CRPM North Macedonia - SMART Balkans

Grant award ceremony – Regional grants & Core grants to organizations in Serbia, N. Macedonia and Montenegro

We are pleased to make the announcement that today, 14.12.2023, during the first day of regional conference “Peace and Prosperity in the Western Balkans: What is threatening the region and how to advance opportunities” that is taking place in Skopje, the SMART Balkans project team awarded eleven (11) regional grants amounting to 18,542,365 NOK, and core grants totaling 4,831,800 NOK were awarded to 10 organizations from Serbia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro.

List of awarded organizations with regional grant:

Institute for Activism and Social Change from Albania
Media Diversity Institute Western Balkan from Serbia
Advocacy Training and Resource Center from Kosovo
ASTRA – Anti-trafficking action from Serbia
Legal Aid Network (Vaša Prava) from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Center for Missing and Exploited Children from Serbia
Association “Social Center for Helping People in Need” Fushë-Arrëz from Albania
Youth Center CK13 from Serbia
Association CENTRE. Public Policy Research Centre from Serbia
NGO Juventas from Montenegro
Institute for Territorial Economic development from Serbia

List of awarded organizations with core grant from Serbia:

Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina
Center for Support of Women
Academic Inclusive Association
Organization for Political Ecology

List of awarded organizations with core grant from N. Macedonia:

Transparency International – Macedonia
Association for Educational Development – Ekvalis
Association Leaders for Education, Activism and Development LEAD
Association for protection of worker’s rights – Glasen Tekstilec

List of awarded organizations with core grant from Montenegro:

Civic Alliance
Forum MNE

During the conference’s second day tomorrow, 15.12.2023, we are set to award an additional 11 core grants to organizations based in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Albania.

Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina (IJAV) is a professional association dedicated to the improvement of the journalistic profession and the protection of journalists. It undertakes various activities to influence the respect for the right to freedom of expression and information, as well as legislative regulations in the field of media. IJAV is the oldest independent journalists’ association in the former Yugoslavia and currently has more than 600 members. Established in 1990 in Novi Sad, it briefly scaled back its activities after the political changes in 2000 but quickly resumed them in 2004.

The association plays a vital role in promoting media freedom and civil society collaboration in Serbia and the post-Yugoslav region. It is a member of the Coalition for Media Freedom and one of the founders of the Association of Online Media of Serbia, as well as the coalition Civil Vojvodina. IJAV is present in most professional teams (both in Serbia and the EU) tasked with forming media policies. Additionally, it actively participates in the reconciliation processes in the post-Yugoslav region and maintains long-term collaborations with numerous media organizations and civil society entities in Serbia and the region. It is a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists in Serbia.

IJAV actively shapes media policy in Serbia, contributing to the development of the Public Information System Strategy (2011–2016 and 2020–2025) and its action plans. Examples of IJAV ‘s dedicated work in shaping the media landscape include initiatives that prompted the creation of action plans for implementing media laws at the local level. They have also been involved in drafting other documents and leading processes aimed at improving the position of the journalistic profession. In the realm of public advocacy, IJAV particularly focuses on civil society media and the position of journalists and media in multiethnic environments, primarily in the province of Vojvodina. In this regard, IJAV has conducted numerous research studies and analyses, providing recommendations and initiating legislative changes. Some of these initiatives have been incorporated into the Media Strategy, with a significant part of the strategy on informing minorities relying on IJAV ‘s expertise. Additionally, due to IJAV’s initiative, the status of civil society media was first regulated in the current draft of media laws.

In an increasingly challenging media context, IJAV has taken on the role of a strong critic of systemic flaws related to the media sphere. It points out the poor enforcement of laws and highlights shortcomings in media privatization processes, journalist safety, censorship, and the economic strain on media. In response to these challenges, IJAV has refocused its efforts on protecting journalists from political pressure, especially at the local level, where pressures and issues are significantly stronger and more visible. The organization also works on enhancing the capacities of civil society media overall.

Simultaneously, IJAV has intensified its work in informing and educating citizens, recognizing that well-informed and media-literate citizens are essential for democratic changes. Such citizens can make decisions in the interest of the entire community and public good. In addition to its regular activities, the association works with its membership, offering various services such as free legal aid, expertise in the establishment of civil society media, and more, with the aim of continuously influencing the environment in which journalists work and empowering them.

Through all these processes, IJAV has become a resource center and a gathering place for the media community. It remains a professional journalistic organization that persists in the fight for press freedom while also engaging in a broad platform for human rights protection.

Beneficiaries

Citizens of Vojvodina/Serbia, Journalists and media workers, Community media, diverse Media Association, Civic Society Organization, as well organizations in Public Sector.

Center for Support of Women

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

Center for support of women (CWS) is a non-partisan, non-governmental and non-profit organization aiming to improve the status of women and contribute to achieving gender equality and equal opportunities policies, in the local communities, country-wise, and the region, through organizing different educational, promotional, advisory, research, and other activities. CWS is dedicated to creating and implementing programs which contribute to elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and establishment of gender equality as a key principle of a modern, democratic and just society.

Beneficiaries

Direct beneficiaries are women and girls victims of gender-based violence, especially women form vulnerable groups (women with disabilities, Roma women and members of other national minorities, elderly women, women form rural areas and with low income)

Secondary beneficiaries include professionals, representatives of the institutions within the protection system (health care, social care, police, prosecution).

Indirect beneficiaries include the wider public, media, other organizations.

