Upcoming TRIALOG activities

TRIALOG is currently planning and organising its upcoming major activities:

Central Training from 24 -25 of April 2012 in Prague
The two days event will be composed of the conference Advancing Beyond 2015 on the first day and the internal exchange between EU12/AC platforms on the second day more

Conference Advancing Beyond 2015: EU12 contributions to a global development framework after the Millennium Development Goals on 24 April 2012 in Prague more

Training of Multipliers 2012 from 23 to 25 May 2012 in Vienna
An additional training module for multipliers in development cooperation to support capacities of EU12 platforms and their members, offered to participants of the previous training cycles in 2010 and 2011.
Deadline for registration 19th March 2012 more

Information provided by TRIALOG

EU12 Advocacy Guide Out Soon!

TRIALOG will publish an advocacy guide in the second half of 2012. The guide will introduce newcomers to the world of lobbying and advocacy, with inspiring examples from EU12 experience. Drawing up an advocacy strategy, choosing target groups, using media, planning a campaign and many more topics will be covered.The guide will be practical and down to earth – it will provide suggestions on how to incorporate advocacy into your organisation’s work.

The special feature of the guide will be successful advocacy examples from new EU member state organisations and NGDO platforms. In order to use the best examples, numerous interviews have been conducted and an online questionnaire sent out to organisations. If you have not yet answered the questionnaire, now is your chance!

TRIALOG believes that reading about a successful advocacy initiative in Slovakia or Malta can inspire Bulgarian and Lithuanian organisations and vice versa. Organisations across EU12 have a lot to learn from each other and that is why it is vital to share our experiences Although advocacy can be very specific to each country situation, there are still many similarities of what works and what does not. Being vague and unclear about your advocacy messages is a “no” in every country and doing follow-up after lobby meetings can always be helpful in achieving your goals. The advocacy and lobby guide will share such practical suggestions.

For more information about the advocacy guide please contact Mirjam Sutrop at atrialog@concordeurope.org

Information provided by Mirjam Sutrop, TRIALOG

TRIALOG Country Paper on Macedonia

TRIALOG has published a new country paper on Macedonia. The main objective of this country papers is to give an overview of the civil society situation of the country that is closer to become European Union member. The document on Macedonia is part of TRIALOG’s country papers on the Western Balkan and follows the two publications on Croatia and Montenegro, which were published in January. TRIALOG would like to thank all organisations and persons that contributed with suggestions and information to this study. The country papers are available on the TRIALOG website or directly:

• Macedonia paper (pdf)
• Croatia paper (pdf)
• Montenegro paper (pdf)

Information provided by TRIALOG

TRIALOG on Facebook

TRIALOG launched its Facebook page. You can find us, like us and post your comments on facebook.com/trialognetwork or access the page via our website

We are looking forward to provide you with fresh information and have an exchange on current topics there.














Information provided by TRIALOG

Serbia - TRIALOG establishes Contacts in the New EU Candidate Country

The European Council agreed on 1st of March 2012 to grant Serbia the status of candidate country. TRIALOG has established first contacts to CSOs in Serbia and for the first time a Serbian NGO – Civic Initiatives – will participate in the TRIALOG Central Training. TRIALOG is looking forward to collaborate with organisations in Serbia to strengthen the work that has already started.

Information provided by Elisa Romero, TRIALOG

Training in Poland on: Public-Private Partnership and effective CSR

15 participants from Polish NGDOs attended at the training on “Public-Private Partnership and effective CSR” organized by Zagranica Group and TRIALOG. The training which took place from 28th to 29th of February 2012 in Warsaw was held by Petra Kreinecker, CEO of the Austrian CSR-Stakeholder-Platform. It started with an introduction into the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility – CSR. As there´s no legal binding definition on European level, the participants looked at the definitions, standards and international concepts - and the existing interests of players and stakeholder implementing CSR.

With the overview of the European CSR-movement and the role of NGOs, the Polish participants received several instruments to act and re-act, taking the holistic CSO-definition of CSR into account.
By analyzing reports of private business and international companies in Poland, the participants could develop their own capacities related to “effective CSR”.

The positive examples of the Austrian Public-Private Partnership projects at the end of the 2days-training, motivated the Polish NGOs to lobby for a Polish programme on national level with the local authorities and companies.

