From 1st July 2009, Lenka Nemcová, is the new Executive Secretary of the Slovak NGDO Platform (Platforma MVRO). Within the MVRO secretariat she is not a new person at all. She has been working for the platform as a Project Manager from spring 2008. She has management experience in the private sector and is keen to work for the stabilisation of the platform with respect to personal and financial capacities.
There are currently two other persons within the secretariat of the platform: Veronika Kurinová is very helpful working part-time as Assistant of the Secretariat and Financial Officer in one person; also on 1st July, the former journalist and MVRO media officer Daniela Balážová became Policy Officer of the Slovak NGDO Platform.
Visit the MVRO website: http://www.mvro.sk/
Information provided by Daniela Balážová, MVRO
Friday, 3 July 2009
Thursday, 2 July 2009
DESS 2009: 7 days, 85 participants, 35 countries… one view: “YOUth Act”!
For the 10th year in a row, some 85 participants joined the Development Education Summer School (DESS). This year, the one week learning experience was held under the motto “Recognizing, engaging, motivating young people as actors of development education, advocacy, campaigning” and hosted by Romania. PATRIR, a Cluj Napoca based NGO took on the lead in co-organising the event with DEEEP. Participants from more than 35 countries met in Cheile Gradistei, Transylvania, from June 21-28 to exchange on youth involvement in development education (DE). Among the participants were also some representatives of Plan Finland’s Children Board, who fed the youth perspective into the discussions.For the first time in the history of DESS, a so-called “mission impossible” action was carried out with the participants: they had one week, within their working group (WG), to prepare a street action in Brasov, the closest city to Cheile Gradistei. Each working group elaborated a small action, according to its main focus (gender
, environmental sustainability, multiculturalism and migration, media). The final “mob action” was organised in Brasov’s main square with participants dancing at the rhythm of “djembe” together with some local people curious of the noise made by the group. Although communicating with local people has been a major challenge for the participants (not many could speak Romanian), the outcomes of the action were quite satisfactory. Aside from the final event, the gender WG organised an action for raising awareness on domestic violence; the youth and media WG prepared a questionnaire on youth and global education and interviewed over 20 people in the street; the sustainable environment group biked across the city promoting the use of bikes; the participants of the multiculturalism WG wore small banners presenting themselves as citizens of the world, rather than of only one country. Furthermore, a “YOUth ACT” facebook group was set up and promoted in Brasov, in order to attract young people, explain what global education is and how and why they should get involved.During the week, 4 further thematic sessions were lead by experts, namely on “Do no harm” (conflict resolution), “Youth and politics”, “School curricula” and “Creative methods for DE”. Time for networking was also made available through the market place, a small NGOs fair, in which participants could present their organisations and their missions.
For more information - to watch the Brasov action and the YOUth Act clip made by participants - visit the DEEEP website http://www.deeep.org/, or look for the “YOUth Act” group on Facebook, and join it! Further material (DESS evaluation, announcement of the next DESS in Hungary on “Schools and DE” etc.) will soon become available online. For further details, contact Chiara Tripepi c.tripepi@deeep.org and Tobias Troll t.troll@deeep.org.
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
New Project: Gender and Development in NMS
KARAT Coalition has the pleasure to announce the start of a new 3 year EC co-funded project: Building Support in New Member States (NMS) for Gender-sensitive and responsive European Development Co-operation.
The project’s leading organisation is One World Action – an international development agency based in London, UK. Activities are going to be implemented in partnership with KARAT (Secretariat based in Warsaw, Poland) and in collaboration with four KARAT member organisations from: Bulgaria (GERT), Czech Republic (Association for Equal Opportunities), Slovakia (Slovak Center for Communication and Development) and Romania (Org 'AUR' ). The first strategic meeting for the project is planned in July.
