The Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND has organised between the 31st of October and 2nd of November 2016 the IXth edition of the Black Sea NGO Forum, in Varna, Bulgaria. The event is organised with the financial support of the European Commission, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in parternship with the United Nations Development Programme – Regional Centre for Europe and Central Asia and the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness – CPDE and with support from the local partner, the Black Sea NGO Network (BSNN).
This year’s edition targeted the implementation of the “Strategic Framework for Civil Society Cooperation in the Black Sea Region” by promoting an enabling environment for civil society organisations as a prerequisite for regional cooperation and supporting the Black Sea NGO Forum’s Working Groups actively engaged in the thematic cooperation areas identified by participants during the 2015 edition.
During the Official Opening Session, moderated by Ms. Natalia Budescu, FOND President, we were honoured to have as guest speakers H.E. Gheorghe Magheru, Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, H.E. Traian Chebeleu, Deputy Secretary General, Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation – BSEC, Mr. Boris Iarochevitch, Head of Unit Eastern Partnership, Regional Cooperation and OSCE, European External Action Service (EEAS), Mr. Justin Kilcullen, Co-Chair, CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness – CPDE and Ms. Emma Gileva, Regional Coordinator, The Black Sea NGO Network.
Around 130 participants (ranging from CSOs representatives, regional and international organisations, regional and international donors) attended the Forum and got actively involved in the interactive workshops, approaching the following subjects: promoting an enabling environment for the CSOs in the Black Sea Region, interacting with the main donors, identifying the best practices of developing further regional projects and expanding networks in the area. A follow-up Report on Enabling Environment for CSOs was also presented. It gathered updates from all around the year from the region, with additional conclusions and recommendations, in continuation to the last year’s report – „Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development in the Black Sea Region: Towards a Regional Strategy for Cooperation”.
In the second day of the event, International Consultant for Organization Futures, Mr. Ken Phillips facilitated a dynamic session, through which participants were provided the opportunity to get connected with and continue the activities of the Black Sea NGO Forum’s Working Groups by identifying common grounds and opportunities for future projects.
The last day of the Forum was dedicated to presenting updates on the international and regional trends on development effectiveness and sustainable development. Moreover, a smaller meeting was organised for NGOs from the Black Sea Region and the Balkans interested in finding out more about how CPDE functions as a network, how they can contribute to CPDE activities and how they can make their challenges and needs visible at global level.
We invite you to consult the final agenda of the event here.
Those interested may also access the Powerpoint presentations projected during the event here, while the photos which were taken during the sessions and workshops can be viewed here.
