The project Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organisations - TACSO aims to strengthen the civil society within a participative democracy, to stimulate a civil society-friendly environment and culture, to strengthen the overall capacities and accountability of Civil Society Organisations (CSO) within IPA beneficiaries, the Western Balkans and Turkey, to guarantee the quality of service of CSOs and a sustainable role of the CSOs in the democratic processes. An important project component is contributing to stronger partnership between CSOs and local selfgovernments with the purpose of promoting and strengthening citizens´ participation in the decision making process.
It is for this reason that it has organised a regional conference on “Cooperation between Local Self-Governments and Civil Society Organisations in the Western Balkans and Turkey” held in February 2011, at Becici in Montenegro. The purpose of this Regional Conference was to provide forum to share topic related knowledge, information and experience among stakeholders from IPA countries.
The conference was organised in three plenary sessions, followed by group work which covered three thematic areas:
• mapping of institutional mechanisms on cooperation between CSOs and local self governments in the region thus enabling further exploring of relations between CSOs and local government
• exploring possibilities for further development of institutional mechanisms;
• identifying relevant actors and stakeholder for broadening regional cooperation.
• Transperancy and Accountability of Local Self-Governments and CSOs’ role
• Participation in the Decision-Making Processes – Mechanisms at the Local Level
• Financing of CSOs’ Actions at the Local Level