We are happy to share with you the report from The International Civil Society Week (ICSW) 2019 prepared by CIVICUS. The ICSW 2019, which we have proudly co-hosted together with CIVICUS and our Serbian member – Civic Initiatives brought together in Belgrade over 700 international delegates from 93 countries to engage in dialogue and actions around working together to enable and defend spaces for civic action.
The event focused on how to ensure resilient and sustainable civil society at all levels and unlock the power of collective action to stand up for democratic freedoms. The 5-day event was the culmination of months of preparation, a global gathering for civil society to find shared solutions to today’s most pressing global challenges, not just as participants, but as co-planners and event partners. Sessions were held in partnership with 42 event organisers. Events on the ground were accompanied by a stream of media and online commentary aimed at profiling relevant issues beyond the event. Based on the feedback provided by delegates on the quality, scope and impact of the convening, the top takeaways from the have been: Harnessing Diversity, Connecting Ideas & Actions, and Extending Solidarity.
BCSDN itself had its own contribution with our Policy and Advocacy Officers – Anja Bosilkova Antovska and Biljana Spasovska co-organizing and taking part in several events: The Civil Society Summit which happened on April 8th and resulted with adoption of a global Call to Action; The opening ICSW Plenary Session of the Bridges track; and our own workshop for sharing “Our Stories of Resilience” resulting with this special Balkan Civic Practices Edition. You can read more about BCSDN at the ICSW 2019 here
The report from the ICSW presents the key events, topics and impact of the 5 day experience which was packed with hard-hitting, thought-provoking and lively presentations, discussions and workshops.
Read the full report here.