EEA/Norway Grants

Final event of the NGO Programme in Croatia

gmomcilovic — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 14:17:57 +0000

(Zagreb, 25 September 2017) The National Foundation for Civil Society Development acting as a Operator of the NGO Fund in scope of the EEA and Norway Grants for the period 2009-2014, organized a final event / conference marking the end of the programme implementation , which was held on September 25th in the Mimara Museum in Zagreb.

The conference was attended by HEE. Mrs Astrid Versto, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Marko Pavić, Minister of Labor and Pension System, Mr. Velimir Žunac, State Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and Mrs. Cvjetana Plavša-Matić, National Foundation for Civil Society Development. They welcomed the audience, emphasizing the importance of civil society organizations and the continuity of funding through the upcoming period of the EEA and Norway grants.

The main achievements of the Programme were shortly presented, together with a promotional film featuring some of the results of the implemented projects and the exhibition that portrayed the implementation of the projects.

In the final part of the Conference, a framework for the forthcoming financial period 2014-2021, ie the Active Citizens’ Fund, was showcased briefly and discussions on the priorities for financing civil society organizations within the Grants was opened.

Info materials about the NGO Programme

gmomcilovic — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 09:29:03 +0000

Brochure – projects financed under the NGO Programme

Leaflet – NGO Programme Croatia

Center for Peace Studies: Education for Human Rights

gmomcilovic — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 14:02:56 +0000

The project strengthened the cooperation and exchange of experience between partners engaged in education for human rights and democratization. 5 extensive educational curricula were developed and 4 were implemented. The experience of public and institutional advocacy, as well as activist actions in fields of human rights, democracy, youth rights and volunteering from partners engaged in project was articulated as an integrated part of our educational programs. Programs were attended by 96 participants, and more than 500 participants took part in one-time activities or as indirect participants Promo materials and a publication “Peace studies: key concepts” were produced. The cooperation between partners has strengthened the Institution for adult education for peace and civic engagement Mirta and established a strategic partnership for future work. The institution has developed a strategic plan, governing council and a director. All the positions are volunteer, but actions taken in previous period ensure the fulfilment of legal conditions for program verification and fundraising through lifelong learning funds. These actions have paved the ground for sustainability of the programs.

ADOPTA – organisation for support to Adoption: “This child needs family to”

gmomcilovic — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 13:52:47 +0000

Goal of the project: to advocate for the rights of children without parental care to family life and position ADOPTA as resource in policy development related to children.

Target group: Children without family care, particularly Roma, over 6 yeas of age, children with developmental or health related difficulty.

Outcomes:

1. Advocacy campaign on rights of children on family life and a need for a systematic change to improve adoption of „difficult to adopt“ children,

2. Strengthening and positioning ADOPTA as a resource in development and monitoring of public policies on children.

Results:

identified obstacles to adoption of „difficult to adopt children“
mapping of available support services
advocacy campaign on International adoption day (activities through all November)
Action plan/recommendations for supporting adoption of difficult to adopt children developed through multi-stakeholder cooperation,
ADOPTA increased competencies for advocacy.

Benefits for groups:

children without parental care who are considered to be in „difficult to adopt“ category
potential adoptive parents
adoptive families

Different beneficiaries participated in research, as guests on Conference, users of a infoMAP, employees, participants on Congress, experts workshop, information sharing, advocacy activities (for example: adoptive parents of „difficult to adopt“ children shared their experience with potential adoptive parents).

NGO Dawn: “My Place in the Community”

gmomcilovic — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 13:46:04 +0000

The organisations involved have conducted a research in liaison with the local associates (1028 subjects involved) and defined the needs of citizens. Through 44 public actions, 3157 advocacy postcards were gathered/sent to the appropriate addresses. This approach have given them ability to continuously pressure the institutions and local self-government units into reacting to the voice of citizens and addressing the defined problems. Fourteen meetings (in which 30 decision makers were advocated) were held, as well as two press conferences, eight presentation of results and meetings with 14 organisations. They have created innovative advocacy tools – a video, a brochure and flyers, which are available to the all members of the community – with the purpose of strengthening the community. The data that they have gathered can be used to create/design policies, social interventions, actions and further research; the advocacy tools, workshops and public activities were done with the aim of educating citizens on how to be an active member of the community, know their rights and obligations, and create a dialogue with the decision makers. This is the beginning of the process of creating a better and more just community.

Media:

https://projekt-zajednica.info/

Zagreb Pride: “Towards sustainable movement for achievement of LGBTIQ rights”

gmomcilovic — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 13:37:32 +0000

5 models of sustainability for LGBTIQ organizations in Croatia were created; four public panels about the components of sustainability with representatives of LGBTIQ organizations from Croatia and the region were held along with two meetings with 11 journalists; 15 articles and 5 radio broadcasts on human rights of LGBTIQ persons in Croatia were produced; documentary was fillmed and conducted an also the impact study of the Zagreb Pride March. The beneficiaries of the project were activists who were provided with models of sustainability for their organizations; the LGBTIQ community that participated in the screening, the presentation of the study and panels was informed about the history of the LGBTIQ movement and made aware of the importance of working on its sustainability; researchers who were provided with sources; journalists who were familiarised with the work of LGBTIQ organizations; and the general public whose awareness about LGBTIQ issues was raised through public events and media releases.

