New Policy Digest: Latvian Presidency Priorities for Development Cooperation

In the first half of 2015, Latvia will for the first time hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union (from now on referred to as the ‘presidency’). Holding the presidency means being at the very centre of EU policy making by setting the Council’s agenda for six months.

The priorities of the Latvian Presidency in development cooperation will reflect the Trio Presidency – Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg – joint programme and especially focus on a common and strong position of the EU on the Post-2015 development framework, financing for development issues, gender equality and good governance. The Latvian Presidency also plans to work on closer cooperation of the EU with Eastern Partnership and Central Asian countries.

This policy digest will look at the wider context of the Latvian Presidency, the main topics concerning development cooperation what will be addressed, explain ideas behind LAPAS’ - the Latvian development CSO platform - priority areas during the presidency and identify opportunities for engagement with the Latvian Presidency for CSOs outside Latvia.

Download the Policy Digest here.






Information provided by TRIALOG

TRIALOG Exchange with the Global South: Uganda meets EU13

In November 2014, two Ugandan project partners of Brother and Sister in Need (BSIN)  (Dioceses Innsbruck) – a member organisation of HORIZONT3000 – came to give school workshops on the topic of global development in Austria. TRIALOG approached BSIN to see if the Ugandan partners were interested in introducing their organisations’ work and building up new contacts with organisations in the enlarged EU. They were, and so it came to be that within the TRIALOG Global Exchange activity the two Ugandan colleagues visited development CSOs in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia and Poland.

Mr. Tonny Kyambadde, an agriculture expert working for the Ugandan CARITAS Maddo, and specialised on promotion of sustainable agriculture among small scale rural farmers, was invited to events of the Czech development CSO platform FoRS and its member organisation Glopolis. At a public lecture “Towards Food Sovereignty– Can Africa Feed itself?” Mr. Kyambadde shared his experience in working with local small scale food producers; during a roundtable discussion he engaged with NGO and Ministry of Foreign Affairs representatives on the topic of food security. His journey continued to Latvia, where he was involved in global education activities of the hosting organisation Humana People to People, as well as the development CSO platform LAPAS.

Ms Cissy Nakabugo from the dioceses Kiyinda-Mityana shared her experiences in child rights and social protection with development CSOs and students in Hungary and Poland. She met with Polish teachers who innovatively implement Global Education in kindergartens and preschools and visited six kindergartens herself. As an outcome of this exchange activity the Angelus Silesius House in Wroclaw is looking into opportunities of sending volunteers to work on Ms Nakabugo’s projects in Uganda and some of the kindergartens asked to establish partnerships with Ugandan kindergartens.

Both hosting NGOs from EU13 and the Ugandan guests appreciated the opportunity to meet and describe the exchange as a great learning opportunity.

Photo credits: Demnet, Cissy Nakabugo during a workshop with students in Hungary.

Information provided by Elisa Romero and Mirjam Sutrop, TRIALOG

NGO Networks: Opportunities and Challenges

An exchange of experience:
Together with its lead agency HORIZONT3000, TRIALOG organised an evening to discuss the opportunities and challenges of NGO networks with development practitioners and guests from universities on 27 November 2014.

During the event at the c3 centre for international development in Vienna, questions such as “what is the added value of networks, what indicates a successful NGO network and how can a platform work effectively?” were in focus. The speakers shared experiences from different angles.

Joachim Lindau, former Bread for the World programme director and co-founder of the German NGO platform VENRO, as well as the TRIALOG project, has been active in various networks. He underlined that forming networks is necessary for the political work of NGOs, particularly their joint lobby and advocacy work. “NGO networks are not social movements”, Joachim Lindau explained, “They are convenient alliances”. Small organisations especially benefit from membership of a network. On the other hand platform building and maintenance require financial and human resources from its members. To keep the network alive and relevant, it is indispensable to constantly prove the benefits for its members. It can help to recall why a network was initially formed, re-define objectives and check if the context has changed.

