The European Endowment for Democracy after Lift-off: Opinions and Expectations

A recently published paper by the Institute of Public Affairs in Poland presents a brief overview of the origins of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) and the state of play almost one year after it was established.

 The paper also offers an analysis of the expectations and the challenges that arise from these expectations among two groups who engage in democracy support: donors and beneficiaries. The long-term discussions and promotional activities done when the Polish EU Presidency and other actors were seeking support for the new initiative have resulted in great expectations in the beneficiary countries, and the establishment of the EED was connected to criticism towards current EU institutions of their bureaucratic and slow procedures, the report states. This resulted in greater demands on the new institution, which was created in opposition to existing mechanisms. These expectations constitute a significant challenge for the EED, especially in a situation when its resources are rather limited in comparison to the existing mechanisms.

Download the paper here (PDF).


Source: Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) Email Alerts nr. 286 from 1.2.2014

Results in Advocacy: Course for Development Organisations

Pamoja is organising an exciting advocacy evaluation training course, 'Results in Advocacy', which is designed to assist participants to better demonstrate results in advocacy. The course will be delivered in English and held in Central London at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) on the 22nd and 23rd May 2014.

‘Results in Advocacy’ has been designed specifically for development organisations, and already has an acclaimed portfolio of interna
tional alumni, including members of Save the Children, Oxfam, Action Aid, Sightsavers International, Plan International and Water Aid. Over two days this new course takes participants on a journey through the advocacy evaluation landscape.

The course begins by highlighting the unique challenges faced in advocacy evaluation, supporting participants to understand which approaches, methods and tools will work best for their contexts. Learn how to get the best from theory of change processes in advocacy evaluation and learn the key steps in Process Tracing, a rigorous non-experimental advocacy impact assessment approach.

Find here a comprehensive overview of the training course.
Please see also www.pamoja.uk.com/training for more information, or alternatively contact Stephen Hunt at info@pamoja.uk.com if you have any further questions.


Information provided by Stephen Hunt, Pamoja

EEA and Norway Grants – Opportunities for European NGOs

The new CONCORD Director Seamus Jeffreson and Soledad Briones from the Concord Secretariat met with representatives from the EEA (European Economic Area) and Norway Grants. The goal of this meeting was to better understand their project and identify possibilities for CONCORD member to access to these grants.

In the funding period (2009-2014) around €147 million is on offer to NGO programmes in 15 countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

NGOs are also eligible for funding under many of other thematic EEA and Norway Grants programmes, such as mainstreaming gender equality, promoting work-life balance, environmental protection and climate change, health and youth. The NGO programmes channel funding to support activities at the heart of NGOs mandate, such as fostering active citizenship, advocacy, watchdog and monitoring activities. A specific focus is placed on ensuring capacity building of sector itself.

There are currently 44 ongoing calls, see here. 
More information on the EEA webiste.  


Source: CONCORD Member to Member newsletter from 28th of January 2014

Fair Trade Coalition Poland: Join DEAR projects

Foundation of the "Fair Trade Coalition" (Poland) is interested in joining DEAR project consortia as associate or sub grantee. In the current EC NSA LA DEAR call, a good moment to step in will be during the elaboration of the full proposal.

More information here and see tje coalition website.
  
Information provided by TRIALOG

Human Rights Watch: World Report 2014

World Report 2014 is Human Rights Watch’s 24th annual review of human rights practices around the globe. It summarises key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide, drawing on events through November 2013.


Download the report from their website.

Photo: Cover of the Human Rights Watch report.





Source: Human Rights Watch   

How to use the Children's Rights and Business Principles: A Guide for Civil Society Organizations

Save the Children Sweden published "How to use the Children's Rights and Business Principles: A Guide for Civil Society Organizations".
This Guide is written for civil society organizations that use or wish to use the Children’s Rights and Business Principles to engage with businesses in monitoring, enforcing and advancing children’s rights. To give a broad perspective on the ways that civil society might seek to work with companies, organizations’ diverse missions, goals and methods of working are taken into account. As a result, this Guide can be used by a wide range of civil society actors in considering, developing and reviewing their approaches to and relationships with business entities.


