partners - albania programs

MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE STORIES
PARTNERS-ALBANIA TRAINING PROGRAM CONTRIBUTES TO THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST ADVISORY COMMISSION OF NPOS IN DURRËS
MUNICIPALITY
Name of program: Democracy and Governance in Albania / Training Program
Name and location of organization: Civil Society Development Center (CSDC)-Durrës
Date/month in which it occurred: February-April 2006
Theme: Promoting NPO Participation in Local Decision-Making
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this case study is to present a significant improvement in cooperation
between the civil society sector and local government in Albania as a result of training and
technical assistance delivered by Partners-Albania in the framework of the Democracy
and Governance in Albania Program (DGA).
The Civil Society Development Center in Durrës, the coordinator of this initiative, referred
the story to Partners-Albania.
CIVIL SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT CENTER BACKGROUND
The network of five Civil Society Development Centers (CSDCs) in Albania was created
in 2001 by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Netherlands Development Organization
(SNV). The Centers were administered by the project partners and funded until the end
of 2003 by the Dutch Government. As part of their sustainability strategy, the CSDC
in Durrës was registered as a Center in May 2004, according to Albanian non-profit
organizational law. The Center is now a legal entity, and changed its status from a project
to an implementing partner of the OSCE Presence in Albania.
The mission of CSDC-Durrës is to contribute to an articulate and vocal civil society
by giving free space to the community to meet, discuss, debate and learn. The Center
also facilitates joint activities by Local Government and civil society organizations, in
order to encourage cooperation and dialogue between different actors in the community.
The Center also provides advice and consultancy on interaction between civil society
organizations and the Local Government. To fulfill this role, in collaboration with some
other organizations operating in the city of Durrës, CSDC-Durrës started its efforts to be
part of the local decision making process by founding the first Advisory Commission of
Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) in the city of Durrës.
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE STORY
The idea of creating the Advisory Commission came up during the training courses in
“Cooperative Planning” and “Participatory Governance” for the NPO sector and local
Activity Report September 2004 - September 2006 29