TRIALOG has been supporting the establishment of development NGO platforms in EU13 and their integration in the European NGO confederation CONCORD. It has organised many networking activities where it showed that personal and continuous contacts lead to partnerships of trust and an open culture of learning and knowledge exchange. Elisa Romero of TRIALOG reported that regarding the integration of weaker or smaller members in a network or larger platform, it is important to show solidarity! The newcomers might need some guidance and support to find their roles and spaces to contribute. Also if in financial terms, the weaker members might contribute less to the network, nevertheless their voices must being heard equally loud.

Jakob Mussil is EU Policy Officer at the Austrian development platform and active in various CONCORD working groups. Apart from the external representation, he sees the internal capacity development and experience sharing as an asset of networks. In CONCORD, ideally the wider network benefits from the work of its members (for example lobby towards national governments), while the members benefit from CONCORD’s lobby towards the EU institutions. As a challenge Jakob Mussil identified the active participation of members and the representation of a very diverse group of members. Defining topics that are relevant to a big group of members and setting up effective ways of working together has to be constan
tly reviewed using participatory methods.

In the discussion that followed, it was said that pluralism of membership is both an opportunity and a challenge for networks and if a classic platform is the best way to work or if a loose network would better serve certain objectives. Finally it was found that an enabling environment for CSOs is the necessary basis for a strong and effective contribution to development cooperation. NGOs in countries with financial instability often lack personal resources and consequently have lower impact both on lobby and advocacy, as well as in their role as development actors.

During the event, the booklet “TRIALOG in the enlarged EU: 15 years supporting civil society to engage in development” and a short film were launched. The booklet is a journey through the TRIALOG experience from its beginning to the fifth project phase, starting in 2012. It provides insights into the context in which the project was embedded. Project activities are described and analysed according to the three main areas of TRIALOG’s work: “European Integration of Development CSOs from the Enlarged EU”, “Platform Building Support” and “Capacity Building for Development CSOs”. A special focus looks at the contribution of TRIALOG to “Networking”, “Learning and Empowerment” and “Advocacy” in EU13. At the end of this journey you will find the lessons learnt and case studies from EU13 development NGO platforms.

The booklet and the film are available on the TRIALOG website.

Photo credits: TRIALOG, participants of the event NGO Networks: Chances and Challenges.

Information provided by Elisa Romero, TRIALOG

From Membership based Network to Ideas Community: 10 Years of Development Cooperation Platform in Latvia

On January 8, Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation LAPAS celebrated its 10 years anniversary and the launch of Latvia's Presidency in the EU Council.

Celebrating its 10 year anniversary, LAPAS has announced its transformation from membership based network to ideas community. Supporting the new paradigm of development, any person and any organisation aiming at changing the world towards more sustainable development are welcome to become member or friend of LAPAS.
 To reinforce the new approach and also the EU Presidency priority - glocalisation - LAPAS has also changed the visual identity of the platform. The new symbol of LAPAS is the sign of the Latvian ancient goddess Laima (Happiness) and symbolises local solutions to global problems as a key towards development.

For the EU Presidency launch, instead of formal presentations, LAPAS chose to show the movie „The Economics of Happiness” (see www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org) that gives a glance on LAPAS perspective to development priorities.
Please find the full text of LAPAS Presidency Manifesto “Ideals at Work” here.

LAPAS thanks all members, ex-members, ex-directors and partners, guests from platforms and NGOs from Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Finland, Ireland, Germany, GCAP, Beyond 2015 and Action 2015 campaigns, and especially CONCORD director Seamus Jefferson and EP DEVE Committee chair Linda McAvan for their participation. Find happy pictures of happy people on our Facebook Page LAPAS_LV.

