November 2004, Issue no 31
http://resource.regional.net
impact@regionalnet.org

1. Funding Opportunities

2. Announcements and Upcoming Events

3. Useful Links

LSE/ OSI/ FCO Chevening Faculty Fellowship Programme - Visiting Junior Fellowships 2004/ 2005


General Information for Applicants
1. The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), with funding from the Open Society Institute (OSI) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), offers up to ten individual grants for 3-month study visits at the London School of Economics and Political Science for junior/middle level faculty from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and FR Yugoslavia (Republic of Serbia, Republic of Montenegro and Kosovo province at present under UN administration).

2. Awards are for academic staff employed by the universities and higher educational institutions in the aforementioned countries specialising in social sciences. They are intended to enable prospective candidates to upgrade their teaching and research skills, teaching methods and curricula.

3. Prospective candidates:
a. Are nationals of and normally resident in one of the aforementioned countries at the time of applying for the award
b. Have held a teaching position at a university or higher educational institution in the country of residence for more than 2 years
c. Have a PhD or have submitted a PhD thesis
d. Are not older than 45 at the time of applying for the fellowship.

4. Each award will provide a stipend for living expenses sufficient for a single Fellow, return economy airfare and book allowance. The costs of health insurance will also be covered by the grant. On completion of the fellowships, faculty are expected to return to their home country.

5. Junior fellows who manage to develop collaborative research and/or teaching activities with their LSE counterparts will be eligible for the renewal of the grant.

6. Every application must comprise:
a) Four completed copies of the Application Forms http://www.lse.ac.uk/Depts/global/ApplicationVisitingFellowship.pdf
b) An outline of proposed course syllabi and research proposal
c) Applicant's CV
d) 2 reference letters sent directly to the LSE/OSI/FCO Administrator at the address below.
Short- listed candidates will be required to attend an interview. The costs of travel for the interview will be covered by the grant awarding body.
Completed application forms should be submitted by registered post or emailed to reach the LSE at the address below.

More information
LSE/OSI/FCO Administrative Officer
Centre for the Study of Global Governance
Room M207
London School of Economics
Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
Email: i.p.rangelov@lse.ac.uk


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The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) - Training programme on human rights, February 21 - March 18, 2005 and September 19 - 23, 2005, Lund, Sweden and Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro


The training course aims to provide participants with in-depth knowledge of international and regional systems for the promotion and protection of human rights, regional and international monitoring mechanisms and national implementation procedures in the field of human rights. The programme will also provide an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas and experiences from their national contexts. Through the programme, participants will gain knowledge in the area of human rights which can be utilised in the participants' own field of work. The training course will be held in English.

The training course is targeted primarily to mid-level and senior officials in public service, but it is also open to representatives from academic institutions and non-governmental organisations. Candidates from the following countries can apply: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, FYRO Macedonia, Albania as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. In total 25 participants will be invited.

SIDA will cover all the costs related to accommodation, food, participation fee and international travel costs to and from Sweden. Participants will have to cover costs related to visa.

More information
Website: http://www.rwi.lu.se/index.shtml


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Internship with UNFPA
Application deadline: November 15, 2004


Y-PEER/UNFPA is announcing the second round of the internship with UNFPA in New York. This internship program is designed to give current or recent undergraduate and graduate university students from developing countries opportunities at appropriate levels of the organization to engage youth in policy development and programming; To help build the capacity of young people in addressing population, sexual and reproductive health, gender, and HIV/AIDS issues, especially in the context of achieving the Millennium Development Goals most relevant to young people; and to sensitize both the young people and the UNFPA staff on various modalities of working together to address adolescent and youth issues.

The internship program will run from January to July 2005.
How Will The Internship Work?
Selected interns will develop a working relationship with UNFPA staff working on the assignments that might include:
- Providing inputs on UNFPA programmes and policies on young people
- Facilitating Y-PEER networks
- Participating in project/programme reviews within Technical Support Division or Geographic Divisions
- Attending cluster meetings, and other UNFPA meetings as appropriate
- Providing briefings to relevant units as needed
- Assisting in updating the UNFPA website on adolescents and youth
- Preparing youth reports as needed
- Providing relevant inputs to meetings of the Youth Advisory Panel
- Consulting/ Coordinating with other members of the Youth Advisory Panel on various youth issues

How Do I Apply?
Applicants should send a current resume (C.V.); a cover letter identifying their technical skills and interests with an explanation of how the internship matches the applicant's career goals or why they should be considered for the internship; and UN P-11 form with indicated references.
A special committee, composed of three representatives from various units of the Fund will serve as the screening body for candidates.