Download the guide from here.




Source: Save the Children Sweden

Author to design online course on “Minority needs in Local governance and planning”

Minority Rights Group Europe (MRG), a Budapest-based NGO is seeking to engage an author to design 6 weeks interactive training curriculum content on raising awareness of LAs representatives in addressing minority needs. The training will be part of an EC-funded programme in the Eastern Partnership (EaP countries, especially Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) that aims at increased capacities and networking between minority activists and organisations.


More information here (pdf) and on the MRG website: http://www.minorityrights.org/




Information provided by MRG 

European Center for Not-for-Profit Law: Senior Legal Advisor

The European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) is currently seeking a Senior Legal Advisor to join its team in Budapest. ECNL is the leading European research and policy center promoting the strengthening of a supportive legal environment for civil society. Over the past 10 years, ECNL has demonstrated deep commitment to empower local partners to lead reforms, and has contributed to the development of over 6o laws and policies supporting civil society organizations (CSOs). ECNL is the European affiliate of the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law.

Main duties and responsibilities
By joining ECNL, the senior legal advisor will become part of an international network of CSO lawyers working on issues such as: framework laws for CSOs; policies and laws for CSO sustainability; models for CSO-Government partnerships; participation and policy dialogue; and counter-terrorism initiatives affecting CSOs. The Senior Legal Advisor will engage in legislative processes affecting CSOs in the developing countries and will work closely with the Executive Director on initiatives at a European level. S/he will help build capacity of local partners, research frameworks and practices that support or impede CSO work, help develop advocacy strategies. S/he will also participate in ECNL’s work to promote CSO development effectiveness and will engage in initiatives at the EU and UN level affecting freedom of association and assembly.
The position requires intensive travel.
Apply until 24th of February 2014.
More information: please see pdf and online.



Information provided by Andrea Judit Toth, European Center for Not-for-Profit Law

2014: New Plans, Vision and Fresh Inspiration

We hope you had a great start to 2014, which will hopefully be a visionary and inspirational one.

In the TRIALOG team we welcome back Rebecca Steel-Jasińska as Liaison Officer after one year of maternity leave. She returned to our Brussels office at the beginning of January and is working in close collaboration with the CONCORD secretariat, with which TRIALOG shares the premises. Rebecca will coordinate the Study Visit to Brussels for EU13 participants and the Policy Digests, which are elaborated with the Liaison Officers of the EU13 NGDO platforms. Six editions are planned in 2014 with the first one on the European Elections to be published in February. Watch out for it!

We say a big “Thank You” to our dear colleague Mirjam Sutrop who performed the role of Liaison Officer last year and was in the TRIALOG team as Junior Liaison Officer from January 2012. Mirjam’s dedication, her excellent and professional work and her open mind contributed significantly to the support of EU13 NGDO platforms. We wish Mirjam all the best and hope our paths will cross again soon.

In 2014, we will continue to look back at the long experience of TRIALOG through the lens of the systematisation process which will come to an end in the summer. It will also be a year where vision and creativity will be required to design our activities such as the Training of Multipliers and the Study Visit to Brussels. Already in February, the Liaison Officers of the EU13 platforms will come to Vienna for the three day Training of Multipliers, where they will exchange and elaborate communication strategies especially in view of the EP elections 2014. The Study Visit to Brussels will take place in early March and focus on Development Effectiveness. The EU13 platforms are already working hard on their capacity building activities for 2014 and we are excited to hear about their plans!

We are looking forward to a new year full of joint efforts to build a more just and peaceful world.

To stay in touch closer and share fresh information, you can also follow TRIALOG on Twitter now: @TRIALOG or via the icon on our website.