The project is one of the pioneering initiatives aiming to contribute women’s voice to development cooperation debates in the EU NMS. The objective is to build the capacity of women’s rights NGOs to advocate for the full implementation of the EU gender equality policy in the government’s development assistance and to initiate cooperation between South-East-North on women’s rights in development. The project’s activities will include: regional and national dialogues, visit of the Sub-Saharan women advocates to the NMS, briefings on aid and gender, preparation of case studies and finally a big international conference in Brussels.
If you’re interested to collaborate or want to know more please contact Kasia Staszewska, project coordinator, at: kasia.staszewska@karat.org.pl
Visit the website of KARAT Coalition: http://www.karat.org/
Information provided by Kasia Staszewska, KARAT Coalition
Major breakthrough for Eastern European demands in Social Forum process
The next European Social Forum (ESF) is scheduled to take place in Istanbul in 2010. A Preparatory Assembly for the ESF was held in Vienna from June 19-21, 2009.
With the participation of approximately 130 representatives of social movements from all over Europe in the discussions around the present economic crisis and its consequences, the European Social Forum process made a big step forward. Particularly noticeable was the presence of approx. 30 participants from Eastern European countries, especially from Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey and Russia who held a network meeting in the so called Enlargement group moderated by Mathias Benek from ATTAC-Hungary.
After hours of intense discussions interpreted into four languages the network came up with the following action oriented conclusions:
- On the Crises in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE):
Working groups should be set up in individual CEE countries with the task to write down (before the next EPA):
· A portrait of the crises structures
· A comparative analysis of anti-crises programmes, including cultural aspects
· Concrete proposals based on this analysis
- On the Enlargement of the ESF 2010 to CEE countries
· For the ESF 2010, it is intended to set up a Support Group the tasks of which would be to contact and involve groups and initiatives, to gather and redistribute information including a new forum on the ESF webpage.
· At least one European Preparatory Assembly (EPA) should take place in CEE every year. Just a little preparatory group for each EPA (EPA host organisation, last and next ESF host organisation) should be established.
· Participants and movements from CEE countries are asked to write down proposals for their Western European counterparts how to help with the enlargement of the ESF process to CEE countries.
Any further suggestion or request, also from people who did not take part in the EPA, should be made to epa@asf2008.at Find further information on the European Social Forum process at: http://www.fse-esf.org/ For more detailed minutes of the Vienna meeting, please contact Leo Gabriel at epa@asf2008.at
The participation of CEE participants in the Vienna meeting was supported by TRIALOG.
Information provided by Leo Gabriel, Austrian Social Forum
With the participation of approximately 130 representatives of social movements from all over Europe in the discussions around the present economic crisis and its consequences, the European Social Forum process made a big step forward. Particularly noticeable was the presence of approx. 30 participants from Eastern European countries, especially from Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey and Russia who held a network meeting in the so called Enlargement group moderated by Mathias Benek from ATTAC-Hungary.
After hours of intense discussions interpreted into four languages the network came up with the following action oriented conclusions:
- On the Crises in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE):
Working groups should be set up in individual CEE countries with the task to write down (before the next EPA):
· A portrait of the crises structures
· A comparative analysis of anti-crises programmes, including cultural aspects
· Concrete proposals based on this analysis
- On the Enlargement of the ESF 2010 to CEE countries
· For the ESF 2010, it is intended to set up a Support Group the tasks of which would be to contact and involve groups and initiatives, to gather and redistribute information including a new forum on the ESF webpage.
· At least one European Preparatory Assembly (EPA) should take place in CEE every year. Just a little preparatory group for each EPA (EPA host organisation, last and next ESF host organisation) should be established.
· Participants and movements from CEE countries are asked to write down proposals for their Western European counterparts how to help with the enlargement of the ESF process to CEE countries.
Any further suggestion or request, also from people who did not take part in the EPA, should be made to epa@asf2008.at Find further information on the European Social Forum process at: http://www.fse-esf.org/ For more detailed minutes of the Vienna meeting, please contact Leo Gabriel at epa@asf2008.at
The participation of CEE participants in the Vienna meeting was supported by TRIALOG.
