Author: Admin

Meetings with the sector on the “Code of Standards for CSOs” initiative 

Following the event on “Strengthening accountability, transparency and sustainability of civil society organizations – Code of Standards for CSOs “ organized early in September this year, Partners Albania and National Resource Center organized during these months a series of informing and discussion roundtables with about 200 civil society organizations in Tirana, Vlora, Shkodra and Korça.

The Code of Standards aims to be a self-regulatory mechanism for the sector that will contribute to increase the CSOs functioning standard, the quality of their activity and transparency of CSOs. This is the beginning of a working process in collaboration and with the involvement of all interested civil society organizations as well as international organizations, agencies and donors working to develop civil society in the country.

Considering this initiative, a decisive step in the creation of standards for the work of the sector and its further development, we invite all interested CSOs to become part of this process with their comments, suggestions, questions and involvement in a more inclusive way as part of the working group on this issue.

Starting from January 2020 will be worked intensively on the preparation of the Code the mechanism of how it will work. The process will have several stages, aiming a large and effective involvement of the sector. Following the drafting of the Code, a series of regional consultations with the sector will be organized across the country.

All organizations that would like to be actively involved in this process are kindly invited to contact us at info@resourcecentre.al

National Conference of Civil Society in Albania

On December 4, 2020, the National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania organised the National Conference of Civil Society in Albania.

The conference brought together over 130 representatives of civil society organizations, networks and civil society activists, as well as representatives of state institutions, donors and international organizations, to discuss issues related to the development of the sector and its role in policy-making, strengthening of democracy and in social economic development of the country.

In her greeting speech Ms. Ariola Agolli, Program Director for Partners Albania and Resource Center Manager emphasized that: “In this second year of its activity, the Resource Center comes with an increased and more consolidated role in the sector as a civil society platform at the national level, supporting sector capacity building, strengthening political dialogue and advocacy efforts for an enabling environment and beyond. The support of the Center is an important strategic investment in support of the non-profit sector in the country, not simply and only in the context of strengthening the latter for its role in strengthening democracy, the rule of law, economic development, social inclusion and as service provider, but also as a supporter of political dialogue closely related to the agenda of European integration and its advancement.”

The conference was greeted by H.E. Mr. Luigi Soreca, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Albania who during his speech said: “Civil society involvement in policy-making is essential but currently unsatisfactory in Albania. Public authorities should ensure the participation of civil society in reform processes. Important efforts are still needed to have effective consultation processes with civil society before legislation is adopted. Consultation that are not done consistently and coherently, may compromise the quality of new laws and future steps in the accession process”.

Organised in two main sessions, in the introductory panel, the conference provided an overview of the sector development on three aspects:
(1) The shrinking space for civil society, enabling environment and the role of sector in the path toward EU Accession
(2) Rule of Law, democracy and participation in policy making and legislative processes
(3) Fundamental rights, freedom of expression and media
followed by 3 thematic discussions, further exploring the main problems, challenges and perspectives of the issues presented as part of the previous introductory panel.
During the second session of the Conference “Open Space Discussion” participants discussed in 8 thematic workshops, on issues proposed by the organizations themselves at the conference. The workshops were led by
the proposing organizations aiming to generate discussion in the sector and exploring together ways of collaborations to advance issues and dialogue with institutions and other actors.

At the end of the conference, a document was drafted with summaries of presentations and discussions in panels, as well as discussions and recommendations in groups and thematic workshops.
The document was widely shared with all stakeholders involved in the conference and other actors at the center of the discussions, as well as with other stakeholders and the general public.
In the following, based on it, will be discussed with other actors and institutions to follow up on issues raised and recommendations given.
Read the full Conference paper here with a summary of the discussions and recommendations

National Conference of Civil Society in Albania 2020-Summary Document

Following the National Conference of Civil Society, held on December 4, 2020, the Conference Summary Document with the main discussions and recommendations.

The Conference brought together, in a virtual meeting, about 135 representatives from civil society organizations, networks and activists, as well as representatives from the donor community and international organizations in the country, to discuss sector developments in the last two years and beyond, concerning the political, social and economic developments in the country, the political dialogue and the current state of art with regard to the progress made and the challenges on the road to the country’s integration into the EU.

This document is widely shared with civil society organizations, donors and international institutions in the country and abroad, the National Council for Civil Society, the National Council for European Integration, the Albanian Parliament, the Prime Minister, Ministries, Municipalities, the Agency for Civil Society Support, The People’s Advocate, the Commissioner for the Right to Information and Personal Data Protection, the Commissioner for against Discrimination, other institutions, as well as the media and the general public.