Transparency International- Macedonia

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

TI-M, through its work and the activities it implements within the framework of various projects, is aimed at improving the legal framework and its fair implementation. The organization carries out various activities that include participation in working groups for the creation of laws, monitoring of legislation, preparation of reports on the work of institutions and implementation of regulations, etc. Since its existence, TI-M has been a vocal supporter of creating legal solutions that will bring transparent and accountable operation of institutions and prevent corrupt behavior. It regularly follows the recommendations received from the EU, GRECO and UNCAC. TI-M monitors the work of institutions and through the National Integrity System, which provides a framework for analyzing the shortcomings of a given country in relation to corruption and the effectiveness of national efforts to deal with corruption. In the past years, TI-Macedonia has constantly motivated the active involvement of citizens in the fight against corruption by providing simple, reliable and sustainable mechanisms. It actively participates in the adoption of legal solutions, acts and other documents aimed at increasing the capacity of institutions and organizations in the fight against corruption. TI-Macedonia also works on monitoring the courts and the legislative authority. By monitoring cases of corruption and tailor-made laws, it contributes to improving the rule of law, but also to reducing the gap and irregularities in the judicial system. Apart from its projects, TI-M also acts as a “watchdog” in its daily work for all policies and developments related to anti-corruption and the rule of law as a whole. With its initiatives, reactions and proposals for the improvement and advancement of policies, it is visible as an organization that fights for the implementation of the rule of law and respect for anti-corruption policies.

Beneficiaries

Beneficiaries both organizationally and of the project are Macedonian institutions, citizens, civil society organizations, the media and all relevant stakeholders in the fight against corruption.

Association for protection of worker’s rights Glasen Tekstilec – Shtip

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

Glasen Tekstilec is an organization established in 2017 by textile workers and human rights activists, since then they have been working on local, national, and international representation. Their mission is to have citizens who are part of the labor market/workers, are highly aware, educated, informed, and enjoy their rights, so Glasen Tekstilec will be a leading organization for the realization of labor and human rights in the Republic of North Macedonia, as well as protectors of good governance and management, are aimed at advancing labor rights.

To achieve all this, Glasen Tekstilec has several programs, such as:

Respect for labor rights and promotion of social dialogue at the local and national level;
Health and safety at work;
Promotion of gender equality and elimination of gender-based discrimination;
Youth, activism, and volunteerism;
European integrations;
Program for strengthening the institutional capacities of the organization:
Program for economic empowerment of women and girls.

Beneficiaries

The public;
Textile workers;
Representatives of civil society organizations;
Decision makers;
Representatives of state/national institutions;
Workers from the entire private sector;
Employees of Glasen Tekstilec.

Academic Inclusive Association

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

The Academic Inclusive Association advocates for the development of inclusive policies, educates various stakeholders, encourages the participation of people with disabilities in decision-making processes, provides them with support, and raises awareness about the need to improve their position and rights (AIA Mission). The main strategic objectives of the organization are:

Contribute to the social inclusion of people with disabilities based on inclusive policies and empowered individuals, institutions, and organizations.
Provide support to achieve equality and prevent discrimination against people with disabilities in the areas of education and employment.

Beneficiaries

People with disabilities, employers, political entities, and employees within the team of the Academic Inclusive Association.

Association for Educational Development Ekvalis Skopje

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

Association for Educational Development Ekvalis works with youth, activists and changemakers from all over the country to educate and strengthen their capacities on topics related to youth activism, gender and LGBTI+ equality and media literacy. Ekvalis strives to create safe spaces for all young people, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background or ability. Within these safe spaces, young people build meaningful connections based on a sense of trust, which then lead to their greater involvement in social processes and direct contribution to the LGBTI+, feminist and youth civic movement in North Macedonia.

Beneficiaries

With this project, Ekvalis strives to include as many young people as possible, primarily from Skopje, but also from all over the country. Special emphasis is placed on the inclusion of LGBTI+ youth and women, with the aim of creating a safe space for these young people who may not have it anywhere else. Beneficiaries of this project are also the employees of the organization, the governing board of the organization and the base of over 70+ existing volunteers. They will be significantly involved in the project through the capacity building process and through the creation of the new organizational development strategy 2025-2030.

Organization for Political Ecology

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

Polekol is an advocacy and activist civil society organization recognized by the public for gathering various initiatives focused on the protection of the environment, nature and commons, as well as for the promotion of green values (and social practices) focused on the well-being of people and nature.

Beneficiaries

Environmental initiatives and citizens in environmental endangered areas.

Association Leaders for Education, Activism and Development (LEAD)

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

LEAD’s strategic plan 2022-2025 identifies 4 strategic areas for action:

Internal capacities and financial sustainability
Student participation and activism in education
Educational processes and competencies in primary and secondary schools
Personal and social development of youth

Beneficiaries

Key users of the organization and the project are the following:

High school students in the entire territory of N. Macedonia
Teachers from secondary schools who are in charge of promoting student participation in their schools
Secondary schools in the territory of N. Macedonia
Teachers from primary and secondary schools
Students aged 18 to 22 from additional and technical sciences

Radio Interview on Makedonsko Radio Skopje

To acquaint the general public with the forthcoming regional conference titled: Peace and Prosperity in the Western Balkans, scheduled for December 14-15, 2023, our project manager Aleksandar Cekov was featured as a guest on the Makedonsko Radio on December 11, 2023.

During the broadcast, Cekov also discussed the SMART Balkans project objectives, provided an overview of the supported projects to date and the outcomes of previous awarded grants, aiming to highlight visible and measurable results demonstrating the success of our initiatives.

Listen to the interview below: