Presentation of the CSOSI 2018 Report for Macedonia
New BCSDN Publication on Enabling Environment in the Region: Growing Pressure on Civil Society and What to do About it?
November 14, 2019CfA: Public Call to Nominate Candidates for CSO Representatives Their Deputies in the Seventh Convocation of the Civil Society Development Council for the Period 2020- 2023 (Deadline: 15 January 2020)
November 29, 2019The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) published the 22nd edition of their Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index (CSOSI) for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, covering developments in 24 countries in the region during calendar year 2018. BCSDN has partnered with USAID and FHI 360 to produce the CSOSI for Macedonia, examining the overall sustainability of the CSO sector, by looking at seven specific dimensions of sustainability: legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy, service provision, sectoral infrastructure, and public image.
The report was presented in more details at a public presentation organized by BCSDN on the 29 November 2019 in hotel Aleksandar Square. On the event was presented that the overall CSO sustainability improved slightly in 2018, with improvements noted in all dimensions of sustainability except for organizational capacity, which remained stable.
The report indicates that the legal environment improved slightly as the institutional prosecutions of a number of CSOs noted in previous years’ reports were closed in 2018. Increases in public funding, corporate support, and local fundraising bolstered CSOs’ financial viability. There were increased opportunities for CSOs to participate in decision-making processes, including through consultations and working groups, and several successful CSO-led advocacy initiatives. There was also a slight improvement in service provision, especially the provision of social services, with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy demonstrating a willingness to increase funding to and cooperation with civil society actors. The infrastructure supporting the sector strengthened with the establishment of new resource centers and increased cooperation within the sector. The CSO sector’s public image also improved slightly, although CSOs continued to be affected by the negative campaigns targeting the sector in previous years.
The full report for Macedonia is available in Macedonian and English language.