Information provided by Inese Vaivare, LAPAS

News from the Slovak NGDO Platform

Global Education Week 2014 in Slovakia: Food Security Edition 
A Europe-wide Global Education Week took place from 15th and 23rd November 2014. The topic discussed during this year’s events was food security, sovereignty and self-sufficiency. Slovak edition of the Global Education Week encompassed a number of interesting activities. University lectures were delivered by a renowned analytic of global challenges Juraj Mesík, along with food sovereignty academic Katarína Juríková. The Slovak NGDO Platform that organized the Week in Slovakia also cooperated with Adela Banášová, a fan favourite of Slovak TV and radio audiences, in preparing a panel discussion debating local grown initiatives spreading the ideas of food sovereignty.
On 22nd November a group of around 40 people went for a public critical mass bike-ride with check points at the most important local food markets in the city of Bratislava. The bike-ride ended in the biggest and oldest interior marketplace in the city – Stará tržnica, which has been revived only in the recent years by local activists. Thereafter the final discussion with local farmers took place. Other interesting discussions, film screenings, workshops and debates took place in different regions of the country organised for students and wider public, most of all spreading one particularly important message: ŽI FÉR (for a fair and just world).

Photo credits: Slovak NGDO Platform. Participants of the bike-ride.

Pre-Christmas Breakfast with Journalists 
On 11th December 2014 The Slovak NGDO Platform organised breakfast for journalists. The event was organised to introduce the upcoming European Development Year 2015 and present its aims and main topics that will be discussed. The Slovak NDGO Platform informed about prepared activities within the EYD 2015 and presented the opportunities for journalists, including the possibility to apply for a field trip to African or Asian countries. The Platform presented European AidWatch report launched in Paris in November 2014,
as well as the Slovak AidWatch report for the previous year. One of the important areas discussed during the European Year for Development will be policy coherence for development and the campaign of the Platform ŽI FÉR for a life in a fairer world. The Slovak NDGO Platform presented a publication prepared for the media and for NGOs entitled “When one hand gives and the other one takes back”. The brochure focuses on several issues related to the policy coherence for development. Around 14 journalists attended the breakfast. Some of them did interviews on spot and published media outcomes. The Platform hopes to strengthen the cooperation with them during 2015, the European Year for Development.


Information provided by Andrea Girmanova, Slovak NGDO Platform

News from the Slovenian Development NGO Platform SLOGA

With a workshop on campaigning, SLOGA and its members prepared for their activities during the European Year for Development 2015. A handbook for NGO cooperation with the media was published and training on private sector in development cooperation was organised for the platform members. On policy level the platform published a new AidWatch and participated in discussions on the the post-2015 process with international CSOs.

Training on the role of private sector in development cooperation
As part of the project WorldWise Europe, where SLOGA is partner, training on the role of private sector in development cooperation was organised in early December 2014. The participants were familiarised with the context of private sector in development cooperation and different initiatives and guidelines on global and European level. They furthermore learned about the role of the European Investment Bank and public-private partnerships. The day was concluded with examples of campaigns on the topic of the role of private sector in development. The second day was focused on strengthening the capacity of organisations and the planning of future activities within the project.

Workshop on campaigning for EYD2015
SLOGA, with the support of TRIALOG, invited Matthias Schickhofer, an independent consultant and expert in the field of campaigning and communications, who has been working at Greenpeace for 17 years, to hold a workshop in Slovenia in November 2014. Matthias Schickhofer presented the basics of campaign management, illustrating theory with practical examples of successful campaigns. The participants then discussed campaign possibilities for the European Year of Development 2015. They identified key messages that would be transmitted by NGDOs to the wider public, thought of events and communication through social networks and media. Skills acquired during the training will represent a great foundation for future activities of Slovenian NGOs.

New Slovenian AidWatch Report 
SLOGA’s review on international development cooperation of Slovenia in 2013 concludes that Slovenian development aid is stagnating since 2010. Based on the review, recommendations for the Government of Slovenia have been prepared: increasing bilateral Official Development Assistance that will focus on reduction of poverty and improving level of implementation of human rights, better coordination within and among sectors, addressing the role of private sector in development, committing to reform development aid and comprehensive new strategic documents.