In the following months, the document will be discussed with other actors and institutions, in view of following up on issues raised by the CSOs and on their respective recommendations.

Read the full Conference paper here with a summary of the discussions and recommendations

National Consultation and Validation Meeting on the CSOs Needs Assessment in the Western Balkans of TACSO 3

National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania, throughout 2022!

We are pleased to share with you a summary of the results of the work of the National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania, throughout 2022.

This year has brought novelties in programs and activities provided to the sector, creating a more diverse portfolio of services in response to sector’s needs.

Since 2019 onwards, the Center has consolidated its role as an information and services platform for civil society at the national and local level, in support of strengthening its capacities, policy dialogue and advocacy efforts for an enabling environment.

The National Resource Center for Civil Society is implemented by Partners Albania in partnership with the Albanian Center for Population and Development (ACPD) and the European Movement in Albania (EMA), with the support of the European Union.

National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania, throughout 2023!

We are pleased to share with you a summary of the results of the work of the National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania, throughout 2023.

This year has also brought novelties in programs and activities provided to the sector, creating a more diverse portfolio of services in response to sector’s needs.

Since 2019 onwards, the Center has consolidated its role as an information and services platform for civil society at the national and local level, in support of strengthening its capacities, policy dialogue and advocacy efforts for an enabling environment.

The National Resource Center for Civil Society is implemented by Partners Albania in partnership with the Albanian Center for Population and Development (ACPD) and the European Movement in Albania (EMA), with the support of the European Union.

National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania, throughout 2024!

We are pleased to share with you a summary of the results of the work of the National Resource Center for Civil Society in Albania, throughout 2024. This year has […]

National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Albania

Dear colleagues, partners and supporters,

Partners Albania for Change and Development is pleased to announce the opening of the National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Albania, financed by the European Union.

The establishment of the Centre is in continuity to a dedicated work for many years of Partners Albania, in support to strengthening of civil society sector and other stakeholders in the county.

National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Albania will serve as a platform for the civil society at the local, national, regional level and beyond. It will contribute to the strengthening of civil society’s capacities to be more effective, transparent, accountable and independent actors and to the creation of an enabling environment for the civil society, participatory democracy and the integration process of Albania into the European Union.

The initiative is implemented by Partners Albania in partnership with the Albanian Center for Population and Development (ACPD) and the European Movement in Albania (EMA).

The Centre main office is in Tirana and has two other regional offices in Shkodra and Vlora, to ensure wider territorial coverage of the country with its activities and services.

The main functions of the Centre are:

Provision of information and services (help desk) for the sector and all stakeholders and interested partners for developments in the civil society sector;
Networking for CSOs at local, national, regional level and beyond;
Strengthening of the capacities of civil society in Albania through training, assistance, exchange, etc;
Support for the improvement of governance of civil society organizations to be more effective, accountable and transparent, as well as for the improvement of the image, public and stakeholders’ trust on the sector;
Improve the networking and advocacy skills and facilitate of advocacy and political dialogue processes, for a greater and more effective participation in policymaking, as well as in the policy implementation and monitoring at local and national level.
The launching event of the National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Albania will be held on April 5th 2019 in Tirana.

For more information about the Centre and its activities, follow us on the Website www.resourcecentre.al that will be effective in few days, and contact us at the National Resource Centre in Tirana, Shkodra and Vlora, at the following addresses:

National Resource Centre for Civil Society
Elbasan Street, PARK GATE, 10th Floor, Ap. 73, Tirana
(in the premises of “Partners Albania for Change and Development”)
Tel / Fax: +355 4 2254881
E-mail: info@resourcecentre.al

Office in Shkodra
The Congress of Përmet, Str. Oso Kuka, 2nd Floor, Entrance 1, Shkoder
(in the premises of the “Women in Development” Association)
E-mail: shkodra@resourcecentre.al

Office in Vlora
Neighborhood 29th November, Str. Dede Ahmet Amataj,
Mother’s Day 15, 2nd Floor, Vlora
(in the premises of “Aulona” Center)
Tel: +355 3 3224531
E-mail: vlora@resourcecentre.al

National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Albania is implemented in partnership with Albanian Center for Population and Development and European Movement in Albania.

National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Albania

National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Albania – a platform of information and service provision which contributes to the strengthening of civil society’s capacities to be more effective, transparent, accountable and independent actors and to the creation of an enabling environment for the civil society, participatory democracy and the integration process of Albania into the European Union.