CSR is still a new idea in Poland and companies learn about its importance in their mission besides the profit. Also, the size and income can be a challenging factor for getting involved but hopefully, thanks to trainings like this one, the NGO sector will popularize it. After the training, some participants said there had not been enough positive examples of CSR given which shows there is a lot to do in order to improve the situation and make the business really responsible.

For more information please contact Magdalena Trojanek: magdalena.trojanek@zagranica.org.pl

Information provided by Petra Kreinecker, Austrian CSR-Stakeholder-Platform and Joanna Stiller, Zagranica Group

NGDOs from Visegrad Countries analyse their involvement in the Financial Instruments of the EC and HRBA in official Czech development assistance

FoRS – Czech Forum for Development Cooperation has recently published two papers, providing analyses in areas which have not been previously covered by extensive research in the Czech Republic.

The first one, "The Involvement of Development NGOs from Visegrad Countries in the Financial Instruments of the European Commission", was prepared in the framework of the joint Visegrad Group (V4) project “Contribution of Civil Society to the Visegrad Development Cooperation Effectiveness” to learn more about the involvement of V4 non-governmental development organizations (NGDOs) in the European Commission (EC) financial instruments under Heading 4 of the current financial perspective (more specifically 2007–2010). Reflecting the inputs of the V4 national NGDO platforms (FoRS, HAND, MVRO, Grupa Zagranica), the report presents a relevant overview of the performance of V4 in the EC external action – development cooperation and humanitarian aid – in the period of 2007-2010. The report can be downloaded

The second report, “Human Rights in the Context of Development Cooperation”, reflects to what extent human rights and human rights-based approaches (HRBA) are taken into consideration within the political and legislative framework of the Czech official development assistance. It also contains four case studies of projects implemented by FoRS member organizations, providing an analysis of the use of key human rights-based approaches to development. The paper was financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the European Commission.
The English summary of the document is available here
The full text of the Czech document is available here

Information provided by FoRS - Czech Forum for Development Cooperation

Cooperation between Romanian and Georgian CSOs fostered

During 23rd-24th of February, the Romanian NGDO Platform (FOND) organized a study visit to Tbilisi for its members, aiming at fostering bilateral cooperation between Romanian and Georgian civil society organizations. This initiative was organized with the financial support of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The Romanian delegation also included representatives of the MFA, academia and mass-media.

The study visit was a follow-up of the fourth edition of the Black Sea NGO Forum and consisted of: one-day round table and thematic workshops (on citizen participation, advocacy on child protection and monitoring social policy in the Black Sea Region) and a second day dedicated to visits to local NGOs, the Romanian Embassy to Georgia and the European Union Delegation to Georgia. The Romanian participants had the opportunity to interact with Georgian NGOs and to build links for future joint initiatives and projects. There are many similarities between Romania and Georgia: their common past, as well as many challenges and opportunities – translating the NGOs expertise into policy positions, lack of financial sustainability, media interest, gender policy, cooperation with local authorities, the NGOs capacity to mobilize support and to promote a democratic environment, functioning coalitions and platforms. This initiative was a starting point for a more structured and comprehensive cooperation between NGOs from Romania and Georgia.

The Black Sea NGO Forum is an annual event organized by FOND (since 2008), together with the Romanian MFA, the Representation of the European Commission in Romania and the Black Sea Trust, in order to strengthen the level of dialogue and cooperation among NGOs in the wider Black Sea region, to build links and common projects in the region.

Georgia is one of the priority countries for the Romanian development cooperation policy. Since the EU accession in 2007, Romania has supported projects in Georgia as to foster the social and economic development of the country, including funding for social and educational services, poverty reduction, facilitating civic engagement, assisting the socio-economic integration of displaced persons.

Find more information about the previous editions on the website www.blackseango.org and www.fondromania.org/eng.

For more information please contact Adriaha Zaharia adriana.zaharia@fondromania.org
 
Information provided by Adriana Zaharia, Communication Officer, Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND

Estonia’s Development Cooperation from a Civil Society Perspective

The Estonian Foreign Policy Yearbook 2010 includes an article "Estonia’s development cooperation from a civil society perspective". The piece written by Evelin Andrespok, the Policy Officer of Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation evaluates the progress made during the first five year implementation process of the Estonian national strategy for development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

The article offers the civil society perspective on the successes and shortcomings of implementing the plan. The first part gives an overview of where and how Estonia has been doing development work and the second part discusses the quality of the development activities. The article argues that increased funding for improving the conditions of women and children living in poverty and improvements in aid transparency are great indicators that Estonia’s development cooperation is advancing in a positive direction. However, there is still low political will to deal with this topic and there is also a dire need for improving aid effectiveness by starting qualitative evaluation of aid activities, finding better alternatives to TA and signing bilateral agreements with priority partners.

