Third ECA NGO Forum in Bratislava, Slovakia, June 9-11, 2005 “Sustainability of Civil Society Organizations in Post-Accession Central and Eastern Europe, the CIS, the Balkans and Turkey” The Europe and Central Asia NGO Working Group and the Pontis Foundation are delighted to inform you about the 3rd CSO Forum on Sustainability of the CSO Sector in Post-Accession Central and Eastern Europe, the CIS, the Balkans and Turkey ( Bratislava, Slovakia, 9 - 11 June 2005). The meeting is convened by the ECA NGO Working Group, under the auspices of the Commission of the European Community, the Government of Slovakia and the World Bank. The preparations for the event are overseen by an Organizing Committee, consisting of representatives of ECA CSOs, foundations and international organizations. The technical and logistical preparations for the event have been entrusted to a local not-for-profit organization, the Pontis Foundation (Slovakia). The event will serve three overarching objectives: - To build understanding and exchange experiences among CSO leaders, governments, foundations and intergovernmental agencies in regard to the functioning, role and sustainability of the CSO sector in the Region,
- To promote partnerships among the above mentioned development actors and enhance regional cooperation between the new EU member states and other countries of the Region, and
- To strengthen networking and promote debate on specific themes within the CSO community in the countries that have recently joined the European Union and those aspiring to join the Union in the future
In addition, it is expected that the event will advance two secondary goals: - To foster knowledge sharing and exchange of information on innovative approaches to civic participation in development,
- To contribute to the development of specific follow-up initiatives that are likely to promote CSO sustainability at the regional and country level.
The Forum will bring together participants from the following four constituencies: (a) civil society representatives from the Region, (b) official donors and development partner organizations, (c) international NGOs and foundations operating in the Region, and (d) local civil society. In addition, a number of “like-minded” government officials will be invited as presenters/speakers in panel discussions. While the meeting will be open to any CSOs from the region interested in the theme (pre-registration will be required for logistical purposes), travel subsidies will be limited to up to five CSO representatives per country. The participants will be selected in a decentralized way through especially established National Selection Committees in each of the countries of the region. The participants should meet the following criteria: - Representatives of non-governmental, non-commercial and non-partisan organizations based in the Region, active in the area of socio-economic development; - CSO leaders with established public recognition, engaged in public debate on socio-economic reforms; - Manifested knowledge/experience in enhancing the sustainability of the CSO sector in the country concerned; - The CSO represented by the applicant should operate at the national level with the potential to network and disseminate information gathered at the Forum to other CSOs in the country; - Willingness to contribute relevant material for showcasing at the Knowledge Forum; - The applicant should hold a senior position in the delegating organization and have a working knowledge of Russian or English; - Preference will be given to representatives of CSOs supporting the development of the CSO sector, CSO networking and building the sector’s capacity. In conjunction with the Forum, a Knowledge Forum (KF) – a fair of the participating organizations and institutions, to present themselves and their projects – will be held. We are, therefore, encouraging all CSOs who will participate in the Forum to bring to relevant material and documentation to showcase in Bratislava. More detailed information on KF will be circulated under separate cover among all confirmed participants in early May. Your contact person in Moldova: Mariana Ianachevici, Save the Children Moldova Tel. 232582, mob. 691-03125 mariana.ianachevici@tdh.moldnet.md ### _______________________________________________________________________________ Second ECA NGO Assembly in Belgrade - June 13-16, 2002 The Second ECA NGO Assembly was held in Belgrade from June 13 to 16, 2002. The Moldovan NGOs selected to attend were as follows:
1. BIOTICA Ecological Society
2. Resource Center of Moldovan Human Rights NGOs
3. Save the Children Moldova
4. "Civic Action" Society for Social Initiatives
5. The Center of Sociological, Politological and Psychological Analysis and Investigations "CIVIS"
6. ADSISTO Association
7. Rural and Social Initiative
Below you will find the letter of invitation sent out to NGOs in this regard. Invitation Letter "Civil Society Driving Development: Experiences and Future Prospects"
The international community has entered the 21st century with an unprecedented opportunity to approach the development process differently. Indeed, the end of the cold war, the shift in many countries towards democratic and pluralistic political systems and a market-based economic system, combined with rapid technological advances in satellite communication and the Internet, pose new opportunities to make the process of socio-economic development less government-driven and more transparent and people-focused. In the countries of Eastern and Central Europe and the Former Soviet Union these changes were particularly significant. Eleven years since the fall of the Berlin Wall we now approach economic reforms and the development process in a much more decentralized fashion, increasingly involving the participation of the individual and various social groups not only as beneficiaries of this process but also as active forces supporting development.
The above changes have also greatly impacted the policies of many bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, including those of the World Bank. At the beginning of this decade, the donor community actively searches new ways towards civic engagement and community-based development, combined with an unprecedented drive for transparency and good governance in policy making.