National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Albania – Call for Trainers

NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTRE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY IN ALBANIA

Call for Trainers

Position Title:             Trainer/Expert

Location:                     Albania

Organization:              Partners Albania for Change and Development (Partners Albania)

Employment Type:     Contract Service

Introduction and Background Information

National Resource Centre for Civil Society (NRCCS) in Albania is an initiative of Partners Albania, funded by the European Union, and implemented in partnership with the Albanian Center for Population and Development (ACPD) and the European Movement in Albania (EMA).

The National Resource Centre for Civil Society will serve as a platform for the civil society at national level in supporting its capacity building, policy dialogue and advocacy efforts for an enabling environment.

The ultimate goal of the Centre is to have a civil society sector, which is an effective, accountable and independent actor in the democratization and integration processes of Albania towards European Union.

The main functions of the Centre are:

• Provision of information and services (help desk) for the sector and all stakeholders and interested partners for developments in the civil society sector;
• Networking for CSOs at local, national, regional level and beyond;
• Strengthening of the capacities of civil society in Albania through training, assistance, exchange, etc;
• Support for the improvement of governance of civil society organizations to be more effective, accountable and transparent, as well as for the improvement of the image, public and stakeholders’ trust on the sector;
• Improve of the networking and advocacy skills and facilitate of advocacy and political dialogue processes, for a greater and more effective participation in policymaking, as well as in the policy implementation and monitoring at local and national level.

The Center main office is in Tirana and has two other regional offices in Shkodra and Vlora, to ensure wider territorial coverage of the country with its activities and services.

Aim of the Call

Under the component of building and strengthening the capacities of civil society organizations in Albania, the NRCCS, through its three offices, will offer a set of training programmes based on the needs of CSOs on issues related to: organizational development; organizational management; financial management; organizational and financial sustainability; good governance and CSOs inclusion in policy making, implementation and monitoring); advocacy and lobbying etc.

This Call for Expression of Interest for Trainers aims to identify and select qualified and experienced professionals to join the NRCCS team set up for the implementation of the capacity building component.

The main objective of the component is building and strengthening of CSOs capacities in the areas as below (but not limited to):

• Organizational development and sustainability;
• Financial management and state reporting requirements and rules;
• Project proposal writing and management;
• Participation in policy and decision – making process (community mobilization; advocacy and lobbying, participatory governance);
• Building of sustainable cooperation with state institutions, private sector etc;

The capacity building programme will be offered during the three years of project implementation.

The training programme will be delivered in Albanian. The Expert/Trainer will be under the supervision of the Project Manager and will liaise with Coordinator of Centre for delivering of the call objectives.

The Expert/trainer will be contracted to deliver his/her services for a period of three years, according to the PA roster training proramme but no less than 20 days per year. The training programme will be delivered in different cities; therefore the expert/trainer must be available for traveling during the contracted period.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Contributing to the strengthening of the capacity of the civil society in Albania;
• Elaborating and designing of training materials and modules (incl. PowerPoint presentations, hand-outs, and exercises) on topics related to strengthening of CSOs capacities such as: Project proposal writing; Project management; Organizational development; Advocacy and Lobbying; Participation in policy and decision-making process; Community Mobilization; Building of sustainable cooperation with state institutions, private sector etc.;
• Delivering of trainings and/or capacity building programs individually or as part of a team;
• Evaluate effectiveness of training programs; Make recommendations for further training interventions and improvement of Centre programs;
• Prepare and send report after the training delivery;
• Be available based on PA roster training programme no less than 20 days per year for the next two years;
• Be available for traveling within the country (the training programmes will be organized in the three NRCCS offices but other cities as well, in order to reach local and grassroots civil society organizations).

Required Skills and Experience

At least 5 years of practical working experience in designing training curricula/module and conducting interactive training programmes in one or more than one from the above mentioned topics, at local and/or national level;

• At least 5 years of experience on collaboration with civil society and government structures related to the topics of the training programme;
• Good knowledge and understanding of the civil society sector in Albania;
• Master’s degree, or higher, in social science, human rights, public policy or other relevant field;
• Work experience with international organizations is an asset;
• Good written and speaking knowledge of English.

Contracting Arrangements:

The successful candidates will be included in NRCCSs technical training roster. Where a request for services arises, NRCCSs staff will approach the identified consultants from the roster to seek their availability for the specific assignments.

Qualified candidates that wish to apply for this position are requested to send via email at info@resourcecentre.al:

• A cover letter of expression of interest
• Curriculum Vitae
• List of the trainings delivered during their course of work with detailed topics of training and the contractor data (name of organization/subject) of the delivered trainings

The deadline for submission of the documents is May 25, 2019.

Expression of interest received after the deadline would not be considered.

National Resource Centre for Civil Society embraces diversity in its hiring, welcoming individuals of all religions, ethnicity, gender, and orientation to apply.