Information provided by Leo Gabriel, Austrian Social Forum
From Lithuania to Zimbabwe: The fulfillment of undreamed dreams
Vaida Kontrimaite was born and grew up in Lithuania. Since her childhood, she has been interested in other cultures; especially Africa and the African people have fascinated her. In order to learn more, she decided to study Development Studies, Culture and Society of Africa in Bayreuth, Germany. In contrast to her German colleagues, she couldn't afford going to Africa during student vacation periods.
After completion of her studies, the contact to Helga Landsmann, who has been doing development work for 16 years, enabled her to spend her first three months in Zimbabwe and to see how development work looks like on the ground. She fell in love with the country and its people and was sure, that she wanted to go back. Back in Germany, it was not an easy task to apply for jobs in Africa, but Vaida succeeded in joining a DED (German Development Service) program for junior advisors and went on a year’s contract to Zambia. This experience qualified her to apply for development workers’ jobs afterwards. At the moment Vaida works with Horizont3000 (http://www.horizont3000.org/), an Austrian NGO, and is based in a small town in the south west of Zimbabwe. As an Organisational Advisor, she is helping the Edward Ndlovu Memorial Library to establish outreach programs to rural schools and communities. Vaida shares her impressions:
“I’m very happy to be where I’m now. When I think back to my school days, I did not even dream of finding myself in Zimbabwe 15 years later. I think I could not even have pointed at Zimbabwe on the map. I think the governments and non governmental organisations should do more educational work in European countries to raise awareness and open up possibilities for young people to know and experience developing countries. When the people in Zimbabwe ask me, if Zimbabwe is very different from Lithuania, I say that lots of things remind me of my childhood. I had to spend my school holidays in my grandmother’s fields and to draw water from the well and to use the pit latrine. With the help from the European Union in a few years the situation in Lithuania dramatically improved. People in developing countries deserve the same. There is so much that we can learn from the people in the Southern countries.”
For more information on Vaida's project or possibilities for voluntary work in Zimbabwe, please contact her at: vaidakon@yahoo.de
Information provided by Vaida Kontrimaite, HORIZONT3000
After completion of her studies, the contact to Helga Landsmann, who has been doing development work for 16 years, enabled her to spend her first three months in Zimbabwe and to see how development work looks like on the ground. She fell in love with the country and its people and was sure, that she wanted to go back. Back in Germany, it was not an easy task to apply for jobs in Africa, but Vaida succeeded in joining a DED (German Development Service) program for junior advisors and went on a year’s contract to Zambia. This experience qualified her to apply for development workers’ jobs afterwards. At the moment Vaida works with Horizont3000 (http://www.horizont3000.org/), an Austrian NGO, and is based in a small town in the south west of Zimbabwe. As an Organisational Advisor, she is helping the Edward Ndlovu Memorial Library to establish outreach programs to rural schools and communities. Vaida shares her impressions:
“I’m very happy to be where I’m now. When I think back to my school days, I did not even dream of finding myself in Zimbabwe 15 years later. I think I could not even have pointed at Zimbabwe on the map. I think the governments and non governmental organisations should do more educational work in European countries to raise awareness and open up possibilities for young people to know and experience developing countries. When the people in Zimbabwe ask me, if Zimbabwe is very different from Lithuania, I say that lots of things remind me of my childhood. I had to spend my school holidays in my grandmother’s fields and to draw water from the well and to use the pit latrine. With the help from the European Union in a few years the situation in Lithuania dramatically improved. People in developing countries deserve the same. There is so much that we can learn from the people in the Southern countries.”
For more information on Vaida's project or possibilities for voluntary work in Zimbabwe, please contact her at: vaidakon@yahoo.de
Information provided by Vaida Kontrimaite, HORIZONT3000
Euclid Network report on Civil Society in the Western Balkans
The Euclid Network has recently published a report about civil society in the Western Balkans. The publication is the result of a three week study-visit to Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania and Slovenia, which aimed to learn about the major challenges facing civil society.