The TRIALOG Team

News from the Slovak NGDO Platform

The Slovak NGDO Platform: Successes and challenges over the last 10 years
At the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Slovak NGDO Platform, all its milestones were put together in a brochure which presents to the public the achievements of the last 10 years. The brochure entitled 10 years of the Slovak NGDO Platform: From Aid to Policy Coherence for Development also presents the evolution of its activities such as the Development Day, the Development Cooperation Magazine, the photo contest as well as the new campaign Live Fairly for the life in the fairer world. The brochure is available here or via www.mvro.sk.
It also includes information lists of the member organisations of the Platform (available here). The brochure was produced by the Slovak NGDO Platform thanks to the financial contribution of the European Commission and SlovakAid within the project V4 Aid – Common Support for Millennium Development Goals.

Slovak journalists in the field
By the end of 2013 the Slovak NGDO Platform in cooperation with its member PDCS supported several field trips of representatives of selected Slovak media to Burkina Faso, Cambodia and South Sudan. Editors, cameramen and documentary directors working with TV stations, print media or as freelancers were given a chance to get on-hand experience from life in those countries and meet the locals. Upon return they have made various articles and reportages on the current issues of the countries visited as well as policy coherence for development related topics. Media coverage from their trips that were presented to the Slovak public by the Economist Daily, RTVS and TV JOJ can be found at the website of the Platform here. The field trips of the journalists were financially supported by the European Commission and SlovakAid within the frames of the projects World-Wise Europe: A more coherent Europe for a fairer World and V4 Aid – Common Support for Millennium Development Goals.

A seminar on Policy Coherence for Development
On 18th December 2013 the Slovak NGDO Platform organized a seminar on PCD: How to ensure coherence of non-development policies with development cooperation objectives. The lecturer from Glopolis, a Czech organisation with expertise on PCD, introduced to the Platform members and decision makers the concept of policy coherence for development, its principles and pointed out concrete incoherent policies and their impact on developing countries. The second part concentrated on showing the examples of advocacy of European biofuels policy and climate financing. SDI, a Platform member, presented their advocacy achievements related to migration within the frame of the project CoMiDe. The seminar took place as part of the project World-Wise Europe: A more coherent Europe for a fairer World supported by the European Commission and SlovakAid.


Information provided by Andrea Girmanova, The Slovak NGDO Platform
 

Effectiveness of Hungarian CSOs in the Field of International Development Cooperation

Short summary of the findings of the research project commissioned by HAND.

As a first step for engaging in the international processes and discourses on the effectiveness of development cooperation - particularly of NGOs, the Hungarian NGO platform HAND initiated a research project on the topic. The aim of the project was to assess the current concepts and practices of Hungarian NGOs to ensure that they bring about the positive social change they ultimately strive for during their work. In the framework of the project a survey was carried out on Civil Society Organisations (CSO) effectiveness among 19 Hungarian NGOs and its findings were summarised and published in the form of a study in October 2013. The survey was based on interviews conducted with NGOs and government officials. Focus areas of the research were: identifying the opinions and concepts related to the NGO’s own effectiveness, their knowledge about international initiatives, mainly the Istanbul Principles of the Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness, their notions and perception on factors of the so called enabling environment and how all these are reflected in their everyday work.

Survey findings show that in Hungary addressing the issues of CSO development effectiveness happens only sporadically and mainly at the level of the individual organisations and none of the Hungarian or international initiatives around effective CSO work are widely known, accepted or adopted. In this way only few Hungarian NGOs are well versed in or even familiar with the Istanbul Principles however all of them more or less consciously try to live up to certain internal organisational principles, which are very much in line with some of the Istanbul Principles. Experienced humanitarian NGOs embedded in their international network and NGOs having civil society development as their field of operation tend to be more knowledgeable and conscious and they are more likely to assess their own work or develop internal documents, procedures integrating such principles. Almost every organisation recognises the need of starting a common coordinated reflection on the aspects of effectiveness in their work and the need for capacity building.

As for the external factors of the so called enabling environment NGOs think that in the Hungarian context the negative rather than the positive aspects are more prevalent in the legal, financial environment, regarding the potentials for democratic policy dialogue and most importantly related to public support. The lack of knowledge and social support related to development on the side of the general public is perceived a root cause for all other flaws as well.


For more information you can read the here.

