98-3 bcsdn ppp, tacso regional csos networks conf, 13th-14th sarajevo

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TACSO Regional CSONetworks Conference

Regional Networks’ BestPractices & Challenges

13th-14th December, 2011

Sarajevo, BiH



Balkan Civil Society

Development Network(BCSDN)

Lessons-learned & challenges in functioning & advocacy



ID Card• Regional cross-

sectoral network(registered asfoundation)

• 15 CSD memberorganizations from 10countries of the Balkanregion

• Initiated in 2001• Executive Office based

in Skopje

3. Partnership meeting Feketic, Serbia - December 2003



Vision

Sustainable peace, harmony andprosperity of societies in the Balkan

region.

MisionTo influence European and national

policies towards more enabling

environment for civil societydevelopment (CSDev) in order toensure sustainable and functioning

democracies in the Balkans.



Strategic goals

1. Increased role of civil society bystrengthening its voice in policy- anddecision-making on national, regional

and EU level;2. Promoted civil dialogue between civil

society actors, state institutions and

the EU in order to influence publicpolicy;



Strategic goals

3. Developed advocacy knowledge and skills of civil society actors as a basefor 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 onEU funding, lobbying, networking, civildialogue, coop with the business sector,

media etc.;• Support/organization to 29

exchange visits on

volunteering, projectdevelopment, etc.;

• Support/organization of 3 EU study

visits.

Civil dialogue training,Tirana, Albania – July 2007



Activities 2001-2008

• Organization of 3 workshops forexchange of experience on EUintegration, 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 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 inprogramming and implementation of IPA

• 1st on-line regional civil dialogue database

(WB + 3 NMS)

• Special focus inBCSDN 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 Europeanlevel (aggregation of interests)

• Synergy, added-value

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

• Information & knowledge exchange, newpartnerships and joint initiatives/projects



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

stabilization, slow political, economic andsocial changes, donor withdrawal);

• Changes in internal context(effectiveness and quality with lessresources, learning on other people’s

experience, EU integration “pull”);

• Clear structure, relations andinvolvement of members, visibility andidentification of common interest by

members



External evaluation

“The programme’ssupport to the civil societydevelopment and networking is likely to have an

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

few successful regional initiatives. This is mostlybecause this network is an indigenous

phenomenon; driven by the problems, needs andpriorities 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 onfurther 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 thenetwork? 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 networkscan offer to the EC

• Improved regional monitoring of Acquisareas & 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 networkscan offer to the EC

• Communication & dissemination partnerwhy? 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 sectormonitoring committees etc.



Contact

Balkan Civil Society Development NetworkExecutive Office

Nikola Parapunov Street n.n.

P.O. Box 551060-Skopje, Macedonia

Tel.: + 389 (0)2 30 88 990Fax: + 389 (0)2 30 65 298

E-mail: [email protected]



Thank you

foryour attention

98-3 bcsdn ppp, tacso regional csos networks conf, 13th-14th sarajevo

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