Conference for Strengthened Capacities of CSOs: Cooperation Is the Key

MIA

16 January 2007

Civic associations must work continuously to strengthen their capacities for self-sustainability and contribution to reforms. This is the message sent by the closing conference held yesterday (January 15) in Skopje, under the Strengthening of Capacities for Select Civil Society Organizations.

This project, initiated in January 2006, included six CSOs. Over the past year, they passed through series of trainings and activities, financed by the EU, to improve their organizational and advocacy skills, campaigning, networking, communication skills, fundraising and donor procedures.

According to Erwan Fouere, the EU Ambassador to Macedonia, the greatest benefit from this project is the ability of CSOs to deal with the challenges presented by reform processes and to achieve self-sustainability.

�The many challenges and changes force the civil society to adapt itself and respond to the reform processes�, emphasized Fouere in his address to the Conference.

Elizabeta Buova, the Head of the Government�s European Issues Department, assessed that the civil society is still developing and remains an active segment of transition processes.

�The progress of the country makes the cooperation inside the civil sector and the cooperation with the Government the key factor of reform implementation and European integrations�, said Buova.

In her view, all factors inside the civil sector have to achieve equal level of development and get into phase with all activities in the country. She added that European integration processes concern all citizens of Macedonia and should not be seen solely as an obligation of the Government and a number of institutions.

The Project included the Women Civic Initiative, the Association of Farmers, �Matusiteb� Coalition of Turkish NGOs and student associations from the three state universities.