Duration of the action

24 months

Objectives of the action

Overall objective:
Strengthening civil society in Ukraine, Moldova and the Southern Caucasus and its involvement in the solution of political, social, cultural and other problems in their countries, and in their region.
Specific objective:

• To strengthen capacity building, organisational and communication skills of civil society leaders in Ukraine, Moldova and Southern Caucasus.
• To educate and inform civil society leaders about European democratic processes, standards and values.
• To increase the ability of civil society organisations and their activists to promote domestically Council of Europe standards and use them in their contacts with the authorities.
• To connect emerging civil society leaders with their peers from the Black sea region countries and international non-governmental organisations.
• To contribute to dialogue and confidence building between different communities in frozen conflicts zones in the Southern Caucasus and Transnistria.

Target group(s)

Civil society leaders and activists.
Selection criteria:

• Professional experience, consistency in job performance;
• Involvement in civic action;
• Demonstrated leadership qualities; and
• Potential to use knowledge gained to the benefit of society upon completion of the programme.

Each year, the CSLN Selection Board will select two groups of 6 participants respectively, from each of the five countries for training. The programme will be made up of three four-day sessions over a twelve-month period.  The project will run two training programmes annually, so that altogether each year, a total of 60 persons, and over the two-year duration of the project, 120 civil society leaders, would have been trained. The knowledge acquired should help them to effectively run their organisations and advocate the rights and interests of the citizens in their countries. 
To ensure that the CSLN attracts the most promising third-sector professionals and volunteers from the region, information about the project will be diffused through the press, the web and by e-mail announcements.  The search for members will target hundreds of potential applicants. Applications will consist of a resume, a statement of interest and a professional recommendation. An independent CSLN Selection Board consisting of the CoE, local project managers as well as leading civil society representatives from all five countries will review all applications and choose the finalists.

Main activities

The Civil Society Leadership Network to be created during the two years of the programme will unite 120 civil society leaders from Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. 
The project will include three main directions:

• Educational and capacity-building programmes

CSLN members will attend three four-day educational programmes over one year. The programme will include lectures, small workshops, case studies, training sessions and round table discussions. Two groups of up to 30 participants from five countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) will be selected each year. 
Educational and training sessions will centre on the topical modules (Civil Society – Government Co-operation, Public Policy and Regional Co-operation) and skills training conducted by local and international practitioners, policy makers and experts.  CSLN seminars and training will include topics such as the rule of law, the challenges of globalisation, the development of NGOs in Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus, European standards and practice, regional energy policy, advocacy etc.

• Networking activities

Networking events/tools will include:

• CSLN conference where members will share the results of their work and discuss important regional issues with experts and leading members of civil society, academia, businesses, media and government.
• CSLN will maintain its website in order to make available information on how to be enrolled as well as to publish the online questionnaire for potential participants, the programme of events, the list of lecturers and trainers and other useful information.  The website will also be used to announce additional events to be organised under the aegis of the CSLN and its alumni, and to promote the exchange of information between the CSLN alumni. CSLN will also maintain a mailing list that will give CSLN alumni the opportunity to maintain formal and informal contact with one another during and after the two-year programme.
• Regional publications.
• CSLN will offer members and alumni a platform for publishing reports and analysis related to their work. 

Identification of perceived needs and constraints in the target country/ies, in particular in the region(s) concerned

The goal of the CSLN is to foster a generation of civil society leaders who can advocate for democratic policy changes, promote European standards in democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Ukraine, Moldova and the Southern Caucasus, and give them the skills necessary to implement their vision for the region.
The project addresses needs connected with the quality and sustainability of leadership and work existing in the third sector of Ukraine, Moldova and the Southern Caucasus, including:

• Further atomisation of societies in the post-Soviet countries led to a breakdown of close ties between neighbouring countries of the region.  Many issues that new independent states have faced in the last decade can be solved by joint actions.  Therefore,  there is a pressing need to restore networks and establish lasting relationships among civil society leaders of the region;
• Existing regional conflicts may not only cause new wars, but they also impede social and economic development of countries in the region.  Even though there are a number of activities by international organisations aimed at conflict resolution, the role of civil societies in mending the gap between conflicting parties cannot be underestimated; there is a need to establish the framework for regular contacts between NGOs from zones of regional conflicts.

Existing leadership programmes in the region have yet to reach their full potential; they tend to focus on one particular country. The CSLN’s formula for success is to build on greater inclusion by linking participants from various neighbouring countries, with mentors from European governments and institutions. It provides the target groups with the opportunity to establish contacts, support each other in joint activities, share their common values, and empower themselves to effectively contribute to the improvement of the social, economic and democratic situations in their native countries.

Concrete outputs

• Four full educational programmes for civil society leaders, emphasizing democratic values and European standards

Each educational programme will include three seminars organised during a one-year period. Therefore, during the project implementation period, 12 seminars will be held in at least 3 countries (Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia). 120 civil society leaders (24 people from each country) will be involved.   

• An established network to connect civil society leaders in Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus and a new mechanism of communicating among themselves.

120 influential civil society leaders from Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus will become members of the Civil Society Leadership Network. The alumni conference for 120 participants will provide the possibility to strengthen communication and co-operation between participants.    

• Increased quality and quantity of information available to civil society leaders in the region

CSLN members will have the possibility to exchange their views and collaborate in the preparation of regional publications on hot issues of relationships between and/or common problems for the countries of the region. All materials will be available for civil society leaders from the region on CSLN web page.