In regards to BCSDN Workshop on Macedonian CSO networks, held on 28-30 January in Ohrid, North Macedonia, Anabel Cruz from Rendir Cuentas, and Marija Vishinova from BCSDN delivered a joint article, illustrating the partnership nature underlying the Global Standard for CSO Accountability.
According to the article, judging by the Macedonian CSOs’ interest towards self-regulation and to improving their internal practices expressed in recent activities, 2020 might be a year focused on accountability of civil society in the Balkan region. Several organizations that attended the workshop were exposed for the first time to this global platform, and the training included the practical testing of the Global Standard self-assessment tools. But above all, it was a hands-on approach to learning, where participants interacted all the time with their peers and related the information received to their own environments and spaces, reflecting on how to adapt and/ or implement internal and/ or external changes.
The implementation of the Global Standard’s self-assessment tools helped the participating organizations to evaluate their current situation vis-à-vis the 12 commitments of the Global Standard for CSO Accountability. Honest answers to the different indicators included in the self-assessment tools helped participants to find out where each network was situated in regards to the Global Standard’s commitments.
Also, the results of the practical testing of the Rendir App, a web-based application recently translated into Macedonian language (app.rendircuentas.org/mk), led to a vibrant debate. The use of the Rendir App was identified as an opportunity to design an internal organizational baseline and improvement plans that can be assessed and followed up on a regular basis.
The article concludes that the representatives benefited from the Transfer of Global Standard experience in self-assessment mechanisms, and had an opportunity practically to testify for their own (organizational) accountability, by using the RendirApp. By using the application, the representatives of the Macedonian CSOs to learn how to improve their accountability practices, and received a feedback and recommendations on it.
In order to receive more details about the whole experience, read more here.
Source: Global Standard for CSO Accountability