In view of the above, on behalf of the ECA NGO Working Group, we are delighted to invite you to participate in the 2nd Europe and Central Asia (ECA) NGO Assembly which will take place in Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia, on 14-16 June 2002.
Some 200 NGOs from all countries of the ECA region (Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union and Turkey) are expected to attend the Assembly, representing a broad spectrum of various types of civil society movements: advocacy groups and think-tanks, working in areas of policy dialogue, environment, governance, gender as well as organizations involved in the implementation of development initiatives in our countries such as micro-credit or community based organizations. The Assembly will be attended by a delegation of senior World Bank officials in charge of the agency's operations in the ECA region. In addition, representatives of other major international and bilateral governmental and non-governmental organizations will be invited as observers.
The currentECA NGO Working Group is in charge of the organization of the Assembly. The logistical preparations in Belgrade are handled by the Center for Development of the Non-Profit Sector (CRNPS) – a Belgrade-based NGO selected for this important task through a competitive process. The Assembly is expected to be supported by a group of international and bilateral donor organizations, international NGOs and the Government of FR Yugoslavia.
In conjunction with the Assembly, we intend to organize an NGO Knowledge Forum – a fair of the participating NGOs, presenting themselves and their projects. We are, therefore, encouraging all NGOs who will participate in the Assembly to bring to Belgrade relevant material and documentation to showcase in Belgrade. The Knowledge Forum will be held on the same premises as the Assembly and will open on the first day of the Assembly meeting.
Background
The first Assembly took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, from March 31 to April 2, 2000. The Assembly, attended by a senior World Bank delegation headed by Johannes Linn, Vice President of the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region, focused on a number of key issues of mutual concern to the NGO community and the World Bank such as poverty eradication, good governance, social and environmental aspects of World Bank-supported operations in the region, the World Bank's information disclosure policy, etc.
The Assembly elected a Working Group comprising nine representatives of ECA-based NGOs. The bulk of interactions between NGOs and the World Bank is country-specific and thus takes place at the country level and usually concentrates on the local World Bank office. These offices, present in almost every country of the region, have a designated NGO/Civil Society Liaison Officer. Therefore, the primepurpose of the ECA NGO Working Group is to facilitate the dialogue among civil society organizations and the World Bank and to serve as a focal point for exchanging ideas on cross-country issues and concerns related to World Bank operations in the region. The Working Group in no way represents, nor should represent, the ECA NGO community as suchvis-à-vis the World Bank.
Since April 2000 the Working Group has been active in learning and exploring possibilities and ways of organizing itself so that it may better serve its purpose and reach out to other NGOs interested in the World Bank's activities in their respective countries. Over the last two years, the Working Group has held five meetings – the minutes of which are also available on the web site mentioned below. The minutes reflect the results of the Working Group members' activities in countries and sub-regions, as well as reports on the Working Group activities related to the ECA region as a whole. The Working Group is aware that much more work still needs to be done in terms of building up the constituency of NGOs interested in networking for improved dialogue with the World Bank. The Belgrade Assembly will offer an opportunity to receive feedback and guidance by participating NGOs so as to facilitate the work of the new ECA NGO Working Group, which will be elected at the Assembly.
For details concerning the first NGO Assembly, please visit our web site at www.developmentgateway.org/subsites/eca, folder "The Second ECA NGO Assembly" The site also provides information on the activities of the ECA NGO Working Group since the Vilnius Assembly. All the documents about the 2002 Assembly can be downloaded from this site as well.
Application process
If you would like to participate in the 2nd NGO Assembly, please complete the Application Form in a detailed, but concise manner. Please provide a detailed CV of the prospective participant and be ready for further verification of the information provided.
Every participant will be expected to pay a participation fee of US$40. A small fund for supporting travel and accommodation costs in Belgrade will be available for a limited number of participants. Through a careful review based on the selection criteria of the Application Forms, the Working Group will strive to allocate this fund in the most appropriate way to ensure maximum representation and diversity of NGOs. Every organization that applies will receive a written answer re the status of their Application and the amount of the travel/accommodation grant (if any).
Who may apply:
- Non-governmental, non-commercial, non-political and non-religious organizations based in the ECA region;
- Organizations interested in the development of the World Bank – NGO relationship;
- Organizations with at least one year of experience;
- Organizations that will be represented at the Assembly by a person with background knowledge of the World Bank and its general policies;
- Organizations that will be represented at the Assembly by a person with strong command of English or Russian language.
Please submit your applications to the ECA NGO Working Group Secretariat in St. Petersburg, Russia, by email: wb-eca-ngo-wg@yandex.ru or fax: (7-812) 312-3887 as soon as possible but not later than March 25, 2002. If you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We look forward to hearing from you soon,
Yours sincerely,
Liliana Proskuryakova Nejira Nalic
Secretariat Chair |
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