The report is entitled "Connecting Europeans: Understanding and Empowering Civil Society in the Western Balkans" and can be downloaded at: http://www.euclidnetwork.eu/cmsallegati/news/204/Connecting_Europeans_understanding_and_empowering_civil_society_in_the_western_balkans.pdf
Euclid Network will be running a session at the Civil Society Forum in Bratislava on 17 September (see Events-section of TIS), on the topic of how lessons from civil society in Central and Eastern Europe can be transferred to the Western Balkans.
Information provided by Filippo Addarii and Ben Rattenbury, Euclid Network
The report is entitled "Connecting Europeans: Understanding and Empowering Civil Society in the Western Balkans" and can be downloaded at: http://www.euclidnetwork.eu/cmsallegati/news/204/Connecting_Europeans_understanding_and_empowering_civil_society_in_the_western_balkans.pdf
Euclid Network will be running a session at the Civil Society Forum in Bratislava on 17 September (see Events-section of TIS), on the topic of how lessons from civil society in Central and Eastern Europe can be transferred to the Western Balkans.
Information provided by Filippo Addarii and Ben Rattenbury, Euclid Network
Development and Transition: Regional Impact of the Economic Crisis
"Development and Transition" is a joint publication of UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and LSE (London School of Economics). The Newsletter aims to be a forum for policy-oriented discussions and debates about how the nature, evolution and challenges of development and transition intersect in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and also Turkey.
The focus of the latest issue is the socio-economic dimensions of the global economic crisis in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Download the July issue (in English or Russian) from: http://www.developmentandtransition.net/
Direct link to the English version: http://www.developmentandtransition.net/uploads/issuesAttachments/25/DT.13_English_FINAL.pdf
Source: http://www.developmentandtransition.net/
The focus of the latest issue is the socio-economic dimensions of the global economic crisis in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Download the July issue (in English or Russian) from: http://www.developmentandtransition.net/
Direct link to the English version: http://www.developmentandtransition.net/uploads/issuesAttachments/25/DT.13_English_FINAL.pdf
Source: http://www.developmentandtransition.net/
May issue of CONCORD Flash
The May issue of the CONCORD Flash - which reports the latest news from the European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development - has been released on June 18.
In this issue:
- CONCORD campaign "10 Days4 Development": citizens, let’s vote!
- Negotiating the post-2012 climate agreements
- European governments U-turn on the poor as economic crisis grips
- The Court of Auditors reinforces CONCORD views on dialogue with the European Commission
- Consultation on the European Water Facility
...and many other subjects.
Download the Flash from the publications-section of the CONCORD website http://www.concordeurope.org/ or use the direct link http://www.concordeurope.org/Files/media/extranetdocumentsENG/NavigationPrincipale/06.Publications/06_1_Concord_Flash/2009/May-Flash-EN-final.pdf
Information provided by Agnès Philippart, CONCORD
In this issue:
- CONCORD campaign "10 Days4 Development": citizens, let’s vote!
- Negotiating the post-2012 climate agreements
- European governments U-turn on the poor as economic crisis grips
- The Court of Auditors reinforces CONCORD views on dialogue with the European Commission
- Consultation on the European Water Facility
...and many other subjects.
Download the Flash from the publications-section of the CONCORD website http://www.concordeurope.org/ or use the direct link http://www.concordeurope.org/Files/media/extranetdocumentsENG/NavigationPrincipale/06.Publications/06_1_Concord_Flash/2009/May-Flash-EN-final.pdf
Information provided by Agnès Philippart, CONCORD
DEEEP updated Funding opportunities document
DEEEP, the Development Education Exchange in Europe Project, has published on its website an updated version of the "Funding opportunities document" which provides an overview of the private and public funding opportunities for development NGOs.
