Programs: Advocacy, Civic Education, Civil Society Building and Institutional Development, Community Mobilization and Development, Electoral Processes, Local Democratic Governance

Countries: Romania, Serbia

ADF implemented the Romanians for Serbian Democracy program, locally referred to as the Regional Partnership for Democracy (RPD), with support from USAID/Romania in 2000-2001. The RPD encouraged the growth of democratic processes, democratic institutions and civil society in Serbia through the development of partnerships between Romanian and Serbian CSOs.

 

Under the RPD program, ADF provided technical assistance and grant funding to Romanian CSOs that worked with Serbian CSOs to strengthen democracy development in Serbia and foster citizen participation. Cooperative programs between Romanian and Serbian CSOs take place in a number of areas, including:

 

 

 

ADF applied a strategic approach that combined financial assistance, in the form of grants to Romanian NGOs, with technical assistance to stimulate and support Romanian partnerships with Serbian organizations contributing to democratic change. A key Romanian partner in ADF’s work under the RPD was the Euroregional Center for Democracy (CED). During the implementation of the RPD program, ADF and CED provided technical support to applicants and grant recipients. To increase effectiveness, group work sessions on project planning and proposal writing were organized and augmented by one-on-one technical assistance. ADF gave guidance on monitoring and evaluation and the necessary protocol for cross-border work in sensitive political and social environments. In addition, the organizations that participated in the program were required to develop sustainability plans.

 

Serbian and Romanian NGOs joined together on topics of regional importance, including the status and integration of minority populations, economic and social development in regions along the border, the issue of regional trafficking in human beings, and citizen input on policies. Young political leaders from Serbia and Romania participated in non-partisan regional education and exchange programs. Through these programs they gained skills in communication, negotiation, coalition building, and strategy development. They developed interpersonal relationships and networks that will be used in the years ahead.

 

The Serbian organizations involved in the RPD benefited both from the ADF expertise and from the experience and lessons learned of the Romanian partner organizations, which offered working patterns and formulae whose validity had already been tested. An important part of Serbian civil society adjusted its aims, objectives, and activities to the real and urgent needs of the country. The program also accelerated the clarification of priorities by major organizations within the Serbian NGO sector and their present and future role in democratic development.

 

Under Pro Democracy Association’s (APD) project, “Together for Democracy”, APD increased the Serbian group Otpor!’s capacity to effectively monitor electoral processes in Serbia. Representatives of Otpor! came to Romania to observe APD’s role and activities in Romanian electoral processes during the November 2000 elections. APD provided technical assistance on concrete techniques and strategies in establishing a role for civil society monitoring of electoral processes in Serbia. They transferred practical know-how and techniques for observing electoral processes. APD representatives went to Serbia to support Otpor! in applying new approaches and skills in the Serbian elections in December 2000. This project resulted in a significant increase in the degree and professionalism of civil society monitoring of electoral processes.

 

While many results were achieved in Serbia, the RPD program also had an important impact on Romania’s civil society sector. Through their cross-border work, Romanian NGOs gained more perspective and objectivity in assessing their own accomplishments in civil society development and a greater awareness regarding the evolution of democratic governance over the last decade. The work of these NGOs with their Serbian counterpart organizations required them to analyze their own successes and failures as they prepared to share the message, lessons learned, and success and failure. In addition, many of the cross-border projects had direct beneficial results for Romania, as with passage of Romania Law no. 544 on the free access to the information of public interest and Law no. 678/2001 addressing prevention and suppression of trafficking in human beings. Importantly, the RPD also offered Romanian organizations the opportunity to expand their activity and services beyond the national borders and to handle new challenges and constraints. As a result, participating organizations became more visible, better placed and more highly regarded both in the Romanian civil sector and among the South East European organizations.

 

Civil society organizations in Romania and Serbia have shown enthusiasm for the RPD program and have made considerable matching contributions to the resources invested in the program. A number of excellent programs have been conceptualized and undertaken, and there are good prospects for continued growth and linkages between ADF’s partner organizations on both sides of the border. Over the first year, twenty (20) collaborative programs took place with ADF support. Examples of the wide range of programs include establishing regional networks for exchange and cooperation between Romanian and Serbian entrepreneurs and citizen oversight groups, technical support for the creation of a local NGO support center in Serbia, programs to promote access to information in Romania and the FRY, and exchange programs for young political leaders.