News and updates from BCSDN and the region
On 20 December, the European Commission activated what in European Union circles has long been known as “the nuclear option.” The commission, the official “guardian of the European treaties,” charged that the Polish government’s so-called reforms of the judiciary posed a serious threat to basic European values, in particular the rule of law, and proposed
Read more →At the conclusion of International Civil Society Week 2017 (ICSW) on 7 December, more than 700 civil society leaders and activists from over 100 countries have called for climate change to be formally recognised as a primary driver of migration. The call comes just days after Donald Trump announced that he is withdrawing the United
Read more →The General Secretariat of the Government announced a public call for the selection of 16 members of the Council as representatives of civil society. Organizations registered in accordance with the Law on Associations and Foundations may nominate a candidate for a Council member in one of the following areas: civil society development, democracy and rule
Read more →The Secretariat of the Human Rights Council announced that a vacancy of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (HRC resolution 32/32) has arisen following the resignation of the current mandate holder. The new Special Rapporteur is to be appointed at the thirty-seventh session of the Council (26
Read more →There is an increased number and intensity of protests and violations around them in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership region. To ensure that freedom of assembly rights are better understood and advocacy efforts are strengthened, the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) works with local experts from nine countries (Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and
Read more →Before the advent of the internet and social media, governments used different methods to restrict freedom of expression and prevent human rights defenders, opposition political party members and other citizens from expressing views that government did not like. The phenomenon of internet shutdowns came to prominence in Egypt during the Arab Spring when the Egyptian
Read more →Nothing about us without us – this declaration has become a rallying cry for the disability rights movement. It could just as well be a call to arms for participatory grantmaking — the practice of giving more power over philanthropic spending to the people that it is supposed to help. So it’s no accident that
Read more →BCSDN’s Policy and Advocacy Officer – Ms. Biljana Spasovska will be the focal point for the newly created Balkan Sub-region within the CSO Partnership for…
Read more →What substantive contribution has the Berlin Process made to the EU’s approach towards enlargement? How much has it helped to address these issues? Based on an assessment of its track record, what is its perspective in 2018 and beyond, in times of greater uncertainty? How does it relate to the challenges the EU faces both
Read more →In 2017, SIGMA published Monitoring Reports for the seven EU candidate countries and potential candidates, following comprehensive assessments of the six key areas of PAR. The Reports contain short- and medium-term recommendations to help administrations take concrete actions to address some of the most important challenges. The analytical findings and recommendations in the Reports are
Read more →The recently published FT1P handbook by Civic Initiatives is the result of many years of effort in searching for an optimal model of administrative and financial performance of an organization. At the same time, it implies respecting all relevant regulations of the Republic of Serbia and specific donor requirements, as well as effective management of
Read more →How can one technology—social media—simultaneously give rise to hopes for liberation in authoritarian regimes, be used for repression by these same regimes, and be harnessed by antisystem actors in democracy? The authors of the article present a simple framework for reconciling these contradictory developments based on two propositions: 1) that social media give voice to
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