Another batch of fellowships under the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowship Programme has been granted to young civil society activists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to strengthen their contributions to civil society development in their respective countries. The 2018 EaP Civil Society Fellowship call resulted in 71 applications submitted to the attention of the Evaluation Committee; from that number, 20 new fellows, of them 13 women and 7 men aged between 20 and 36 from all the EaP countries, have been selected based on their track-record of achievements to date and the strong potential they demonstrated in their proposals to act as champions of change in the civic sphere.
On 21-23 March 2018 the EaP Civil Society Facility hold a series of webinars for potential applicants of the Call for Applications under 2018 EaP Civil Society Fellowships (with the DEADLINE on 9 April 2018). 10 Civil Society Fellows-2017 presented their Fellowship actions, shared their experience and answered the questions of potential applicants of the current Call for Applications.
The European Union is committed to supporting civil society in Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. Developing leadership capacities and skills of future civil society leaders is one of the commitments made by the European Union in its policy on achieving ’20 Deliverables for 2020. Focusing on key priorities and tangible results’. This support is an investment in the development of young civic activists or civically minded individuals from the EaP region, who display interest and ability in taking leading roles in the development of their societies.
On February 16, 2018, 21 young Civil Society Fellows from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine convened in Kyiv to enhance their leadership skills and discuss the progress of their projects during the mid-term event organised by the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Facility. At the beginning of the event Ms. Sinziana POIANA, the Policy Officer for Civil Society Support of the European Commission, DG NEAR, has addressed to the audience and outlined the recent milestones in EaP Civil Society Fellowship Programme’s implementation and underscored the unwavering commitment of the EU to support the development of stronger civil societies in the EaP countries. “In 2015, the EU has enabled the EU Neighbourhood Policy review, and, in this Communication, we have committed ourselves to invest more in building leadership of young leaders of civil society organisations through the Civil Society Fellowship Programme. Last year we have also committed to include civil society in the so-called 20 Deliverables for 2020 in the Eastern Partnership. […] your Programme is one of the landmark deliverables for us,” she stressed.
Twenty EaP Civil Society Fellows – young civil activists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, gathered in Kyiv for the Orientation Meeting of the 2017 EaP Civil Society Fellowship Programme.
Twenty young activists in the civic sphere in the Eastern Partnership region have been awarded Fellowships under the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Facility, to pursue a programme of activities that will allow them to develop their leadership skills, and enhance their contribution to civil society development in their respective countries.
Learn more about the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowships in one click with our infographics.
Of all the tenets of United Europe the one of empowered and thriving civil society has always been at the core. Deeply believing in true democratic values as prerequisite for peace, growth and development, the EU has long committed to stand by these values and is ready to share its experience with every nation willing to embrace the way of democratic change.
As the Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – have proclaimed their intent for building their future in the spirit of democracy, human rights and freedoms and free market-driven economic development, their demand for new knowledge and skills necessary to introduce changes has been met by the EU with readiness to provide every possible expertise and support necessary to make reforms in these countries happen.