The Black Sea NGO Award has been launched for the third edition of the Forum. For more information click here.
Third Edition Black Sea NGO Forum Investing in our common future
9-11 September 2010 - Constanta, Romania
The 3rd edition of the Black Sea NGO Forum is approaching. The traditional annual event will take place on 9-11 September in Constanta, Romania. Thus, for the first time at the Forum the Black Sea will be present not only in the minds of the participants, but also in their sights.
This year the theme of the forum is “Investing in our common future”. The topics of the forum will include panels dedicated to Democracy and citizen participation, Economic Development and Corporate Social responsibility, Youth movements and Youth Policies, Bridging Divided Communities, and Environment, as well as on tools for strengthening civil society.
The focus will be on the vocation of civil society to lead by example. Good practices in various fields and countries and successful cooperation initiatives in the region will be presented during the Forum. Based on an analysis of the regional dynamics during the last three years of existence of the Forum, a set of recommendations for Governmental actors and civil society in the region will be proposed.
The Black Sea NGO Forum was launched in 2008 by the Romanian Federation of Development NGOs and is organized in cooperation with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission and the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation. The Forum aims at increasing the level of dialogue and cooperation among NGOs in the wider Black Sea region, as a means of strengthening NGOs and their capacity to influence regional and national policies.
Since 2008, the event has provided a unique regional forum for debate centered on NGOs as a driving force for positive change in the wider Black sea region. Over 300 participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, European Union member states and other important actors in the wider Black Sea Region, with different backgrounds (civil society, Governments and international organizations) have been engaged in the Forum's discussions.
Participation to the 3rd edition of the Forum is open to all actors in the region or working in the region, with a vocation for transnational and regional cooperation, interested in sharing good practices, mutual learning and joint mobilization.The agenda of the event is available here.
If you are interested to attend, please fill in the application form for the 3rd edition of the Black Sea NGO Forum and send it to forum@BlackSeaNGO.org by 22 July 2010.
-
For further details please contact us at forum@BlackSeaNGO.org (contact person: Valentin Burada, program director).
About the Forum
The Black Sea NGO Forum was launched in 2008 by the Romanian Federation of Development NGOs and its partners throughout the region with support from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation in the framework of the Black Sea Synergy. It continues in 2009 in cooperation with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission and the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation.
In 2008, the first edition of the Forum gathered over 100 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, other European Union member states and important actors in the wider Black Sea Region.
The Forum aims at increasing the level of dialogue and cooperation among NGOs in the wider Black Sea region, as a means of strengthening NGOs and their capacity to influence regional and national policies.
Our vision, as civil society is that, historically, the Black Sea has been rather a cooperation medium than a barrier. Naturally it has allowed for communication and exchange (either cultural or economic). Non-governmental organizations in the region are very similar, in terms origin, path and challenges they are facing. There are numerous lessons learnt and expertise which are worth sharing. Non-governmental organizations have the vocation to act jointly to bring positive social change for both their countries and for the region as a whole.
The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the European Union (EU) moved the border of the EU to the Black Sea, thus creating new opportunities for cooperation. Romania and Bulgaria have joined the 10 New Member States (NMS) of the EU in becoming donor countries and taking responsibilities within the external action of the EU. Similar historical context and problems have lead NMS to be particularly interested and able to share experience and expertise and to contribute with resources to supporting economic, social and political reform in neighbour countries in the wider Black Sea region.
The Black Sea NGO Forum is complementary to other regional initiatives (for instance the recently launched Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum). It looks for creating synergies, avoiding overlapping activities and making full use of the civil society potential in the region. There are three main defining elements of this Forum, within the Black Sea Synergy framework:
1. The focus of the Black Sea NGO Forum is on non-governmental organizations as a particular transformative force throughout the region, bearers of democratic values and advocates of open societies, human and social rights, peace and solidarity throughout the region. 2. The Black Sea NGO Forum aims to bring together NGOs from all the countries in the wider Black Sea region (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine), as a forum for specialized regional dialogue and cooperation and with other non-governmental organizations and institutions active in the region. 3. The Forum brings around the same table civil society, EU and international donors and officials from the region or involved in the region, thus supporting capacity building for these actors in order to overcome current gaps in access to information and funds, as well as in implementation practices.
The first edition of the Forum acknowledged that within this region, which is extremely complex from a political point of view, cooperation among NGOs from the civil society represents a real potential for stability and prosperity in the wider Black Sea region.
The reports of the first two editions can be consulted: 2008, 2009.
nstanta, Romania. Thus, for the first time at the Forum the Black Sea will be present not only in the minds of the participants, but also in their sights.
