On the 27th – 28th of February Biljana Stojanoska, Policy and Advocacy Officer at BCSDN, attended the workshop “Participation of the civil society in the programming of IPA 2014-2020” in Ohrid, Macedonia. The workshop was organized by EKO–Svest in partnership with several other leading Macedonian CSOs and was attended by around 140 civil society representatives. The aim of the workshop was to strengthen the capacities of the civil society sector for participating in the programming and planning of the upcoming IPA and, through working groups, give concrete recommendations for the improvement of the national IPA Country Strategy Paper. An additional goal of the workshop was to establish a formal structure for civil society representatives which, following the partnership principle with the central institutions, will be included in the programming of the EU’s IPA funds in Macedonia.  

BCSDN is looking for volunteers to assist with its general activities and operations during the course of 2014. The ideal volunteer will already have some knowledge of and a strong interest in civil society development in the region and the EU integration process. They will also have completed or at least be studying towards a related qualification. BCSDN volunteers are generally expected to have a good working knowledge of English as well as MS Office, web content management systems (Joomla or Wordpress), and general office equipment.

BCSDN is at the forefront of civil society development in the region and can therefor offer the ideal candidate a great opportunity to further develop their knowledge and skills related to these areas. 

If you’re interested in this opportunity please forward your CV and a short motivation of why you would like to volunteer at BCSDN to executiveoffice@balkancsd.net. Please add “Application for BCSDN Volunteer” to your subject line.

*Please note that volunteers will be remunerated according to local laws and regulations.

A recent OSCE/ODIHR Regional Report on Housing Legalization, Settlement Upgrading and Social Housing for Roma in the Western Balkans have mentioned that “EHO's (Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization) Dweller Driven Upgrading of Roma Settlement Model (developed in partnership with Swiss partners HEKS-EPER and SKAT) appears to be one of the most promising initiatives in the field of Roma housing upgrading in the region.” The report is part of the OSCE/ODIHR’s Best Practices for Roma Integration (BPRI) project which presents examples of good practices in improving the housing situation for Roma in the Western Balkans. The report was launched at a two-day regional roundtable event in Tirana, Albania, 24-27 Ferbruary 2014. The Report is available here.  

On the 28th of February, 2014 Partners Albania organized a round table to present its first Country Report aimed at monitoring the enabling environment for civil society in Albania. The Report, prepared within the framework of the BCSDN Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development, presents the findings of the forgoing monitoring of the enabling legal and practical environment for the development of civil society in Albania.