Information provided by Réka Balogh, HAND

Grupa Zagranica: Solidarity with the Ukrainians and Appeal to the Polish Authorities

Non-governmental organizations from Grupa Zagranica - the Polish platform of organisations involved in international cooperation - appealed to the Polish authorities for response to restriction of civil rights in Ukraine, connected with the adoption of new law by the Ukrainian parliament.

"We appeal to the Polish authorities to take a firm stand on the Ukrainian authorities’ anti-democratic actions. We express solidarity with Ukrainian society, as well as admiration and respect for the millions of Ukrainians proving every day that their country’s rightful place lies in a United Europe" – said Grupa Zagranica in the statement.

The acts adopted last Thursday by the Ukrainian parliament, greatly strained the restrictions agianst citizens for participation in non formal public gatherings and limited the activity of NGOs. On Sunday it came to clashes between demonstrators and the police in Kiev. On Wednesday morning, the Ukrainian media reported the first fatality.

Grupa Zagranica warns that the newly passed legislation radically restricts the freedom of assembly, and exempts state bodies from liability should force be used against protestors. "New, simplified procedures to revoke the immunity of members of parliament, and allow proceedings to be initiated against anyone who criticises the Ukrainian authorities openly, represent a threat to the freedom of speech and could facilitate the eradication of the democratic opposition" – is underlined in the statement.

According to Grupa Zagranica intentions of Ukrainian authorities is to discredit non-governmental organisations in the eyes of Ukrainian society, to deprive them of independent funding sources, and to prevent them from cooperating with foreign partners.

Read the statement here.

Picture: Euromaidan, Kiev, December 2013, Participants and supporters of the protest leave a mark using the most available material - firewood. Author: Agnieszka Komorowska



Information provided by Magdalena Trojanek, Grupa Zagranica

CONCORD Director’s Blog: Outlook on 2014

CONCORD Director Seamus Jeffreson blogs “2014 will be a year more of politics than policy”. In his latest post, he is looking back at achievements of European NGOs in 2013 and focusing on issues coming ahead such as the European Parliament elections in May and the implementation of the new EU aid budget 2014-2020.

Further he gives an overview on the four annual priorities of CONCORD, which were identified by the members of the confederation.


Read the blog here.

Photo: Seamus Jeffreson, CONCORD


Source: CONCORD

Hungary’s Fight Against Tax Evasion

Tax fraud and tax evasion are global challenges that affect not only our lives in Europe but also in many developing countries. Developing countries fall short of considerable financial resources because of the harmful tax evasion practices of multinational companies that otherwise could increase financial capacities of the host country.

The Hungarian DemNet foundation, together with 12 European civil society organizations launched a joint, EU funded project in January 2013 aimed at raising awareness of decision-makers and the broader public about the harmful practices of illicit capital flows and tax evasion. During the three-year project the participating countries will publish several research studies bringing together some of the best experts from NGOs, public administration, private sector and academia to shed light on the harmful effects of illicit capital flight.

The first round of the project aims at illustrating the impact of capital flight on development work through case studies and examples and examines what EU and its member states do and could do to improve the situation. Furthermore the study introduces a situation analysis in case of the 13 participating countries. The research found that even though the Hungarian money laundering regulations are in compliance with respective EU regulatory frameworks to prevent harmful capital flight and tax evasion, the national taxing system is far from being transparent. The OECD Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (GFT) exempted Hungary from providing regular follow-up reports and considered as an improving jurisdiction in implementing the internationally agreed tax standards. Despite these achievements there are still desired improvements regarding the availability of information of ownership issues, especially information available on foreign companies operating in Hungary. The country report on Hungary claims, that in spite of the increasing public awareness of harmful consequences of offshore flows, tax solidarity towards developing countries is still missing from the Hungarian public discourse. This is strongly reflected in the preliminary Hungarian international development policy strategy, which failed to make reference to support the fight against capital flight and tax dodging.


For more information you can read the full report here or download it from the Eurodad website.  

More information on the project (only in Hungarian) available on the DemNet website.


Information provided by DemNet