Category: Donors and Partners

The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

DONOR
The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively involved in addressing issues such as poverty reduction, climate change, respect for human rights and the rule of law and eliminating conflict, along with coordinating and carrying out Dutch foreign policy.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina

As of 2012, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports the implementation of BIRN BiH Justice Series Programme through its MATRA Program.

MATRA is a program run by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs that supports the process of social transformation in Central and Eastern Europe.

MATRA seeks in particular to strengthen the fabric of civil society, stressing the importance of cooperation and interaction between the private and public bodies.

In Kosovo

The ministry also provides support to a variety of development programmes implemented by BIRN Kosovo.

In Serbia

Matra supports the efforts of BIRN Serbia and its partner organisation ProConcept in developing the “Make your own budget” web application for the Parliament of Serbia.

Web: Official web site

Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

DONOR
The Royal Norweigan Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively involved in addressing issues such as corruption, civil society development, culture, public diplomacy and information activities, gender issues, peace and state building, respect of human rights and eliminating conflict, in addition to coordinating and carrying out Norway’s foreign policy

The Ministry provided support to the implementation of BIRN BiH Justice Series Programme (2008-2016), and BIRN Hub project Advancing Sustainability of Independent Online Investigative Journalism (2007-2015).

Web: https://www.regjeringen.no/en/id4/

Open Society Fund Bosnia and Herzegovina (OSF)

DONOR
Open Society Fund Bosnia and Herzegovina is an independent, nonprofit organisation founded in 1993 as part of the Open Society Foundations.

The Fund works to restore a sense of community and future among the country’s young people through programs that promote civic engagement.

The fund’s education activities focus on advancing social inclusion, overturning school segregation, and facilitating long-term education reform through initiatives such as the publication of new textbooks that reject ethnic stereotypes.

The fund also seeks to build a local civil society that can give communities an active and effective role in guiding development policies. The fund uses local engagement to advance anticorruption and good governance. The fund has been a leader in promoting Roma inclusion and empowerment.

At the local level, the Fund has implemented a number of initiatives to improve the justice system, education, health, and independent media for the protection and improvement of people’s lives in marginalized communities.

The Open Society Fund in BiH has previously supported BIRN BiH’s Justice Series Programme.

Web: www.soros.org.ba

Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

DONOR
The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organisation, with 56 states from Europe, Central Asia and North America.

It offers a forum for political negotiations and decision-making in the fields of early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation, and puts the political will of its participating States into practice through its unique network of field missions.

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and  human aspects.

It addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism, and economic and environmental activities.

Web: http://www.osce.org/mission-to-serbia

Radio Television of Kosovo, RTK

PARTNER
RTK is Kosovo’s public service broadcaster. It includes a television service – broadcast on the terrestrial transmitter network and digital satellite – and two radio stations. RTK television is the market leader and is watched by 92.1 percent of the population.

RTK is committed to fair, balanced and accurate news and information and to serving all the communities of Kosovo. RTK is led by a Director General who is answerable to a non-political Board of Directors.

RTK partners with BIRN Kosovo on the Media Production programme; the public network broadcasts BIRN Kosovo’s Life in Kosovo and Justice in Kosovo weekly televised programmes.

Web: www.rtklive.com

Reporters Without Borders Germany

DONOR
Reporters Without Borders Germany is the German section of the international human rights organisation Reporters sans Frontières.

Reporters Without Borders Germany aims to defend human rights, in particular freedom of the press and the right to inform and be informed anywhere in the world.

For this purpose the association aims:

To raise public awareness of the issue of human rights and mobilise the public to support journalists and media that have become victims of repression;

To gather, process and diffuse information by all appropriate means, in particular by investigative missions and the support of newspapers and TV and radio stations that have been threatened or are oppressed for political reasons, thus hindering the free formation of public opinion;

To support media persecuted for their research.

Web: https://www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de/

Robert Bosch Stiftung

DONOR
The Robert Bosch Stiftung is one of the major German foundations associated with a private company and has managed the philanthropic bequest of company founder Robert Bosch for more than 40 years.

The Foundation aims to respond to social challenges and develop new solutions. To do so, it organises a wide range of projects and programmes independently and supports many project ideas developed by others. People are at the center of all our activities because people are the basis of innovation. This was also the approach adopted by our founder, Robert Bosch.

The Foundation supports programs in health and science; education, society and culture; international relations in Western Europe, America, Turkey, Japan and India; and international relations in Central and Southeastern Europe, CIS and China.

The Robert Bosch Stiftung supported BIRN Hub’s Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence.

Web: https://www.bosch-stiftung.de/de

Swiss Cultural Programme in the Western Balkans

DONOR
The Swiss Cultural Programme in the Western Balkans is run by Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, upon mandate of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC.

The overall goal of the Swiss Cultural Programme in the Western Balkans is to contribute to the promotion of democracy and freedom of expression, to conflict resolution and the respect of minorities through employment of cultural instruments and fostering of regional cooperation, thus facilitating the formation and preservation of independent and diversified cultural landscapes.

The Swiss Cultural Programme works in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. The programme’s strategic and operational management is based in the regional office in Sarajevo.

The Swiss Cultural Programme in the Western Balkans supports BIRN Hub’s Balkan Initiative for Cultural Cooperation, Exchange and Development (BICCED).

Web: Official web site

The Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC)

PARTNER
The Advocacy Training and Resource Center is based on the belief that an informed citizenry is the key to a democratic society.

Based in Prishtina, ATRC trains and assists NGOs in Kosovo to professionalise their work. ATRC works to help NGOs in Kosovo to engage in successful advocacy and to strengthen cooperation and the exchange of information and resources among them.

Web: http://www.advocacy-center.org/

The Centre for Free Elections and Democracy, CeSID

PARTNER
CeSID is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation founded in Serbia in 1997. The organisation deals with election monitoring in Serbia and the parallel counting of votes.

The organisation aims to disseminate knowledge about democratic institutions, to enhance citizens’ awareness of the importance of free and fair elections,  and to raise awareness of the importance of the efficient functioning of state institutions in the period between elections.

Web: www.cesid.org