TACSO Regional CSO Networks Conference

Regional Networks’ Best Practices & Challenges

13th-14th December, 2011

Sarajevo, BiH

 

Balkan Civil SocietyDevelopment Network

(BCSDN)

Lessons-learned & challenges in functioning & advocacy

ID Card• Regional cross-

sectoral network (registered as foundation)

• 15 CSD member organizations from 10 countries of the Balkan region

• Initiated in 2001

• Executive Office based in Skopje

3. Partnership meetingFeketic, Serbia - December 2003

Vision

Sustainable peace, harmony and prosperity of societies in the Balkan region.

MisionTo influence European and national policies

towards more enabling environment for civil society development (CSDev) in

order to ensure sustainable and functioning democracies in the Balkans.

Strategic goals

1. Increased role of civil society by strengthening its voice in policy- and decision-making on national, regional and EU level;

2. Promoted civil dialogue between civil society actors, state institutions and the EU in order to influence public policy;

Strategic goals

3. Developed advocacy knowledge and skills of civil society actors as a base for greater impact; and

4. Strengthened communication, coordination and cooperation (3Cs) between civil society actors in the Balkan region.

Activities 2001-2008

• Organization of 14 regional trainings on EU funding, lobbying, networking, civil dialogue, coop with the business sector, media etc.;

• Support/organization to 29

exchange visits on

volunteering, project

development, etc.;

• Support/organization of 3 EU study visits.

Civil dialogue training,Tirana, Albania – July 2007

Activities 2001-2008

• Organization of 3 workshops for exchange of experience on EU integration, decentralization, diaconal practices;

• Organization of a conference

on Bulgarian EU accession

experience;

• Organization of on-the-job

training and help-desk.

Partnership and networking training

Feketic, Serbia – April 2006

Activities 2001-2008• Website in English and basic content in 4

local languages with about 4,000 visitors annually and 5% growth;

• Distributed 175 editions Weekly e-mail alerts to over 800 addresses;

• Published 5 editions of Balkan Civic Practices in 4 languages;

• Publishing of a Newsletter and

• Databases (members, training,

donors, partner-search).

Activities 2009-2011Advocacy at the EU level • 3 Workshops & Policy Papers:

The Right to be Heard: The EU Enlargement

Policy and Civil Society in the Western Balkans, Brussels;

The Missing Link: Development and Functioning

of Civil Dialogue;

Civil Society Lost in Translation?

Development Strategies & Practices in

Support to CSDev in the Balkans

Activities 2009-2011Advocacy at the EU level:• Manifesto for EP elections in May 2009:

“Do Not Forget the Future EU Citizens”• Letters and meetings with EC for

better inclusion of local CSOs in

programming and implementation of IPA• 1st on-line regional civil dialogue database

(WB + 3 NMS)• Special focus in

BCSDN E-mail alerts

Development of BCSDN

Phase 1 (2001-3): 3-year pilot programme

Phase 2 (2003-8): informal network

Phase 3 (2008-2011): formalized network

Networking – WHY?

• Easier to achieve goals, esp. at European level (aggregation of interests)

• Synergy, added-value

• Network enables access to European and global networks on strategic goals, e.g. CONCORD, ECAS, ENNA, APRODEV

• Information & knowledge exchange, new partnerships and joint initiatives/projects

Why advocacy? formalization?• Changes in external context (security

stabilization, slow political, economic and social changes, donor withdrawal);

• Changes in internal context (effectiveness and quality with less resources, learning on other people’s experience, EU integration “pull”);

• Clear structure, relations and involvement of members, visibility and identification of common interest by members

External evaluation“The programme’s support to the civil society development and networking is likely to have an

impact on its wider environment…The programme delivered the potential for development of one of the

few successful regional initiatives. This is mostly because this network is an indigenous

phenomenon; driven by the problems, needs and priorities of its membership and not necessarily

by those of external stakeholders, such as the EC. …and can therefore be considered a contributing

element in strengthening the democratic stabilization process.”

(EC, CARDS Ad-hoc Evaluation of CARDS Regional Programmes, December, 2008)

“The Network has made significant contributions to cross-border cooperation and is well positioned to build on further cooperation between members in the future.”

(INTRAC, External Evaluation, 2004-2007, October, 2007)

Key lessons• Legitimacy (who do we (re)present?);

• Goals (what do we want to achieve?);

• Identification and definition of special and joint interest (why do I need the network? what is its added-value?);

• Sustainability (how are we going to work on the long-term?);

• Ownership (why should we do this and for who?)

What regional CSO networks can offer to the EC

• Improved regional monitoring of Acquis areas & IPA programming

why? ownership, sustainability, policy coherence, cost-effectiveness, impact

how? structured dialogue through existing mechanism (EC Min Standards of Consultation & RCC structures)

What regional CSO networks can offer to the EC

• Communication & dissemination partner why? realistic expectations by citizens,

accountability by the Gov for structure reforms

how? Inclusion in advisory bodies such as the IPA CSF/TACO Programming Committee, IPA sector monitoring committees etc.

Contact

Balkan Civil Society Development Network

Executive Office

Nikola Parapunov Street n.n.

P.O. Box 55

1060-Skopje, Macedonia

Tel.: + 389 (0)2 30 88 990

Fax: + 389 (0)2 30 65 298

E-mail: ExecutiveOffice@balkancsd.net

Thank you for

your attention