In the second phase of the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) covering the years 2014-2020, civil society has been defined as a sector to show the importance attributed to civil society. The Ministry for European Affairs, as the leading institution for the programming of EU financial assistance within the civil society sector, is responsible for the coordination among the relevant institutions and organizations.
In the new period, projects are being developed by the Ministry for European Affairs and public institutions for developing the capacity of civil society organizations, strengthening public-civil society cooperation, improving the legal framework and strengthening EU-Turkey civil society dialogue.
The fourth of the Civil Society Sector Workshops held within the context of the “Technical Assistance for Support to the Preparation and Implementation of the Turkey Civil Society Sub-Sector Programming 2016-2017” which is implemented by the Ministry for European Affairs, was held on 24 October 2017 in Gaziantep with the participation of civil society organizations in Gaziantep.
The workshop started with the opening speech of EU Deputy Minister Ali Sahin. Then, the participants were informed about the “civil society sector” and the operation of the programming process by the representatives of the Ministry for European Affairs. The morning session of the workshop ended with the presentation of the grant opportunities available to civil society organizations within the scope of EU financial aid in the new period.
In the afternoon session of the workshop, discussions were held on the priorities of civil society organizations and how the civil society sector could be actively involved in the programming process. In addition, participants had the chance to present their opinions and suggestions on projects to be designed to support civil society organizations in the upcoming programming period.
The presentations from the workshop are accessible at below links:
Civil Society Sector and Programming Process
Grant Opportunities for CSOs within the Context of EU Financial Aid
The fifth of the Civil Society Sector Workshops will be held in Trabzon on 31 October 2017. Please visit www.ab.gov.tr/50924.html for more information and application form.
In addition, a workshop will be held in Ankara on November 16, 2017 in order to share workshop outputs and to ensure active participation of civil society in planning for the upcoming years. For detailed information and application, please visit www.ab.gov.tr/50959.html.
The workshops aim to increase the awareness and knowledge of CSOs about the civil society sector in order to ensure their contribution to the programming process and information on grant schemes to be implemented in the upcoming period.