The Civic Resource Center invites civil society organisations and other interested stakeholders to a debate on “Structured and sustained dialogue between civil society and the institutions“. The debate will be held on 3rd November 2023 in the new premises of the Civic Resource Center in Skopje (Blvd. Kliment Ohridski No. 21).
The structured dialogue with the civil society is a determination of the EU Strategy for the Western Balkans, which emphasizes the need for an enabling environment for civil society organisations. Models for cooperation and partnership with civil society organisations (CSOs) should improve the environment in which CSOs operates. Where are we today with the fulfillment of this provision and is there a structured and sustainable dialogue between the civil society and the institutions?
Macedonia has made better progress in this area than some of its neighboring countries. The Council for Cooperation between the Government and Civil Society was established in 2018 and slowly began to establish itself as a mixed body that will work to promote cooperation, dialogue and encourage the development of civil society. Unfortunately, this stopped in 2022, when members of the Council from CSOs started a boycott due to the Government’s ignorant attitude towards the Council’s key recommendations and conclusions.
The experience of the countries of the region on this issue are different. In Albania there is a National Council of Civil Society and in Montenegro and Serbia efforts were made to establish such an advisory body.
At the event, experiences from the region will be shared and the Analysis of the work of the Council for Cooperation between the Government and Civil Society in 2022 will be presented. Council members, civil society organizations, representatives of state institutions and other relevant stakeholders will have the opportunity to debate the situation and propose solutions to overcome challenges and to strengthen the dialogue.
The shared experiences from the region and the open discussion should contribute to the advancement of the work of the Council for Cooperation between the Government and Civil Society, as the highest body in a mixed composition with a mandate to initiate and discuss policies important for the entire civil society.
AGENDA
| 10:45|11:00 | Registration |
| 11:00|12:00 | Mechanisms for a sustained and structured dialogue between civil society and the authorities – Irena Ivanova, Delegation of the European Union The importance of the structured dialogue in the EU accession process – Vladimir Thano, Vice Chair of the National Council of Civil Society in Albania TBC Benefits and challenges in the operation of the National Council of Civil Society in Albania – Zorana Markovic, Executive Director of CRNVO Montenegro Establishment of a Council for cooperation between state administration bodies and NGOs in Montenegro – Valentina Velichkovska, Civic Resource Centre The operation of the Council for Cooperation between the Government and Civil Society |
| 12:00|13:00 | Discussion |
| 13:00|13:30 | Cocktail |
Register to participate
This event is part of the project “EU support of the Civic Resource Center – phase 2” financed by the European Union, and implemented by the National Foundation for the Development of Civil Society, the Civic Resource Center, the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation, Media Plus from Shtip and the Association for Democratic initiatives from Gostivar.