The criteria for selection of candidates may include:
- Youth aged 20-24 years old
- Appropriate consideration for gender and geographic balance
- Established interest and dedication to development issues through previous experiences or affiliation with a youth network or NGO working on development issues
- Leadership and advocacy skills (based on background and profile) that may be established through endorsement and assessment
- Basic understanding of issues of importance to UNFPA and what the organization stands for
- Commitment to return to home country to undertake follow up work with young people
- Experience with Y-PEER will be an asset.

Financial and Administrative support
In addition to development opportunities to experience working with a UN agency such as UNFPA, all qualified candidates will be provided the following benefits:
- Cost of travel from and back to the country of origin
- Assistance with travel documents and visa requirements
- Health insurance
- Housing arrangements
- Subsistence allowance (for meals and other basic needs)
- A work station
-Opportunities to be mentored by UNFPA staff members on various issues of interest to the interns
- Administrative assistance as required on a daily basis.

More information
Website: http://www.youthpeer.org/news.asp
Email: youthprogramme@unfpa.org, cc: y-peer@unfpa.org


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ICTJ and University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, Canada - Transitional Justice Fellowship Program
Application deadline: November 15, 2004


The ICTJ has established an ad hoc Transitional Justice Fellowship Program in conjunction with the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law in Canada. Mark Freeman, an ICTJ consultant and visiting professor of law, will direct the program. Participants who successfully complete the fellowship will receive a Certificate in Transitional Justice from the ICTJ.

Who should apply?
The program seeks to attract candidates who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions to discussions about transitional justice in the coming years. The program seeks to empower people with knowledge and analysis so that they may implement the lessons learned from experiences in other countries. Although the selection process will strive to achieve a mix of people at different levels in their careers, as well as a diverse group from various backgrounds, the ideal candidate's profile generally will be a mid- to upper-level human rights professional who already has demonstrated a deep commitment and made important contributions to transitional justice debates in his or her home country.

The candidates for the program lawyers, journalists, teachers, human rights professionals, social workers, and other professionals who are committed to ensuring that their society deals with the past in a just and responsible manner will be selected through a rigorous process.
There will be 4 fellows selected in total for the 2005 program.

Who is eligible to participate?
For 2005, professionals from the following places are eligible to apply:
- Bosnia and Hercegovina
- Serbia and Montenegro
- Kosovo
- Croatia
Candidates must demonstrate a high level of competence in the English language.

How does the program work?

Fellows will attend a course on Transitional Justice at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law every weekday from 08:30-11:30am between 4 - 20 January 2005. Professor Mark Freeman will teach the course. There will be 25 University of Ottawa law and graduate students in the class. The Fellows will attend and participate in the class alongside them. The course will cover the mechanisms of transitional justice on their own merits and through the lens of international law. The course will also cover a wide range of country case studies in which the objectives and mechanisms of transitional justice can be examined and critically assessed. Fellows will be asked to share experiences, relate the lessons of their academic work and fieldwork, and debate critical areas surrounding the dynamics of transitional justice. Professor Freeman may try to arrange some meetings for the fellows with government officials, judges and NGOs during the period of the program. He will discuss this with fellows before their arrival in Ottawa.

Applications must include:
- A completed application form
- An up-to-date curriculum vitae
- A fellowship statement explaining the candidate's professional goals (2 pages maximum)
- One letter of recommendation (sent separately).

More information
Email: fellowships@ictj.org


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Support to town-twinning actions stimulating active European citizenship (civic participation) - 2005
Application deadline:
First phase: until 15 November 2004 for actions beginning between 15 March and 30 April 2005.
Second phase: until 3 January 2005 for actions beginning between 1 May and 15 June 2005.
Third phase: until 15 February 2005 for actions beginning between 16 June and 31 July 2005.
Fourth phase: until 1 April 2005 for actions beginning between 1 August and 30 September 2005.
Fifth phase: until 1 June 2005 for actions beginning between 1 October and 31 December 2005.


PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES:
The action programme seeks to strengthen the dialogue between the European Union
and its citizens with a view to encouraging the emergence of an active and participatory European citizenship.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
Its objectives related to this specific call are:
- To involve citizens closely in reflection and discussion on the construction of the European Union;
- To intensify links and exchanges between citizens from the countries participating in the programme;
- To promote and disseminate the values and objectives of the European Union.

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES:
The call for proposals is aimed at supporting two kinds of actions:

A: Meetings bringing together citizens in the framework of new or existing twinning arrangements between towns and municipalities in the European Union.
The participants should take part in activities that
- widen their knowledge of the European Union and its policies
and/or
- enable active civic participation in Europe.
This can be achieved particularly through joint activities and the concrete exchange of experience on questions related to the daily lives of Europeans.

B: Conferences in the framework of town-twinning dealing with European themes and training seminars for town-twinning officers.
- Thematic conferences must be aimed at raising awareness on European policies or facilitating exchange of experience between twinned municipalities on the implementation of these policies.
- Training seminars must be targeted at persons responsible for town twinning
and enable them to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for organising twinning projects.

WHO CAN APPLY:
1. Eligible applicants
To be eligible a grant applicants must have a legal personality and be the municipality, in which the meeting takes place, or its twinning association/committee

2. Eligible countries
- The 25 Member States of the European Union;
- Furthermore an EEA/EFTA country or a candidate country (Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey) will be eligible if, by the deadline for submission of grant applications, an agreement on participation in the programme has been concluded between the country concerned and the Commission.

Citizens from non-eligible countries may participate. However only participants from eligible countries will be taken into account in the grant calculation.

PROJECT DURATION:
A. Meetings of citizens.
The maximum duration of the projects is three weeks.

B. Conferences and seminars.
The maximum duration of the projects is one week.

FINANCING CONDITIONS:
Meetings between citizens must
- be organised in the framework of new or existing twinning arrangements between towns and municipalities in the eligible countries,
- involve at least two eligible countries;
- involve at least ten participants from each municipality; for events involving five or more municipalities from eligible countries, there should be at least five participants from each municipality.

More information
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/towntwinning/call/call_en.html
Email : Jumelages@cec.eu.int
Towntwinning@cec.eu.int


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American University in Bulgaria - Job: Balkan Scholars
Application deadline: November 30, 2004


The American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) seeks applicants for its Balkan Scholars program for the 2005-2006 academic year. AUBG is a fully accredited (NEASC) liberal arts college in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. Our mission is to educate the future leaders of Southeastern Europe. We attract students from 25 countries, with average incoming SAT scores over 1200. All instruction is in English.

AUBG offers undergraduate majors in Business Administration, Computer Science, Economics, European studies, History, Journalism and Mass Communications, Mathematics, Political Science and International Relations, and Southeast European studies. While we welcome applicants from these fields, we are also interested in persons who can teach general interest courses in Basic or Applied Sciences, Social Sciences, or Humanities.

Balkan Scholar appointments are for one or two semesters for visiting faculty who teach two courses per semester. Balkan Scholars are provided with round-trip airfare and health insurance coverage plus a modest stipend sufficient to cover local living expenses. The Balkan Scholar program may be especially suitable for faculty members on sabbatical from their home institution, or semi-retired faculty.

To apply, please send CV, cover letter, and sample syllabi to facultydean@aubg.bg.

More information
Website: http://www.aubg.bg
Email: facultydean@aubg.bg (Mr. Steve Sullivan, Associate Dean of Faculty)


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LIFE Nature
Application deadline: November 30, 2004


OBJECTIVES:
LIFE-Nature must contribute to the implementation of the "Birds" (79/409/EEC) and "Habitats" (92/43/EEC) Community directives and, in particular, to the establishment of the European network of protected areas - NATURA 2000 - aiming at the on-site management and conservation of the most valuable fauna and flora species and habitats in the Union.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
Projects aiming at the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora of Community and (for candidate countries only) international interest.

WHO MAY APPLY:
LIFE is open to all natural and legal persons established in the European Union or in the candidate countries that are associated to LIFE (only Romania).

