OSCE Mission to Moldova organizes capacity-building event for civil society organizations from both banks of the river

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized on 13-15 November a seminar for civil society representatives from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River, on establishing and developing partnerships with local authorities, media and businesses.

Twenty-four participants had the opportunity to discuss legislation and their experiences and best practices, while receiving professional advice from trainers.

“NGOs often show admirable commitment in their work but to some extent lack in capacities essential for their daily contacts with authorities, media or businesses,” said Hartmut Rank, Rule of Law Adviser at the OSCE Mission to Moldova. “Based on the very active participation we have witnessed in the seminar as well as the positive feedback we received after the event, we are convinced that such a training course will prove to be a small but relevant cornerstone in the foundation of a more active civil society on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru river,” he added.

Elena Stepanova, a participant from Dubasari, said: “It is necessary to engage with local authorities to promote social entrepreneurship, especially by supporting it at the initial stages. Social businesses can help to solve community problems and can change people's lives for the better.”

This seminar was organized as part of the project “Building Effective Partnerships – Engaging Civil Society in Conflict Resolution Processes”. The overall goal of the project is to establish a common sustainable civic platform of civil society from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River. The event took place as a result of the thematic group meetings organized in spring 2014, aimed to assess the training needs of civil society.