The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) published the 23rd edition of the Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index (CSOSI) for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, covering developments in 24 countries in the region during 2019. BCSDN has partnered with USAID and FHI 360 to produce the CSOSI for Macedonia 2019, examining the overall sustainability of the CSO sector.
On 20 November, 2020, on the Zoom platform, BCSDN organized an event to present the 2019 CSOSI report’s main findings for North Macedonia and launched into a discussion for the upcoming CSOSI cycle.
In front of 12 CSOs and donor representatives, the three authors: Biljana Spasovska, Kristina Naunova, and Emina Nuredinovska, presented the main findings of the CSOSI 2019 report for North Macedonia. According to the report, the overall CSO sustainability improved in 2019, with slight improvements noted in nearly all dimensions of sustainability.
The participants were introduced with the CSOSI results for North Macedonia, looking at seven dimensions of sustainability: legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy, service provision, sectoral infrastructure, and public image. The legal environment governing CSOs in North Macedonia improved slightly in 2019. Financial viability modestly improved in the availability of different domestic sources of funding, but there is a high level of dependence on foreign funds. CSOs engaged successfully in policy-making processes. CSO advocacy improved moderately. In 2019, CSOs noted a higher level of engagement in decision-making processes and collaboration both with local municipalities and central government. CSOs had increased scope and capabilities to provide services, and the infrastructure supporting the sector was strengthened with growth in CSO coalitions and some interpectoral partnerships. The public image of the civil society sector also improved slightly, although there were a few cases of negative reporting in the media. Organizational capacity did not change significantly in 2019. The infrastructure supporting the CSO sector improved slightly, due to growth in CSO networks and coalitions and increased availability of training.
The full 2019 CSOSI report for North Macedonia is available in English and in Macedonian language.