NEEDED DOCUMENTS:
The needed documents (Application Form, LIFE Standard Administrative Provisions, Step by step guide to prepare a project proposals and the new financial regulation) are available for donwload at the web address:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/life/funding/life-nat_call2005/index.htm

LIFE-NATURE National Authority Focal Points of Romania:
Ministry of Environment and Waters Management
Mrs. Adriana BAZ (expert)
Libertatii 12
RO - 70005 Bucharest
Fax: +40 1 410 02 82
E-mail: baz@mappm.ro

Projects will then be submitted (two paper copies) by the national authorities to the European Commission at the latest by 7 January 2005.

More information
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/life/news/futureoflife.htm


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Support to non-governmental organisations, associations and federations of European interest
Application deadline: November 30, 2004


OBJECTIVES
This call for proposals supports initiatives conducted by
(a) non-governmental organisations and
(b) associations and federations of European interest, participating in European dialogue, on specific themes relating to the objectives of the programme to promote active European citizenship.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
The programme seeks to strengthen the dialogue between the European Union and its citizens with a view to encouraging the emergence of an active and participatory European citizenship.

Its objectives related to this specific call are:
(a) to promote and disseminate the values and objectives of the European Union;
(b) to bring citizens closer to the European Union and its institutions and to encourage them to engage
more frequently with its institutions;
(c) to involve citizens closely in reflection and discussion on the construction of the European Union;
(d) to stimulate initiatives by the bodies engaged in the promotion of active and participatory citizenship.

THEMATIC AREAS
a) Non-governmental organisations
- Rights and duties relating to Citizenship of the European Union, with a purpose of better awareness, understanding and application;
- Foster ideas to support the integration of citizens residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals into the host society on a local level (including better access to education, training and employment);
- Reinforcing active citizenship on the basis and through the rights guaranteed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
- Solidarity between generations, protection of children's rights.
- Society of pluralism (tolerance, solidarity and respect for diversity) and non-discrimination;

b) Associations and Federation of European interest:
- Promote dialogue and reflexion concerning the ethical and spiritual values of European development;
- Develop links between ethics and politics with regard to the promotion of active European citizenship;
- The future of the Union and the promotion of its values internationally, particularly in the context of ongoing intercultural dialogue;
- Explore the possibility of the development of a European identity which respects and builds on cultural diversity;
- Involving various ethnic and/or religious groups in Europe and aiming at promoting understanding, respect and tolerance between such groups.

ELIGIBLE ACTIONS
Conferences, seminars, workshops, networking, exchange of experience and best practice, education and training events and strategies and dissemination activities.

WHO CAN APPLY
Proposals may be submitted by non-governmental organisations and associations and federations of European interest that have legal personality and are registered in one of the countries referred below (the 25 Member States of the European Union as from May 1 2004 and the EEA/EFTA countries, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, in accordance with the European Agreements), are independent of public authorities, have the appropriate qualifications and requisite financial and operational resources to complete the project, and are of known and moral integrity.

FUNDING CONDITIONS AND BUDGET LIMITS:
The total budget for projects support addressed to:

(a) non-governmental organisations is approximately EUR 2,85 million.
The maximum grant for projects introduced by NGOs is:
- EUR 35.000 per project, involving partnerships from one eligible country; or
- EUR 70.000 per project, involving partnerships from at least 3 or more eligible countries.

(b) associations and federations of European interest is approximately EUR 1,32 million.
The maximum grant for projects introduced by Associations and Federations of European interest is due to the available budget: EUR 35.000 per project.

DURATION
- The project must begin between the 1 May 2005 and the 1 November 2005.
- The maximum total duration of a project will be 12 months.

More information
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture/activecitizenship/ong_en.htm
Email : eac-soc-civile@cec.eu.int


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Foundation Open Society Institute Macedonia - CIVIC ACTION Programme Grant Competition
Application Deadline: November 30, 2004


With the goal to encourage the civic participation in policy-making and to stimulate the NGOs to become an active factor of the civil society, Foundation Open Society Institute Macedonia (FOSIM) opens a competition for support of NGO projects, which will implement activities in the following areas:
- Democratic processes in Macedonia (decentralization, local elections, etc.)
- Promotion of democratic practices (responsibility, transparency, code of conduct, public participation in creation of public policies, good governance)
- Anti-corruption on local level (monitoring of the local public funds in the fields of social welfare, environmental protection, etc.)
- Non-violent conflict resolution.