Opportunities for NGOs within Horizon 2020
In November 2014, SLOGA Platform organised a presentation of the program Horizon 2020 and the funding opportunities it offers for NGO projects. The program was presented by the national coordinator Peter Volasko and contact persons for particular fields of the program from the Slovenian Ministry for Education, Science and Sport. NGOs are as well eligible for co-financing projects in their full amount. Representatives of the Ministry emphasised that a new feature of the project is its focus on society challenges and that is certainly an opportunity for NGOs.

How to be heard? Handbook for NGO cooperation with the media
Within the project “World-Wise Europe”, SLOGA Platform prepared a handbook for NGO cooperation with the media. The handbook that was prepared and edited by Ana Kalin and Iva Likar, is a result of existing practice of media relations in the development sector. It suggests improvement possibilities that might boost understanding of development issues. In its conclusion, the handbook opens questions that NGOs will need to address in the near future. The hand book can be downloaded in Slovenian language here.

Representatives of civil society discussed SDGs in Copenhagen
On November 13−14, 2014 Copenhagen hosted 170 representatives of civil society from 46 countries at the Beyond 2015 Copenhagen CSO Conference. Conference participants discussed about the progress in creating the post-2015 agenda with an aim to influence the concluding phase of negotiations and ensuring that the governments will commit to an ambitious, transformative agenda that will address key challenges of the present time – inequality, environmental sustainability, eradication of poverty, human right, peace and security and participation. The Conference was attended by the representatives of associations “Food for Life”, “Zavod Povod” and SLOGA’s secretariat.

Photo credits: SLOGA, participants during the Horizon 2020 presentation.

Information provided by Adriana Aralica, SLOGA

Hungary, but…

There has been some good Hungarian international development related news lately. But…
At the end of 2014 the first ever law on international development cooperation was accepted in Hungary! Great. Now there is the new law but it lacks nearly all of the progressive elements lobbied for by NGDOs and academic experts over a long period of time.

It was officially proposed to have 380 million HUF as the MFA’s own bilateral budget for development and humanitarian issues for 2015, a more than doubling of the 2013 sum. But in the national budget for 2015, only 23,7 million HUF (approx. 75.000 EUR) was secured for this purpose, and additionally many verbal promises for much more money if need.

ODA is still growing, hopefully, but it is yet to be seen how the decided move for more bilateral aid is to be achieved – in 2013 it was 26,5% bilateral, the rest multilateral, quite the opposite to OECD average.

On 5th of January 2015 Hungary’s president, Mr Ader, announced that a new Directorate for Environmental Sustainability is opened at the Office of the President and is going to be led by H.E. Kőrösi, who is probably the most successful Hungarian diplomat lately. He was Co-chair of the UN Open Working Group on SDGs conducting an exemplary work. But Mr Ader also signed a new law taxing solar panels (more anti-renewable energy taxes are foreseen), and this Directorate’s work is said to be for international affairs, whilst national environmental governance (and with it, sustainability practices), has been demoted several times during the recent and the previous governments. From a separate Ministry of Environment and Water until 2010, today Hungary only has a State Secretariat responsible for the agricultural developments and the “hungaricums” and the environment at the same time.

From 1st of February, there will be a Hungarian, Mr Juhász in a top UN role, as Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change, but… well, there is no „but” here, hurray!

Hungarian Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change here.

For more info please contact Peter Rohonyi at peter.rohonyi@hand.org.hu


Information provided by Peter Rohonyi, HAND

Join the Civil Society Alliance for European Year for Development

“CONCORD is looking to build a broad Civil Society Alliance for a successful EYD2015 – be part of it!” This is the call to action from CONCORD Director – Seamus Jeffreson.

In one of his recent blog posts, he outlines the aims of objectives of this Civil Society Alliance (CSA). Among others, the Alliance “will use the European Year 2015 for Development as an opportunity to foster critical discussions on and engagement for global justice among the citizens of the European Union, involving different stakeholders in the discussion beyond the usual development sector.”

