CEE CITIZENS NETWORK - WTD - LEARNING ABOUT DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION Strasbourg June, 2014

Central and Eastern European Citizens Network CEE CN  The Central and Eastern European Citizens Network (CEECN) was created to provide opportunities to promote citizen participation in the CEE region and provide grassroots initiatives with the chance to learn and exchange experiences and ideas. The main objectives of the Citizens Network are:  To increase the general public’s awareness of the potential that citizen initiatives can have and their positive impacts throughout the CEE region.  To increase skills and capacities of citizens to more effectively participate in local and national development.  To promote citizen participation throughout the CEE region.

The Network has more than 30 member organisations in 18 post-communist countries  Albania  Armenia  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bulgaria  Croatia  Czech Republic  Georgia  Hungary  Poland  Republic of Belarus  Republic of Moldova  Romania  Russia  Serbia  Slovakia  Slovenia  Ukraine

Beginning of Working Together for Development Right Project Wrong Reason

Development Cooperation  Opened new model of work

Development Cooperation  Tools to help us achieve our goals  Exchanges and joint projects between members  Provide resources to help build capacity a civil society for non- EU members

4 mini-grant projects  Romania  Poland  Czech Republic  Slovakia

Romania  Project: Action Plan For Moldavian Youth  Address issues connected to large number of Moldavian Youth in Craiova

Poland Czech Republic  Project: Be a Part!  NGO Support Center in Bialystok initiate debate between local authorities, NGOs and city regarding public services and cultural and educational programs  Particular focus on Checnian immigrants  Project: Local Authorities and NGOs as partners in Community Led Local Development  CCO Central Moravia  FYROM - Macedonia

Slovakia  Project: Week for Tanzania  Promote relationship between community foundations in Banská Bystrica and Arusha  Raise additional resources to support work in Tanzania

Week for Tanzania

Results of WTD  Cooperation with partners helped to shape a new perspective on this new approach.  Project design allowed for practical experience for four member organizations.  Expanded knowledge and skills of members in area of Development Aid  Concrete projects were prepared and carried out.

Conclusions  Finding new tools to achieve goals of Citizens Network  Help to bridge gap between EU members and non EU members  Increased cooperation between civil society and local authorities  Helped break down barriers between civil society and local authorities  New way of thinking and seeing role of civil society

Thanks for your attention Contact: Drago Cu ă