Read the article here (pdf)

For more information please contact Evelin Andrespok evelin@terveilm.net

Information provided by Evelin Andrespok, Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation

"Europeanization, specialization, or both?" was the topic of a Conference in Olomoucz, Czech Republic

The international conference “Europeanization, specialization, or both?” took place in the Czech Republic from 15th to 17th February 2012. The conference was organized by Palacký University in Olomouc in cooperation with EADI Working Group on Development Aid of the Non-DAC Donors and with the support from TRIALOG.

The main focus of the conference was a reflexion on the outcomes of the interaction between “new” and “old” member states of the European Union in a larger political and societal context. The participants discussed the development cooperation policies of the new member states as well as specificities of their aid, and the influence of the EU development policy on the “newcomers”. Moreover, special attention was paid to the reflection of the development policies in the national and European public opinion, NGO sector, political life and other aspects. In the final part of the conference participants delivered critical assessment of the development policies of the new member states, their effectiveness and current evolution of the EU development policies. The conference was attended by representatives from the NGO sector from EU12 countries, scholars, research institutes as well as representatives from UNDP and the European Commission.

The outcomes of the conference will be summarized in a peer-reviewed monograph, which will be published in 2012.

For further information please contact Petra Krylová petrakrylova@seznam.cz or Ondřej Horký horky@iir.cz

Enclosed picture:

Julius Norvila, Evelin Andrespok and Peterka Timofejevs Henriksson discussing development assistance from Baltic States


Information provided by Petra Krylová, Palacký University in Olomouc

KARAT’s look at Polish development policies

KARAT - a network of about 70 women’s NGOs from Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States aimed to ensure gender equality through monitoring the implementation of international agreements and polices has published the case study “Gender equality in development policies and practices in Poland”.
The study provides information about how Poland implements its commitments to gender equality in development cooperation and formulates recommendations to push for gender equality to be at the centre of the Polish development cooperation. The research was conducted in 2011 which was a significant time to review to what extent the gender and development commitments have been kept. Polish presidency of the EU Council symbolically brought to a close the initial post-accession period, in which the foundations for a stable and functional aid system should have been laid. Unfortunately, the EU and global commitments regarding gender equality are generally neglected in Polish development cooperation.

Read the summary of the report here 

For more information please contact Marta Gontarska marta.gontarska@karat.org.pl

Information provided by Marta Gontarska, KARAT

Mediterranean Migration Network (MMN) promotes regional exchange

The international research centre CARDET and the consultancy firm INNOVADE, have undertaken the role to establish and coordinate the Mediterranean Migration Network (MMN) - in the context of the Action “Establishment of multilateral networks with Mediterranean countries” (Action 7, EIF, 2010).

The network’s aim is to promote collaboration and exchange of good practices among public and private stakeholders that are active in the fields of migration and integration. In addition, MMN will develop a collaborative framework among national and European public services and other relevant stakeholders; develop and manage a database of resources on migration, integration, and diversity; and build the professional capacity of the network’s members through educational material and activities.

Some key activities of the network are:
• Online interaction, networking and e-learning
• Exchange of visits to European Member States
• Monthly teleconferences and/or online meetings among the members of the MMN
• Development of a digital and a print database and library with relevant resources
• Production and dissemination of policy and strategy papers
• Organization of an international conference on migration and integration

For details about the action and on joining the MMN, please visit the network’s website at www.migrationnetwork.org or contact Sotiris Themistokleous sotiris.t@cardet.org

The action is co-funded by the European Integration Fund for Third Country Nationals (75%) and the Republic of Cyprus (25%).

Information provided by Sotiris Themistokleous, Assistant Director of CARDET

Online Development Education Curriculum launched by CARDET

CARDET is proud to announce the launching of the online Development Education Curriculum, developed in the context of the EuropeAid project “Raising Awareness on Development Cooperation”.

The curriculum is in direct alignment with the priorities of the MDG agenda, along with a special focus on gender equality and sub-Saharan Africa. The curriculum is composed of 8 online modules worth 4 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits each and is designed for universities, NGOs, and other organisations that offer formal and informal education on the topic and could incorporate it (or part of it) in their programme. The modules focus on issues related to climate change, poverty eradication, educational for all, fair trade, civic participation, combat of diseases and global partnerships.

