. Second is the scale of impacts on nonprofit employment of both the enormous
Read more →In the last edition of the Global Standard for CSOs Accountability Newsletter, BCSDN’s member Partners Albania for Change and Development, through the National Resource Centre for Civil Society, has promoted the importance of implementing the Rendir App. The use of this online tool as a self-regulatory mechanism will help increase the transparency and accountability of
Read more →National and international NGOs call on providers of development assistance to maintain support for transparency, accountability, and open government initiatives in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis. They support multilateral and bilateral agencies, foundations, and other funders to review their priorities in response to the pandemic. It is essential to
Read more →The Aid Transparency Index is based on a collection of data published by the respective providers in the International Aid Transparency Initiative. It hosts open live data published voluntarily by more than 1,150 organizations, providing information on organizations’ development and humanitarian activities. The report demonstrates improvement in donors’ overall transparency compared to 2018. The latest
Read more →As the COVID-19 crisis is likely to negatively affect civil society across Europe, primarily through the growing restrictions on civil liberties and the possible subsequent economic hardship, the urgency for better and more comprehensive support has increased. While the newly presented recovery instrument and the revised proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) are
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