Last week in Alliance was launched in Brussels. Led by CONCORD – the European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development – the Alliance will involve organisations from various sectors. Organisations are invited to join by adhering to a Charter of Values of the Alliance and filling in a form. The Alliance will organise pan-European activities during 2015 and collect and cluster citizens' input and propose policy recommendations to EU and national institutions.

The Civil Society Alliance also has a sub-granting mechanism available for organisations who want to contribute to the realisation of the objectives the European Year for Development. More info about joining the Alliance can be found here.


Information provided by TRIALOG

Food Security Workshop in Schools in Malta

As part of the Global Education Week, organised in the frame of the North-South centre of the Council of Europe at St Margaret College Boys’ Secondary, Kopin’s team implemented a number of different activities on the topics of food and food security for 10 to 12 year-old children.

The event took place on the 8th of January 2015 and saw the participation of about 100 between Primary and Secondary school students. The event started with a food-related quiz. After that, Kopin’s team provided the students with some basic information on food security and food waste, in order to introduce a quiz about the origin of different food products, with the aim to help them realise that the things they eat come from many different countries, which often suffer food insecurity. Afterwards, we had a game called the “String Game”, by which the students were made to think about global markets and dependencies. The children were divided into groups and given different roles of actors in the global trade of chocolate. Each group was given a ball of string, with which the children were asked to connect the actors they would think would be connected. By imagining a drought in Ivory Coast and a disease in Brazil the children were asked to think about the consequences for the global market when one instance is affected. In the end there was a discussion, in which the students could explain what they had learned through the activities. The children learned a lot and enjoyed themselves.

For more information please contact KOPIN at info@kopin.org


Article provided by Jennifer-Louise Robinson, Intern at KOPIN 

Towards a World Citizens’ Movement: Short conference report and video is out

DEEEP project has published a short report and a video mapping the process of building a world citizens movement that took place in second Global Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. Both the report and the video capture the main objectives and outcomes of this unique meeting that connected various civil society actors and activists from across the world.

The conference “Towards a world citizens’ movement: learning from the grassroots” was focused on supporting the emergence of a world citizens’ movement and provided a space for mutual learning. More than 200 activists and civil society actors me
t in Johannesburg in order to learn from each other’s experience, to strengthen cooperation and exchange ideas and practices among grassroots-level organisations. The ideas of how to bring a social change have been discussed and the action proposals for the future have been set up. The first General Assembly of Action/2015, an umbrella campaign aiming to connect the Civil Society sector around the year 2015 and take joint actions, took place there, too.

Information provided by DEEEP

The Council of the European Union conclusions on a transformative post-2015 agenda

In December 2014, the Council of the European Union adopted its conclusions on a transformative post-2015 agenda. “The Council reaffirms the vision and priorities of the EU and its Member States as set out in its Conclusions of June 2013 and emphasises that poverty eradication and sustainable development are mutually reinforcing and intrinsically linked.”
Among others, the document also highlights the fact that “strengthening civil society and ensuring an enabling environment for civil society actors is essential.”

The document is available here.

Source: Council of the European Union

Eurobarometer: The European Year for Development – Citizens’ views on development, cooperation and aid

Helping people in developing countries is considered important by 85% of Europeans according to this Eurobarometer survey. It shows that, overall, attitudes towards development and cooperation are positive. In spite of continuing economic uncertainty across the EU, there is strong support for increasing development aid in almost all Member States.

In addition, most respondents agree not only that helping developing countries should be one of the EU’s main priorities, but also that doing so would benefit Europeans and that providing aid is in the EU’s own interest. 2015, the European Year for Development, will be an important opportunity for the EU to build on this and inform citizens of the development challenges lying ahead, engaging in a debate with them.

