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