• What is wrong with the current formal definition of “fair elections”? Are there essential elements which are missing?

• How can NGOs contribute to ensuring “fair elections”? What tools are there?

• How much space do NGOs have in contributing to ensuring “fair elections”? What are the main obstacles/challenges?

• Based on the lessons learnt in the past few years, how can election monitoring be strengthened?

• What can be done to ensure a “follow-up” of the monitoring reports?

• What is the role of the international actors/donors? What changes should they make in their strategies?

• What is the role of the international institutional actors/donors? What changes do they have to do?

• What concrete means (networks/resources) are there at regional level to strengthen NGO contribution to ensuring “fair elections”? What else should be created?

Human rights: Freedom of the media / Freedom of expression

• How can NGOs contribute to ensuring freedom of the media/freedom of expression? What tools are there?
• Based on the lessons learnt in the past few years, how can freedom of the media/freedom of expression be strengthened throughout the region?
• What defenses do journalists/human rights activists have? Who protects the journalists/ human rights activists?
• What is the role of the international institutional actors/donors? What changes should they make in their strategies?
• What concrete means (networks/resources) are there at regional level to strengthen NGO contribution to ensuring to freedom of the media/freedom of expression? What else should be created?

Environment: Climate change / Black Sea regional cooperation

• What is the relevance of climate change agenda for the Black Sea region?
• How can NGOs communicate the message of urgent policy and individual behavior to the citizens and to public authorities? What tools are there?
• What are the challenges/obstacles preventing policy change in the region?
• What is the role of international institutional actors/donors? What changes should they make in their strategies?
• What concrete means (networks/resources) are there at regional level to strengthen NGO contribution to ensuring the implementation of the climate change agenda? What else should be created?
• Black Sea Basin Joint Operational Programme 2007-2013 and Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova Joint Operational Programme 2007-2013: first observations and lessons learnt

Children rights: Child protection / Violence against children

• What are the major challenges to children rights in the region? What are the various sources of violence affecting children in the region?
• How does the economic crisis affect children rights in the region? How does conflict affect children rights in the region?
• How does the economic crisis affect the work of child protection NGOs in the region?
• What is the role of the international actors/donors? What changes do they have to make in their strategies?
• What can the NGOs, governments and donor organizations do jointly to ensure the sustainability of the actions for reducing and preventing crisis negative impacts on vulnerable groups?
• How can be strengthened the cooperation of NGOs and local self governing bodies in the support of social services and assistance to vulnerable groups?
• How can be strengthened the cooperation of NGOs and central authorities in the area of social services provision?

Social protection: Social services / Health services

• What is the situation of NGO social service providers in the Black Sea region?
• What is the situation of public service providers in the Black Sea region?
• How is financing NGO social service providers going on in times of crisis?

• Are there enough resource centers for NGOs in the region?
• Is there enough training capacity adapted to local needs?
• Is there sufficient local training capacity or there is a predominance of foreign training?
• Is legislation conducive to NGO activities? Are there any good practices which can be replicated throughout the region?
• What concrete means (networks/resources) are there at regional level to strengthen NGO capacity? What else should be created?

Advocacy & Policy

• What is the capacity of NGOs in the region to influence public policy on national and regional level?
• Are there enough human resources specialized in advocacy and policy?
• Is there capacity for research (collection of accurate data) and drafting reliable reports? How can this be improved?
• What NGO structures and mechanisms are more effective in policy work and monitoring government action?
• Is there a real exchange of information and consultation on policy issues? What tools/networks are there?
• Are political decision makers/donors interested in making use of policy inputs from NGOs? How can this be strengthened?
• Is it useful/possible to create an NGO regional center for policy and advocacy?
• What are the missing elements for a favorable environment for policy work?
• How can transparency in the decision making process and access to public information can be improved?

Financial Sustainability & Fundraising

• How are NGOs in the region affected by the economic crisis?
• What alternative sources of funding can be developed?
• What are the sectors harder hit?
• How should donors respond to the crisis?
• What should be the focus in the cooperation between NGOs and the private sector in times of crisis?
• Are there effective governmental support programs which have addressed to NGO sector during crisis?
• Is it possible to develop anti-crisis fundraising measures for NGOs in Black Sea Region (e.g. new cooperation opportunities; the shaping of the unique database to donor-civil society contact)?

Legitimacy of the sector & Relations with governments

• What best practices in fostering vertical and horizontal cooperation within the NGO sector are most adequate for the region?
• What is the public image of NGOs? What are the predominant negative stereotypes and how can we counter them?
• Are there national NGO portals? Are they effective tools of communication? Are they sustainable?
• How to build common module to monitor NGO projects in compliance with community development and policy impact?
• How do relations between NGOs and the governments affect NGO legitimacy? What possibilities are there to react to the creation of GONGOs?

Volunteering & Public participation

• How can we increase public participation at national level? What tools/good practices work in the region?
• How can people-to-people exchanges in the region can be broadened? What resources are there? How effective are people-to-people programs (e.g. ENPI people-to-people; Soros East-East Program)? How can they be strengthened?
• How can we use twinning programs to increase awareness and public participation?
• What examples of good practice in young volunteers' initiatives are there and what is their role in the process of interaction between state and civil society?

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