Some interesting findings from the survey that highlight the opinions of citizens from EU13 countries – the countries that have joined the EU since 2004, TRIALOG partner countries – are the following:
• Awareness about the 2015 as the European Year for Development is the highest in Hungary (24%), Lithuania (22%), Italy, Malta and Latvia (21%), but lowest in Czech Republic (7%).
• Tackling poverty in developing countries as one of the main priorities of the EU and national governments: Respondents in Croatia, Cyprus, Sweden and Malta are among the most likely to agree, at the same time, they are the ones most likely to say it is important to help people in developing countries. Estonia and Slovakia are the only Member States where fewer than 50% agree that tackling poverty in developing countries should be one of the main priorities of the EU.
• A majority of respondents in every Member State, except in Bulgaria, agree that aid should be increased.
• Tackling poverty in developing countries is seen as a moral obligation with the highest numbers in Cyprus (91%) and Croatia (89%), meanwhile the lowest figures are shown amongst respondents in Estonia (57%), the Czech Republic (60%) and Slovakia (63%).
• On volunteering in organisations one in five respondents in the EU agree that it helps developing countries, most strikingly in Cyprus (40%). Respondents in Hungary are the least likely to say volunteering is effective, but even so, at 58% they still represent the majority.
• Personal commitment to and involvement in development: On the role of individuals in tackling poverty there is a wide diversity of opinions across Member States. In Bulgaria (72%) and Estonia (71%) respondents disagree with the statement that as individuals they can play a role in tackling poverty. Within EU13 respondents, in Cyprus, Malta and Romania they are more likely to agree with the statement.

Find more insights from the full servey here.
Read your country factsheet, available here.



Information provided by TRIALOG, based on ECDPM - European Centre for Development Policy Management

Regional Workshop on EU Aid Volunteers Initiative: Ljubljana, 26 January 2015

As part of the Slovenian Development Days, organised by the Slovenian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and SLOGA Platform, a Regional Workshop will be held on the topic of EU Aid Volunteers Initiative on 26 January 2015.

Representatives of the MFAs and humanitarian NGOs from Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and the Latvian Presidency of the EU Council will meet with an expert from DG ECHO to discuss the following topics:
(-) EU Aid Volunteers Initiative in general and lessons learnt from pilot projects;
(-) Upcoming call for proposals for capacity building and technical assistance;
(-) Eligibility criteria for certified organisations; and
(-) Capacity building opportunities.

The workshop will also present an opportunity to exchange view and experiences from pilot projects, search for future partnerships and liaise with ECHO.

For more information please see the invitation and the programme.


Information provided by SLOGA

Save the date: Third Humanitarian Congress in Vienna - "Humanitarian Aid under Fire"

One of the key aims of the Humanitarian Congress Vienna on 6th of March 2015 is to increase the visibility of humanitarian work. A second aim is to raise awareness among decision makers for the relevance of humanitarian aid and cooperation, both at the national, the European and international level. The Congress brings together experts from medical, humanitarian and international organisations, politics, media as well as a large number of students from different areas of study. Registration is open until 28 February.

More information is available here.

Source: AG Globale Verantwortung Newsletter

Call for papers: Development 2.0 or "Business as usual"? Private Sector, Institutions and Development

Location: University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Dates: 24, 25 and 26 June 2015

Both junior and senior researchers are invited to submit their contributions to the summer school. Contributions from different disciplines examining the role of private sector for development and how this role is mediated by institutions will be given priority, although contributions covering other topics will be considered as well.

A non-restrictive list of topics dealt with during the conference:
• Agricultural and food value chains: improving the lives of small-scale producers?
• Extractive industries and communities: corporate social responsibility and local development
• Certification and standards: tools for poverty reduction?
• Small and medium enterprises & industrial clusters in developing countries
• Private sector development
• Labour standards in global value chains
• South-South integration and the spill-overs on the private sector
• Aid for trade and global value chains

Deadline for submissions: 16th of March 2015.
More information on the conference and criteria for submissions can be accessed here.

Source: University of Antwerp

Protecting Civil Society’s Role in Development Co-operation

In an article published by the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness in cooperation with the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation, Virginie Coulloudon from Transparency International looks at the role of CSOs in Development Co-operation. She talks about the role of transparency and accountability in relation to development co-operation and she highlights the fact that “CSOs also help monitor the laws that they worked to have passed, with people coming together to make sure rights are not abused and laws are obeyed. Civil society plays a part in monitoring the activities of private sector entities, for example bringing up instances of illegal pollution and human rights abuses, creating accountability when needed.”

