The Project "Resource Center for BiH Civic Society in EU Integrations“
The Resource Center represents the commitment of the European Union, CCI and ACED to support CSOs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., to create a service center that will support all CSOs in the form of capacity building programs, help - desk services, researching, PR and information services, organizing of public meetings, conferences and similar activities.
In addition to strengthening the capacities of existing CSOs, we will support the development of grassroots civil initiatives/groups, in order to make sure that, by building on previous achievements (especially the results accomplished by TACSO project), the civil society in BiH is positioned as competent and publicly recognized actor in decision-making processes in BiH – especially in the segment of EU accession process. Among other things, the project will especially focus on the functionality and work conditions for CSOs to ensure that the access that CSOs have to human and material resources (such as volunteers, low-cost offices and local funds for co-financing the projects) can be improved and made cheaper and so that the sustainability base of CSOs can be expanded to be able to commit to long-term advocacy of reforms in BiH. A key project approach is based on the Resource Center's intention to "work with CSOs, not for CSOs".
This approach will help the BiH institutions in better preparation for the period of opening negotiations chapter with the EU. Direction for European Integrations (DEI) will get opportunity to perform their mission more effectively – particularly among the CSOs but also in public. At the same time, the media will receive more detailed and analytical information related to EU reforms and specific chapters, which will help them to better inform citizens about the process of European integrations, and ultimately this is a way towards the strengthening elected officials’ accountability.
Three project pillars are:
The Project goals will be accomplished through implementing numerous educational, consulting, research - analytical and advocacy activities segmented within three key pillars:
• Within the first project pillar, it will be developed the appropriate Resource Center infrastructure and logistics, which will have the capacity to provide a numerous local CSOs with the tools, skills and resources needed to develop advocacy, analytics and sector-relevant negotiation skills needed for policy and social dialogue..
• By implementing activities within the second project pillar, our intention is to diversify the sources of funds for CSOs in BiH, as well as to improve the cooperation between CSOs and public institutions in the context of European integrations. Volunteerism will be strongly promoted as well as the revival of public spaces in municipalities, which will be given for the use of as many CSOs as possible. Ultimately, through such an improved CSOs position, the anticipated project result represent also the formalization of the "mechanism of cooperation between institutions and CSOs in the context of EU integrations in BiH".
• The third project pillar focuses on the development of sectoral initiatives to align BiH legislation with the EU Acquis Communautaire and to extensively promote EU-related reforms.
Kontakti
cci@ccibh.org