Starting 2016, FOND has continuously developed its research and analysis component. In this sense, under the auspices of FOND, several studies and reports have beend developed, highlighting the trends of civil society development in the Black Sea region.
- The study ”Enabling Environment for Civil Society in the Black Sea Region: http://www.blackseango.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Report-on-Enabling-Environment-for-Civil-Society-in-the-Black-Sea-Region.-Second-Edition.pdf
- The report "The Black Sea NGO Forum a Decade on Evaluation, Impact and Perspective": http://www.blackseango.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/The-Black-Sea-NGO-Forum-a-decade-on-Evaluation-Impact-and-Perspectives-2017.pdf
- The Articles Series “Building Knowledge for CSO Cooperation in the Black Sea Region”: https://blackseango.org/articles-series/
- The study "CSO Development Effectiveness Principles for the Black Sea Region": https://blackseango.org/study-cso-development-effectiveness-principles-for-the-black-sea-region/
- The research "Shrinking of the Civic Space in the post-COVID-19 pandemic in the Black Sea region": https://blackseango.org/study-shrinking-of-the-civic-space-in-the-post-covid-19-pandemic-in-the-black-sea-region/
Starting in 2016, the Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND developed its research and analysis component. Thus, under the auspices of the FOND, were developed several studies, research, and analysis reports that highlighted trends in the development of civil society at the level of the Black Sea region. The first extensive study developed by FOND Romania was launched in December 2016. The study ”Enabling Environment for Civil Society in the Black Sea Region. Second Edition” aimed monitoring the environment in which civil society operates, both at national and regional level.
http://www.blackseango.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Report-on-Enabling-Environment-for-Civil-Society-in-the-Black-Sea-Region.-Second-Edition.pdf The second research coordinated by FOND Romania was published in 2017, dedicated to analyzing the evolution of the Black Sea NGO Forum after a decade of organization. The report "The Black Sea NGO Forum a Decade on Evaluation, Impact and Perspective" was developed by Kerry Longhurst PhD, Jean Monnet Professor, Collegium Civitas, Warsaw, Poland and Visiting Professor, College of Europe, Natolin, Poland, in the period July – September 2017. This report has been elaborated with the financial support of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in partnership with the United Nations Development Program – Regional Center for Europe and Central Asia. http://www.blackseango.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/The-Black-Sea-NGO-Forum-a-decade-on-Evaluation-Impact-and-Perspectives-2017.pdf
In February 2021, we have launched the Articles Series “Building Knowledge for CSO Cooperation in the Black Sea Region”, in the context of the project “Building CSO Capacity for Regional Cooperation within the Black Sea Region”, funded by the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (BST), a project of the German Marshall Fund. The Article Series includes 7 analyses dedicated to topics related to consolidating regional cooperation, CSO leadership and CSO resilience in the Black Sea Region during crisis times.
https://blackseango.org/articles-series/ The study on the CSO Development Effectiveness Principles is addressing the level of implementation of the CSO Development Effectiveness Principles in the Black Sea region. The study was developed by Ms. Luciana Alexandra Ghica and Mr. Bogdan Mihai Radu (Centre for International Cooperation and Development Studies, University of Bucharest), at the request of the Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND. This study report is funded within the CPDE-SIDA Programme „Promoting the Universal Application of EDC for The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’’ and can be accessed here. https://blackseango.org/study-cso-development-effectiveness-principles-for-the-black-sea-region/ The research Shrinking of the Civic Space in the post-COVID-19 pandemic in the Black Sea region, developed by Mr Mark Mazureanu, Mr Danu Marin, Ms Sanda Sandu, Mr Ilie Prodan (Association for Student and Youth Initiatives’ Support ASIST), at the request of the Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND, aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on civil society sector development in the Black Sea region countries. This study is funded within the CPDE-EU ‘‘Advancing CSO Advocacy and Capacity on EDC and Partnerships” and can be accessed here. https://blackseango.org/study-shrinking-of-the-civic-space-in-the-post-covid-19-pandemic-in-the-black-sea-region/
Încă din anul 2008, FOND contribuie la demersurile CONCORD Europe de monitorizare a Asistenței Oficiale pentru Dezvoltare (AOD) acordată de statele membre UE, prin elaborarea paginii de țară privind AOD acordată de România, cu focus pe provocări şi recomandări. Această iniţiativă europeană, având drept scop monitorizarea calităţii şi cantităţii Asistenţei Oficiale pentru Dezvoltare acordată ţărilor aflate în curs de dezvoltare de țările membre UE, reprezinta, totodată, un important instrument de advocacy, folosit pentru a influența decidenții în elaborarea și implementarea politicii de cooperare internațională pentru dezvoltare, atât la nivel național, cât și la nivel european.
FOND also aims to facilitate the involvement of its members in the relevant national and European consultation processes regarding policy elaboration and implementation in the field of international development cooperation and humanitarian aid.
Considering the humanitarian crises that humanity has faced recently (the COVID19 crisis and the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine), FOND, through its members, but also through the efforts made by FOND’s Secretariat, was involved in the response to the crisis and strives to be involved, alongside with other representatives of civil society, in the post-war reconstruction and stabilization plans.
Education for development
Începând din anul 2010, FOND organizează anual Școala Română de Dezvoltare, un eveniment tradițional în domeniul cooperării internaționale pentru dezvoltare, având drept obiectiv creșterea nivelului de conștientizare privind domeniul dezvoltării internaționale pentru dezvoltare și asistenței umanitare și educarea publicului larg cu privire la diverse tematici din sfera dezvoltării internaționale. Evenimentul reunește anual zeci de participanți provenind din partea societății civile naționale, europene și internaționale, instituțiilor publice de profil din România, instituțiilor europene, organizațiilor internaționale și mediului academic.
The Black Sea NGO Forum is a traditional event, organized by FOND since 2008. Through this event, FOND aims to increase the level of dialogue and cooperation between civil society organizations in the extended Black Sea region, by strengthening the capacity NGOs in the region to influence regional and national policies and by increasing the quality of regional thematic cooperation and the number of regional partnerships.
The Forum operates based on a Strategic Framework for Cooperation between CSOs, which regulates the organization of thematic working groups and defines the main strategic priorities, (such as cooperation between NGOs for the creation of regional thematic networks and the promotion of an enabling environment for civil society development at the regional level) and gathers 14 working groups organized around the following topics: sustainable development, civic engagement, culture and education, human rights, anticorruption, media and communication, sustainability and resilience of civil society, knowledge development networks, regional networks, youth policies, volunteer work development, corporate social responsability, sustainable development.
Since 2013, the Black Sea NGO Forum has received substantial support from important partners, such as the European Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, and CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness – CPDE.
Humanitarian assistance is one of the key areas of interest for FOND and for its member organizations. FOND provides the context to make recommendations on humanitarian aid through practical actions of member organizations that work directly with the tools needed in this field. FOND actively engages, in a transparent manner, in the development of public policies, laws and strategies regarding humanitarian aid at the national and European level.
The Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND is carrying out the "SOS Ukraine!" Humanity without borders" campaign from March 2022, through which it supports 12 non-governmental organizations from Ukraine, traditional federation partners and active participants in the Black Sea NGO Forum. This campaign supports Ukrainian NGOs working at the community level in Kyiv and other localities, including near military operations (Mykolaiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Sloviansk, Odessa and beyond), where humanitarian assistance is more difficult to provide. The actions supported by the FOND and its partner, Heineken, come to the aid of civilians, ensuring their current needs: shelters for internally displaced persons, medical assistance, legal assistance, food and equipment necessary to prevent infection with various diseases as a result of the expansion of military operations.