Please click here to read the full article.

Source: CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness

The Dawn of the Post-MDG Era? Challenges for Africa - EU Relations in 2015

The year 2015 will be a threshold year for international cooperation and global development, with both Europe and Africa in positions to play pivotal roles. Long-running global policy processes will culminate in four decisive meetings during the year, two of them in Africa, one in Europe and one in New York at the United Nations (UN).

In this context, the ECDPM’s annual Challenges Paper explores questions such as: are leaders ready for the Post-2015 world? Can the African Union speak with one voice and ensure the SDGs are a stepping-stone for its ambitious Agenda 2063? Are development partners ready for cooperation that leaves no one behind? Are both developed and developing countries ready to take action that ensures necessary and equitable growth without irreversible damage to our climate for future generations? The aim of this Paper is not to predict outcomes, but to situate debates that concern Africa-EU relations so as to facilitate as wide a stakeholder engagement as possible.

The Paper can be downloaded here.


Source: ECDPM - European Centre for Development Policy Management

Report on Donors Strategies and Practices paints a Bleak Picture on how Civil Society is supported in Balkan Countries

The first in-depth report “Donor Strategies and Practices for Supporting Civil Society in the Western Balkans” developed by BCSDN and Queen Mary University of London research and academic team uncovers basic elements and principles on which support to civil society by foreign donors rests and which need to be challenged to strengthen the potential and role civil society has in current Balkan societies.

The report also presents a set of conclusions and offers a series of recommendations in light of the broader political context in the region, including the need to challenge dominance of instrumentalised approach to civil society support, inclusion of civil society actors in planning and designing aid modalities, and tackling transparency and accountability of state funding for civil society as an important and long term source of support.

The full report is available for download at this link.


Source: Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN)

Financing the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals: a rough roadmap

Looking ahead to major UN-hosted international meetings on development finance in 2015 and beyond, this report for officials, advisors, and commentators aims to shape the agenda. It builds on a large body of recent literature on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should best be framed, delivered and, in particular, funded, focusing on developing countries. The paper was published by the Overseas Development Institute and is available for download here.















Source: Overseas Development Institute

Capacity development opportunities in DEAR Sector for 2015

DEEEP project has opened a call for proposals for projects which aim is to address capacity development needs within the DEAR sector. Through sub-granting mechanisms DEEEP would like to support Development Education and Awareness Raising activities on local, regional or European level. The main goal is to give an opportunity to organisations that are part of CONCORD DARE Forum to implement new strategies, to improve the cooperation within the teams, to put in practice new approaches and address specific capacity development needs.

Applicants can submit proposals in two categories, for either national seminars or capacity development projects. The activities proposed will have to be implemented in 2015. All the materials and background documents as well as details on application and evaluation process can be found on DEEEP’s website.

Deadline for application is 2nd February 2015.
 For further information please contact DEEEP Capacity Development Officer Luciana Almeida at luciana.almeida@concordeurope.org 


Information provided by DEEEP

European Youth Foundation – Grants for International Youth Activities

The European Youth Foundation (EYF) is a fund established by the Council of Europe to provide financial support for European youth activities. The EYF provides financial support to the following types of activity undertaken by youth NGOs or networks, or by other NGOs involved in the areas of youth work relevant to the Council of Europe’s youth policies and work:
• educational, social, cultural and humanitarian activities of a European character;
• activities aiming at strengthening peace and co-operation in Europe;
• activities designed to promote closer co-operation and better understanding among young people in Europe, particularly by developing the exchange of information;
• activities intended to stimulate mutual aid in Europe and in the developing countries for cultural, educational and social purposes;
• studies, research and documentation on youth matters.

The next EYF deadline is 1 April, 2015. For more information on the funding criteria and application procedure, click here.

Source: Mladiinfo