The target audience of the curriculum mainly consists of secondary education students, university students, pre-service and in-service teachers, NGO activists, academics, and public servants. The 8 modules are accessible through the project's online learning platform.

Students complete all reading, discussions, activities, and assignments online through the Online Learning Environment (OLE). The environment for each module has been created through the use of Moodle, an open source platform that allows for the creation of OLEs and internet-based courses.

For more information please visit the website www.developmenteducation.org or contact Sotiris Themistokleous sotiris.t@cardet.org

Information provided by Sostiris Themistokleous, Assistant Director, CARDET

Second Phase of the ‘Engage-Do Your Part for Peace’ Project was launched in Cyprus

The “ENGAGE-Do Your Part for Peace” programme is currently being implemented in Cyprus by the Management Centre and the NGO Support Centre, and is supported by the UNDP-Action for Cooperation and Trust (ACT). The programme aims at strengthening the role played by Civil Society in the reconciliation process by increasing policy positions led by CSOs and developing strategic partnerships and networks in both communities.

On 21st February 2012 at the Home for Cooperation, based in the UN Buffer Zone the Engage Programme launched its second phase. During the ceremony the Representatives of the two Leaders of Cyprus and the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the U.N. publically stated their views on the role that Civil Society can play in supporting the on-going negotiations. Their messages were presented to the public via pre-recorded audio visual messages that were recorded by the ENGAGE team.

The importance of the role of Civil Society and NGOs in informing the public about the challenges and opportunities for a comprehensive settlement and bridging the gaps between the two communities was stressed by the officials George Iacovou, Kudret Ozersay and Lisa Buttenheim. Mr. Ozersay commented that: “There is an interdependency which necessitates a level of cooperation on the island which is unavoidable”. Ms. Buttenheim stressed that: “I think that day [of a settlement] Civil Society will have an even more important role…”. Mr. Iacovou added that: “When we do move forward there will be quite a lot of opportunity for civil society and civil society showing by example”.

The ENGAGE team introduced the second phase of the project which includes four innovative informative and active dialogue campaigns and a programme for small scale funding that will further engage NGOs, the wider public and the Media towards the rapprochement of the two main communities in Cyprus. The programme will be running until September 2013 and will follow up on the work that it has been doing over the last two years, building up the process towards peace and reconciliation in Cyprus.

For more information please contact Jale Canlibalik jcanlibalik@mc-med.eu  


Information provided by Jale Canlibalik, The Management Centre

Campaign for the European Parliament Declaration on “Development Education and Global Active Citizenship”

Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Filip Kaczmarek (PL, EPP) proposed a written declaration on "Development education and global active citizenship" , and MEPs Catherine Grèze (FR, Green), Michael Gahler (DE, EPP), Fiona Hall (UK, ALDE) and Maria Badia I Cutchet (ES, S&D) joined him to co-table it. Such declaration is now open for signatures. To enter into force, at least half of the members of the European Parliament need to sign it.

To this end, CONCORD with the support of DEEEP has launched a campaign, to raise the awareness of MEPs, and have them signing the written declaration. A website is at the disposal of MEPs to learn more on development education and awareness raising and on the importance of having responsible citizens.

A campaign team was in Strasbourg on March 12. The team will also be at the European Parliament in April, and a final event is foreseen on May 22, with all the members of CONCORD DARE Forum. Let's make this declaration approved, invite your MEPs to sign it!



For more information, contact Tobias Troll t.troll@deeep.org

In the photo: MEP Kaczmarek and Grèze with the poster of the Campaign

Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP 

PCD – what is the way forward?

On March 5 – 6, 2012 CONCORD organized the third annual seminar on policy coherence for development (PCD). More than 30 participants of the seminar covered a wide spectrum of organizations and backgrounds in PCD – from the countries and platforms that have a considerable experience and work done in the field (e.g. Denmark, Finland, Sweden), to the newcomers to the concept.

During the seminar the information on the recent developments in the EU related to the PCD was shared (context of PCD in Agenda for Change, recent EU 2011 Report on PCD, CONCORD’s report “Spotlight on EU Policy Coherence for Development”) as well as the participants discussed on the institutional mechanisms that might provide for more policy coherence for development on EU level. Some of the issues covered sufficient use of Impact Assessments already carried out by the European Commission; including more PCD responsibility in the hands of the EU delegations in developing countries; increase of resources related to research and human capital, carrying our ex-post evaluations of EU policies and others.