GONG: Philantrophy for Human Rights

gmomcilovic — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 13:14:12 +0000

The project Philanthropy for Human Rights through a wide variety of educations, public meetings, public consultations, publications and film programmes, three pilot crowdfunding campaigns and the establishment of organizational and communication infrastructure of the new foundation SOLIDARNA managed to increase the understanding of the problems of development of philanthropy in Croatia aimed at the protection of human rights, but also start a new practice of mobilizing private sector resources for the protection of human rights (through collaborative donor campaigns and action plans of individual organizations. During the project there have been 18 education and 19 public meetings organized and directly trained 256 active members of civil society organizations, 80 representatives of the business sector and 46 journalists, a total of informational materials on the importance and practice of human rights in the business sector reach even 6,461 managers and companies. The most important result of the project is the operationalization of SOLIDARNA- the first domestic private foundation for human rights and solidarity, which has in the first year of its existence managed to collect 230,000 Kn of donations of citizens and the business sector, to create a primary supporters and their campaigns and cooperation with the business sector to become recognizable in the public as a new channel for the mobilization of resources for progressive social actions that contribute to the quality of human rights protection, but also for their affirmation in the public discourse.

Working Together for a Strong Civil Society in Europe

gmomcilovic — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 10:48:42 +0000

Conference was organised in Oslo by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 6th of June. The aim of the conference was both to present the achievements of the NGO programmes so far, launch the Active Citizens Fund for the coming period of the EEA and Norway Grants and to discuss and take stock of the status of civil society in Europe.

The conference was opened by the Norwegian Minister for EEA and EU Affairs and the Director of FRA – Fundamental Rights Agency, Mr. O’Flaherty delivered a key note followed by a discussion on the status and future role of the civil society in Europe. The new Active Citizens Fund, including possibilities for cooperation, was launched in the afternoon session. Both for the session on presenting results, but also at the venue, there were opportunities to showcase results, campaigns and initiatives emerging from NGO programmes (boards, leaflets, posters, videos, etc.).

Video of the conference

GONG: Enough with the hatred!

gmomcilovic — Wed, 10 May 2017 10:35:43 +0000

By producing and publishing an electronic publication entitled Hate speech and unacceptable speech: a guide for politicians (available in Croatian only), an impetus was given to act and to re-examine the work of persons acting in the public space and a contribution was made to the proper understanding of what hate speech and unacceptable speech is, according to relevant standards. Subjects linked to growing publicly expressed intolerance in Croatia have been covered in a high-quality manner on the H-Alter news portal. Requests and submissions sent to the relevant public authorities have served to encourage them to react to occurrences of public hate speech, leading also to the Croatian neo-Nazi portal „Pandora“ to be taken offline. Through educational activities, informing, networking and an exchange of knowledge were achieved with academia both home and abroad, other CSOs and schools. As a whole, the implemented activities have directly influenced the awareness of the presence ad forms of unacceptable public speech, as well as the reduction of tolerance and an increased critical response to unacceptable media content, visible in the broader public through citizens’ submissions and critical media pieces.

To be more precise, here are some of the results of the project:

Through media monitoring and analysis, actors and media that spread discriminatory messages and encourage animosity towards certain groups were identified. A comparative legal analysis was produced, along with further recommendations. An online system for reporting unacceptable public speech was established, as well as a dedicated Facebook page. The consistent use of instruments for sanctioning hate – and discriminatory speech was encouraged through public reactions and submissions to relevant public authorities.
Media pieces were produced covering subjects such as the position of Serbs in Croatian society, Ustaše revivalism, attitudes towards refugees, xenophobia in the media and hate speech directed at the LGBT-population.
The beneficiaries of the project were CSOs, media, public institutions, the broader public (as participants of public discussions about unacceptable speech), representatives of academia, students and school pupils (as participants in educational activities).

Youth Initiative for Human Rights: Human Rights Monitoring and Advocacy Social Mechanisms Advancement

gmomcilovic — Wed, 10 May 2017 09:36:44 +0000

Four public campaigns that have contributed to promoting and raising awareness of the importance of human rights and improving democratic values were implemented through the project. Campaigns have addressed the issues of the discursive return of government of Serbia and Croatia in the nineties, the international day against fascism, a petition for an apology to victims of Operation Storm and violation of the constitution of Croatia. Through the implementation of the project, YIHR has established three new networks involving young people, civil society organizations and local self-government: Coalition for inclusion of Croatia into Regional Youth Cooperation Office, the Student Union and the Network of Cities and CSOs. Within these networks consultation process was implemented and they included more than 30 NGOs and more than 50 young people which strengthen advocacy for political decisions like Croatia to join RYCO, the RECOM process and the promotion of human rights at the local level. YIHR has improved human rights monitoring methodology and designed and published 5 reports on the situation of human rights in Croatia, which included recommendations for legislation and political practices modification in order to improve the status of vulnerable groups.