Download the document from: http://www.deeep.org/fundingopportunities.html
Information provided by Barbara Vodopivec, DEEEP
Download the document from: http://www.deeep.org/fundingopportunities.html
Information provided by Barbara Vodopivec, DEEEP
EC published Annual Action Plans
The Annual Action Plan (AAP) 2009 for the thematic budgetline Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development (NSA/LA 2009), including Part II on targeted projects (which was approved only on June 26), and the AAP for the Investing in People budgetline (IIP 2009-2010) are now available online on the EuropeAid website. The AAPs determine, how funds are allocated in the respective financial year.
Use the following links to download the AAPs:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/worldwide/civil-society/index_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/documents/aap/2009/ec_aap-2009_dci-investing-in-people_en.pdf
For the NSA/LA budgetline, it is still not clear, if the EC will launch new Calls this year, or if the allocated money will be used, as planned, for projects already submitted during the last calls.
Source: bengo eu-mail-info Nr. 260: 2. Juli 2009
Use the following links to download the AAPs:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/worldwide/civil-society/index_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/documents/aap/2009/ec_aap-2009_dci-investing-in-people_en.pdf
For the NSA/LA budgetline, it is still not clear, if the EC will launch new Calls this year, or if the allocated money will be used, as planned, for projects already submitted during the last calls.
Source: bengo eu-mail-info Nr. 260: 2. Juli 2009
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Call for volunteers in Moldova extended
The International Committee of Citizen Diplomacy (ICCD) – Moldova Republic is looking for young volunteers from EU countries to join fours programs that welcome EVS volunteers in Moldova and offer them the possibility to work on different themes such as citizenship and democracy, rural youth development, culture and equal opportunities.
Names of the programes:
- CulturaLearn
- Rural Youth development
- Fostering Youth Entrepreneurship in Moldova
- Activating civil society from the inside
Duration: 1 December 2009 – 31 August 2010
Deadline for applications is September 1, 2009.
Find more information at: http://www.civildiplomacy.org/page.php?Id=5
For further questions, please contact the International Committee of Citizen Diplomacy at: evs@civildiplomacy.org
Information provided by Igor Gavrilov, ICCD
Names of the programes:
- CulturaLearn
- Rural Youth development
- Fostering Youth Entrepreneurship in Moldova
- Activating civil society from the inside
Duration: 1 December 2009 – 31 August 2010
Deadline for applications is September 1, 2009.
Find more information at: http://www.civildiplomacy.org/page.php?Id=5
For further questions, please contact the International Committee of Citizen Diplomacy at: evs@civildiplomacy.org
Information provided by Igor Gavrilov, ICCD
September 7-8, 2009: EuroNGOs Conference, Riga
Registration is still open for the EuroNGOs Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2009. Papardes Zieds - Latvia's Association for Family Planning and Sexual Health, the host of this year’s events, and the EuroNGOs secretariat are inviting to join the conference which will deal with the possibilities and challenges of “Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Times of Economic Crisis". The conference will take place on 7 September 2009 in Riga, Latvia, and will be followed by EuroNGOs AGM on 8 September 2009.
EuroNGOs member and partner organisation from the EU, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as from the “Global South”, representatives from private foundations, UNFPA, WHO, the European Commission, the Baltic Parliaments and Baltic development cooperation agencies are invited to lively discussions and workshops aimed at enhancing understanding of the current and possible future impact of the global economic crisis on SRHR and SRHR funding streams.
This year's EuroNGOs conference will also take up the outcomes of the conference "Global Partners in Action: NGO Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Development" which will take place on September 2-4 in Berlin, Germany (see http://www.globalngoforum.de/home/).
For more information, a preliminary program and to register (before 15 July) to the EuroNGOs conference and AGM, please turn to http://www.eurongos.org/Default.aspx?ID=18832.
Information provided by Mirja Leibnitz, EuroNGOs
EuroNGOs member and partner organisation from the EU, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as from the “Global South”, representatives from private foundations, UNFPA, WHO, the European Commission, the Baltic Parliaments and Baltic development cooperation agencies are invited to lively discussions and workshops aimed at enhancing understanding of the current and possible future impact of the global economic crisis on SRHR and SRHR funding streams.