The participants also had meetings on PCD issues in the permanent representations of the respective EU countries as well as participated in the presentation of the research case closely related to PCP “The EU raw materials policy and mining in Rwanda” carried out by Evert Vermeer Foundation.

The participants were determined to keep closely working with the issues of PCD holding to the momentum that is provided currently by the Agenda for Change and looking forward the Council meeting of the EU Development ministers in May.

More information on PCD work at CONCORD:
Blandine Bouniol, Policy Coordinator – Policy Coherence for Development, CONCORD Blandine.Bouniol@concordeurope.org
Laust Gregersen, CONCORD Denmark, Head of PCD Coordination group, CONCORD llg@concorddanmark.dk  


Information provided by Linda Jākobsone, Latvian Platform for Development organizations (LAPAS)

AidWatch activities reloaded

CONCORD Europe held its annual Aidwatch working group seminar in Brussels on 1-3 of February 2012. Aidwatch is one of the flagship activities of CONCORD, the European NGO confederation. The main work of the working group each year is the production of the Aidwatch Report that takes a critical look at the performance of European governments and the European Commission on targets for aid quantity and quality. This year there will be two of them.

The first AidWatch report will be published in the first half of the year covering topics like the quantity of aid, inflated aid methodology and the comparison of aid among the member states. The preparation of the document was discussed during the seminar, which will be the seventh such document this year. The main discussions were around the inflated aid methodology. Some of the elements of aid spending should be subtracted from the total aid expenditure (inflated aid), as those have little or no effect on development. Such issues are debt relief, refugee and students costs that have been for long on the list of inflated aid. Provisions of loans, tied aid by donors as well as climate finance are new to aid methodology. They can be part of the aid methodology as they contribute little to development by delivering little additional benefit for developing countries.

The second AidWatch report will be published around November 2012 and the topic will be the quality of aid and the process of keeping up with the Busan commitments. The organizers of the seminar themed up the following topics: new CSO architecture after Busan, post Busan monitoring, transparency, budget support and EU Agenda for Change (the new vision of the European development policy).

The Aidwatch strategy 2012-2015 was also an important theme to reinforce the policy, advocacy work and to reformulate capacity building and global partnership needs of the working group. A new structure of the AidWatch working group was set up that consists of a small steering group without co-chairs. The second most important body of the group is the advocacy group, where four new EU-12 representatives were invited, Evelin Andrespok (Estonia), Robert Hodosi (Hungary), Ventzislav Kirkov (Bulgaria) and Petra Krylova (Czech Republic). Several task forces will also be established on the basis of needs, such as media task force, inflated aid methodology task force etc. With the new members in advocacy group the EU12 should have better heard voices within the Aidwatch working group.

If you are interested to learn more about what and how European governments are spending their aid for the developing world, you can obtain analysis and statistics at the AidWatch website

Information provided by Robert Hodosi, Member of Aidwatch Working Group and HAND -Hungarian NGDO Platform

Conference on Development and Democracy in Slovakia

The Pontis Foundation and the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of Comenius University in Bratislava are organizing a one-day conference on Development and Democracy: Modern Trends in International Development Cooperation on 3 May 2012 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The conference will focus on the new trends in international development cooperation embedding human rights and democracy in the practice. The aim of the conference is bring together experts, academics, policy makers and representatives of nongovernmental organizations to discuss different concepts and approaches to international development and consider appropriate strategies to foster socioeconomic development and ensure democracy in less developed countries. The conference would like to offer effective, fast and more direct aid in line with the human rights principles and recipients’ needs.

Experts can also submit their papers which will be presented on the conference to the Pontis Foundation until 31 March 2012.

Place of the conference: Congress Hall of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic and Palugyay Palace, Hlboká cesta 2, Bratislava, Slovakia

Please save the date!

For futher information contact Ivana Raslavska: ivana.raslavska@pontisfoundation.sk or Michal Cenker: michal.cenker@pontisfoundation.sk you can also visit the website and read the Call for papers

Information provided by Petra Nagyova, Pontis Foundation

DESS 2012 “Change Lab: New ways of engaging local society in sustainable development”

The Development Education Summer School (DESS) is a week-long capacity building event for practitioners from civil society organizations (CSOs) from EU and non-EU countries working in the field of global/development education and environmental education.