Centre for Civil Inititatives Porec: Strengthening the involvement of civil society and citizens in public policy in Istria

gmomcilovic — Wed, 10 May 2017 09:34:20 +0000

With the implementation of the project, the level of knowledge and skills of the CPI and other CSOs in Istria was raised in order to establish better influence on the political decision-making process. A dialogue was opened and cooperation with local governments established on the introduction of civic education in schools in Istria. Through active participation in the political discourse, the visibility of the CPI was significantly increased, and also the influence on the political processes in the County of Istria, by advocating the principles of good governance. Through the imposition of issues to the public, a step was made in the direction of more transparent financing of CSOs by public authorities through the development of transparent and clear procedures and criteria, and also by strengthening the Foundation for Partnership and Civil Society Development through transparent and inclusive election management bodies and the inclusion of CSOs in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the operation and development of the Foundation. Civil Platform of Istria has, through the implementation of the project, become a relevant stakeholder in the society and a support to other civil society organisations.

Women`s Room – Center for Sexual Rights: New Force in Fighting Violence against Women

gmomcilovic — Wed, 10 May 2017 09:31:02 +0000

The project “New Force in Fighting Violence against Women” is aimed at strengthening the capacity and ability of CSOs to combat VAW and for promoting an enabling environment for those who work on that problematic. Visibility, importance of CSO work and thus their sustainability has increased through research Analysis of the role, capacity and sustainability of non-governmental organizations working to combat violence against women, improvement of cooperation among CSOs and inter-sectoral cooperation, activation of citizens through volunteering, advocacy for implementation of the Action plan and Model of sustainability and raised awareness of relevant actors and citizens through direct contacts and campaign. All achieved results of the project have a direct impact on combating VAW in Croatia on a short-term and long-term level.

Croatian Institute for Local Government (CILG): Politeia Đakovo

gmomcilovic — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 13:27:36 +0000

The project was launched in order to establish a systematic cooperation in creating and implementing public policies at local level, having in mind a previous lack of systematic communication and constructive cooperation between local government and relevant stakeholders of local public policies.

A systematic cooperation between local government and local public policies stakeholders, in the formo f public consultations within working groups (established within the project) dealing with respective thematic field. Regular meetings of working groups and constructive cooperation directly influence democratic processes and effectiveness of public policies. Moreover, a better cooperation between stakeholders has been achieved, and stakeholders’ are enabled for a more efficient participation in participating at policy-making and decision-making procedures. Sustainability of the project has been agreed and defined at partnership meetings., and partners signed a Charter on sustainability whereby they committed themselves to implement public consultations even after the official end of the project. The Charter also defines a dynamics of public consultations and tasks and responsibilities of each partner.

Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past: Support to the Strategy for the Development of Judiciary in the Area of Human Rights Protection

gmomcilovic — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 13:24:50 +0000

Through published bi-weekly reports, project got an annual review of war crimes, hate crimes, discrimination trials and dealing with the past processes in the RoC. These reports constitute archive collection fit for further analysis. Special reports related to the judiciary development strategy, hate crimes, cases of discrimination and prosecution of terrorist acts in 1990’s have also been published, as well as the annual report on monitoring war crimes in 2015, with recommendations. Within the project a workshop was held for the judiciary on the suppression and prosecution of hate crimes in which all participants deepened their knowledge at a theoretical level as well as at a practical one through discussion and presentation of case law in Bosnia and Poland, compared to the ECHR cases against Croatia. Indisputable result of activities is to be shown through the adoption of requirements of victims of sexual abuse pursuant to the Act on the Rights of Victims of Sexual Violence during the Military Aggression. Hopefully, these strategic cases, as well as public statements will contribute to a better implementation of the law that will contribute to the protection of human right through positive decisions of the judiciary and administrative authorities.

The sustainability of project is focused on the improvement of public policies related to human rights, capacity building of judiciary and jurisprudence in cases of human right violations, on change related to government policies concerning compensation of victims and development of culture of respect for human rights and tolerance in society.

UNDP: “Better Together for Roma in Croatia”

gmomcilovic — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 14:37:30 +0000

The project was based on the premise that only support for processes leading to systemic and continuous collaborative actions of different local actors (local self-government, public institution, civil society and private sector) is the main vehicle to enable disadvantaged groups to meet their needs.

The following results were achieved: Four county action plans for Roma inclusion and Atlas of Roma settlements for Sisak-Moslavina, Koprivnica-Križevci, Slavonski Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja and Primorje–Gorski Kotar counties. The Atlases are available at www.atlas-romskihnaselja.hr as basic tools for design and monitoring of Roma inclusion interventions; Facilitated local forums for information exchange and joint action planning open for participation to all key and interested actors; Implementation of seven small community actions to improve communal and social infrastructure in Sisak-Moslavina County; Preparation of project fiches of 10 project proposals to be submitted for EU funding, developed based on priorities established by communities; 300 Roma informed about their citizens, social, educational and cultural rights; Six different cultural manifestations contributing to breaking down prejudice about Roma; mini video dictionary of bojash language for everyday use; documentary about traditional trade.

http://www.atlas-romskihnaselja.hr