This year's EuroNGOs conference will also take up the outcomes of the conference "Global Partners in Action: NGO Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Development" which will take place on September 2-4 in Berlin, Germany (see http://www.globalngoforum.de/home/).
For more information, a preliminary program and to register (before 15 July) to the EuroNGOs conference and AGM, please turn to http://www.eurongos.org/Default.aspx?ID=18832.
Information provided by Mirja Leibnitz, EuroNGOs
September 16-18, 2009: Civil Society Forum, Bratislava
The Civil Society Forum will take place in Bratislava, Slovakia, on September 16-18, 2009. The event is organised by the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The Forum will look in 20 year-old post-communist CEE reality, and provide a space for a discussion aiming to inspire civil society activists to come up with ideas and tools fit for a changing world.
The programme can be downloaded from: http://www.csf.ceetrust.org/article/forum-program. The Forum is designed to be a platform for dialogue, providing time for reflection and diagnosis, as well as exciting exhibits of new ways, concepts and energy to drive forward within CEE societies. The input of participants is what matters the most at this forum, and aside from taking active part in discussions, participants who wish to discuss a specific topic can check out the opportunities of YourSpace at: http://www.csf.ceetrust.org/article/organize-your-meeting!
There is no registration fee for attending the Civil Society Forum; limited scholarship opportunities are available. For more information and registration, go to:
http://www.ceetrust.org/civil-society-forum.html
Information provided by CEE Trust, http://www.csf.ceetrust.org/
The programme can be downloaded from: http://www.csf.ceetrust.org/article/forum-program. The Forum is designed to be a platform for dialogue, providing time for reflection and diagnosis, as well as exciting exhibits of new ways, concepts and energy to drive forward within CEE societies. The input of participants is what matters the most at this forum, and aside from taking active part in discussions, participants who wish to discuss a specific topic can check out the opportunities of YourSpace at: http://www.csf.ceetrust.org/article/organize-your-meeting!
There is no registration fee for attending the Civil Society Forum; limited scholarship opportunities are available. For more information and registration, go to:
http://www.ceetrust.org/civil-society-forum.html
Information provided by CEE Trust, http://www.csf.ceetrust.org/
October 2-4, 2009: Second European Fair Trade Fair, France
The 2nd edition of the European Fair Trade Fair will take place in Lyon, France, from 2-4 October 2009.
The financial crisis contributes in showing the weaknesses of the actual economical system while political, social and environmental values gain importance. Fair Trade can be an answer to citizens' questions. It proposes another economy, based on responsible consumption.
300 exhibitors and 20000 visitors are expected - an opportunity to take stock on Fair Trade, to sell products, to meet other professional stakeholders and to participate in round tables and conferences. They will highlight topics such as Southern producers, fair purchasing, environmental issues, Fair Trade education, responsible tourism and fair finances.
For more information, please turn to: http://www.european-fair-trade-fair.org/
For any further questions, please contact the Fair Trade in Europe Team at: info@salon-europeen-commerce-equitable.org
Information provided by Sophie Malichier, Association Equi'Sol
The financial crisis contributes in showing the weaknesses of the actual economical system while political, social and environmental values gain importance. Fair Trade can be an answer to citizens' questions. It proposes another economy, based on responsible consumption.
300 exhibitors and 20000 visitors are expected - an opportunity to take stock on Fair Trade, to sell products, to meet other professional stakeholders and to participate in round tables and conferences. They will highlight topics such as Southern producers, fair purchasing, environmental issues, Fair Trade education, responsible tourism and fair finances.
For more information, please turn to: http://www.european-fair-trade-fair.org/
For any further questions, please contact the Fair Trade in Europe Team at: info@salon-europeen-commerce-equitable.org
Information provided by Sophie Malichier, Association Equi'Sol
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