The DESS 2012 is co-organized by Czech Forum for Development Co-operation FoRS and DEEEP. It will take place from 24 June to 30 June 2012 in Legner Hotel Zvánovice near Prague, Czech Republic. Approximately 70 participants from EU and elsewhere will be actively involved in activities/projects/ programmes in DE/AR and deal with specific issues of sustainable development.

The general theme of DESS 2012 is local engagement in sustainable development. Participants will exchange views and learn about ways in which CSOs can address this topic with regard to different target groups. The ultimate aim of DESS 2012 is to improve practice of CSOs. The week-long event crowns a continuous learning process that starts already prior to DESS 2012 through an online forum and continues afterwards in various follow-up activities. DESS 2012 is based on a mixture of methods stressing participants’ work in five working groups aimed at different target groups (New ways of engaging public, Community-based formal education, Non-formal education, Advocacy towards decision makers and authorities, Engaging with the private sector).

You can find more information here or contact Tereza Rejšková: events@fors.cz

Information provided by Tereza Rejšková, Czech Forum for Development Co-operation FoRS 

Humanitarian Congress in Prague

On March 31, 2012, Prague will host the Humanitarian Congress, organized jointly by ADRA Czech Republic, Faculty of Theology, Palacky University Olomouc, People in Need, FoRS, Caritas Czech Republic, Caritas Prague and Médecins Sans Frontières. The theme of the congress will be “Humanitarianism at a Crossroads”.

International experts from various fields are invited to the panels to share their experiences and discuss the development of humanitarian aid. Practitioners and researchers from a multitude of backgrounds will present their experiences and concerns through a series of panel discussions and workshops.

The discussions will cover topics such as: securitization – responsibility to protect; where does all the donors´ money go; climate change, natural disasters and humanitarian action; new technologies, innovations and their impact on humanitarian action and the responsibility and role of media in humanitarian emergencies.

Further information, including the registration form, can be found on the website www.humanitariancongress.com

Information provided by Czech Forum for Development Cooperation FoRS

Seminar on "Code of conduct on images and messages" in Slovenia

Sloga, Slovenian NGDO Platform for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid will organize a seminar "Code of conduct on images and messages" with the support of the DEEEP. The seminar will be held on 17 and 18 April 2012 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

In order to provide a professional and instructive course Sloga will invite an expert from the NGDO Dochas, Ireland where the Code of conduct was finalized. The facilitator of the seminar will be Eilish Dillon who works as the co-ordinator of the MA in Development Studies programme at Kimmage DSC. First day of the seminar she will introduce the Code of Conduct, the second day participants will learn how to apply it.

For more information please contact Dunja Segrt: dunja.segrt@sloga-platform.org

Information provided by Dunja Segrt, Sloga

DRC Summer School on Regional Co-operation

The Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) Vienna, IDResearch Ltd (IDR) Pécs, the University of Pécs and the University of Maribor are organizing the ninth DRC Summer School on Regional Co-operation, 1-8 July 2012 in Maribor, Slovenia “Challenges for the European Union in the Next Decade – A View from the Danube Region” .

The conference aims at enhancing awareness for the significance and possibilities of regional co-operation, discussing and developing strategies for the improvement of co-operation in the region especially among young scientists from countries of the Danube Region and Central Europe.

Workshop items:
1) Migration: Brain Drain and Brain Circulation
2) Environmental and Economic Challenges: A Chance for Sustainable Development?
3) Research and Education: Opportunities to foster (Inter)regional Co-operation
4) EU enlargement: Limits and Chances

Target group: Max. 30 young scientists from the Danube Region and Central Europe, graduates who want to present their research projects to the students of the Summer School in the lectures, interested individuals from regional organisations, public administration and scientific institutions.

The deadline for application is June 5, 2012

Early Bird registration: There is a possibility to register as an ‘Early bird’. If you submit your paper and application form before April 1, 2012, you pay only half (50%) of the registration fee. After the acceptance of your paper the registration (EUR 100.-).

Please find more details on http://www.drcsummerschool.eu/

Source: Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM), www.idm.at

ECAS Master Classes 2012 in Brussels

Following the master classes organised on 1 September on the occasion of our 20th anniversary, ECAS is launching for 2012 a training programme designed to give CSOs, other social economy organisations and private citizens the tools necessary to participate in European policy making.

In April ECAS organises 2 Master classes in Brussels:

• “Making your voice heard with the EU: tips for the would-be European lobbyist” – 24 April 2012

           Download the programme here

• “Finding your way through the labyrinth of EU funding” – 25 April 2012

           Download the programme here

The attendance fee for each master class (VAT included) is: - 60 € for ECAS members - 110 € for non-members - 210 € for public authorities and others (i.e. social businesses) It covers: costs of training, light lunch and coffee break, tips for lobbying and/or fundraising and other material, the certificate of attendance, the list of participants with contacts, presentations and materials of the seminar that will be also send by email after the master class.

We are glad to invite you to register for one or both the Master classes!
Fill in and send the Registration Form to masterclass@ecas.org  

Source: ecas

EADI Prize for Excellence in Development Studies 2012

The European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) invites submissions for the 2012 prize for excellence in development research. The prize, worth €1 000, will be awarded for an essay on an issue of development studies in any field of the social sciences submitted and written by a postgraduate student from an EADI member country or attending a programme at an institutional member of the Association.

For more information please visit the website http://www.eadi.org/training/eadi-for-students/eadi-prize-2012.html

Source: EADI e-newsletter #2/2012 (February)

INTRAC Briefing Paper "The Busan Partnership: implications for civil society"

On 1 December 2011, the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation was adopted at the end of the 4th High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, held in Busan, South Korea. This Partnership opens a new chapter in a process which began almost a decade ago to address falling levels of aid and widespread weaknesses in the aid system.

This short paper offers an overview and analysis of the process leading up to the adoption of the Busan Partnership, the perspectives that fed into the negotiations, the context in which it was played out, what was gained and lost in the final document, and the implications for civil society.

Free download: http://www.intrac.org/resources.php?action=resource&id=727

Source: INTRAC 

TUDEP – a practical Tool for improving the Quality of Development Cooperation

TU Development Effectiveness Profile (TUDEP) is a learning tool meant to support trade unions worldwide in the application of the effectiveness principles in their everyday development cooperation practice developed by the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network in 2010.

The main objective of the TUDEP tool is to contribute to the improvement of the quality and effectiveness of the development cooperation work of trade unions by helping partners to reflect on their practice as well as the principles and values that underpin their work. It also helps to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of the progress in the use of the principles and guidelines for trade union development effectiveness.

TUDEP is based on a questionnaire that is automatically evaluated and analysed in an active excel document. It is designed as a self-assessment tool that can be used by either individual trade union actors or in a collective process of review and reflection. It is meant to be used in a proactive and interactive way, as part of an on-going process of learning and improvement. While TUDEP was elaborated by and for trade unions, it can be used for reflection and inspiration by other development actors as well. It has been created in frame of the Open Forum process on CSO Development Effectiveness.

Visit the TUDEP website

Source: Trade Union Development Cooperation Network

KOPIN is looking for a Project Coordinator

This is a call for the post of Coordinator of KOPIN Malta’s European Refugee Fund co-financed project entitled “Empowerment and Self-reliance of Women Refugees in Malta” (ERF 2011-03).

Successful applicants will be asked to work an average of ten (10) hours per week in the period between 2 April 2012 and 31 June 2013.

Deadline for submitting the letter of interest, together with an updated CV (preferably using the EuroPass format): 20 March 2012

Letter of interest and CV have to be submitted either as electronic copies to Dominik Kalweit dominik.kalweit@kopin.org

Source: KOPIN

Operations Support Adviser - West Africa

The aim of the operational support to country programmes is to increase and sustain the capacity of key country programmes to operate rapidly, at scale, safely and securely, effectively and efficiently. The team has 4 key objectives focusing on: capacity for operational delivery at scale; fundraising and financial management; human resources retention and leadership; and standardised systems for core processes.

Over the last two years Save the Children UK has developed a programme of intense operational support which it has rolled out in a number of country programmes with recognised results in terms of meeting income targets, capacity building of key operations staff, and the overall ability of country programmes to deliver high quality programmes at scale when required.

The team is planning to continue to provide ongoing operational support to these country programmes while taking on additional countries as well as widening the scope of the support offered through a number of different training and capacity building initiatives. In order to assist with this, we are currently recruiting for an Operations Support Adviser (West Africa).

For more information or to apply, please visit consult this link

Information provided by Florence Erb, Save the Children UK