The NGOs from the areas with FOSIM supported NGO support centres may apply in the competition: Veles, Prilep, Kicevo, Stip (old centres), Gevgelija, Debar, Delcevo, Kratovo, Negotino, Resen, Strumica and Struga (newly established centres).

Grants will be allocated for:
- small actions implemented by at least two organizations on regional level
- actions implemented by at least four organizations on national level.

The total amount of funds available for support of projects in this competition is 50,000 EUR. Priority will be given to the proposals that include integrative coalition approach, in particular to projects that include cooperation between NGOs active in the area of the older NGO support centres with NGOs from the areas of the new centres.

More information
Website: www.soros.org.mk, www.mango.org.mk, www.ngocenters.org.mk


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Andrew W. Mellon - East - Central European Research Visiting Fellowships 2005/ 2006 in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Application deadline: November 30, 2004 (date of receipt)


The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) and the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) jointly award Andrew W. Mellon Visiting Fellowships in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The three-month fellowships, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will enable scholars from Eastern and Central Europe to work in Vienna on research projects of their choice within the framework of the scholarly community and activities of the IWM.

The IWM is accepting applications from scholars (who should be Ph.D. and hold a senior academic position level) from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia for its Andrew W. Mellon Visiting Fellowships.

More information
Website: www.iwm.at
Email: fellowships@iwm.at


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Partners for Local Development Foundation and GTZ Conflict Prevention Program in Serbia - Training for trainers, February 21 - 27, 2005, Serbia


The program will be co-organized by Partners for Local Development Foundation and GTZ Conflict Prevention Program in Serbia in the frame of GTZ ConflictTransformation and Youth Empowerment Project.

The following countries will be eligible under this program: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo).

More information
Website: http://www.fpdl.ro (the EDCM TOT Program will be launched, including on-line application form, in early December 2004)


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Open Society Institute - 2005/ 2006 Undergraduate Exchange Program
Application Deadline: December 1, 2004


The Open Society Institute (OSI) is pleased to announce the Undergraduate Exchange Program (UEP) for the 2005-2006 academic year. UEP supports students from Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Romania, and Serbia in the US for one-year of non-degree academic studies. The program seeks to assist educational and civic development in Southeastern Europe and Mongolia by exposing participants to a liberal arts curriculum, different models of classroom instruction, community service work, and civil society related programming. The UEP combines the U.S. liberal arts academic experience with exposure to American social issues and civic development through involvement in community service related work. The program aims to create lasting ties among participants and their American colleagues thereby contributing to cultural understanding and tolerance.

Participants attend a university or college in the United States for one year. While in the US, grantees agree to complete 25 hours a semester of community service work in an area of interest to them. At the end of the year, they are expected to return home to complete their degrees. Once back in their home country, grantees agree to complete a community service internship or service project in their own community.

The Program does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. To be eligible for the Undergraduate Exchange Program, applicants must:

- Be a resident of Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Romania, or Serbia.
- Be a current second-year undergraduate student studying American Studies, Art History, Classical Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Economic Theory, Fine or Performing Arts, History, International Relations, Journalism, Law, Literature and Languages, Philosophy, Political Science, or Sociology.
- Be enrolled in an accredited university in his or her home country.
- Be in his or her second year when applying and have at least one year of study remaining at his or her home university when the applicant returns.
- Have an outstanding academic record.
- Have a history of community and/or extracurricular involvement.
- Have spent previous two years in residence in home country.
- Have not attended an university in the United States.
- Have not attended high school in the United States for more than one academic semester.
- Be fluent in reading, writing, and speaking English.
- Be able to begin studies in the summer of 2005.

Participant selection and university placement is determined by a panel of experts in the United States. Candidates do not apply to a specific university.

More information
Website: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/scholarship/focus_areas/undergraduate_exchange/guidelines


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Phare 2004-2006 Economic and Social Cohesion Programme - Regional Large Scale Infrastructure Projects
Application deadline: December 17, 2004


PROGRAMME OBJECTIVE
The overall objective is to improve the regional infrastructure in order to support economic development by creating the framework for domestic and/or foreign investment to be attracted into enterprises and sustainable jobs creation. The projects will respond to regional economic development needs and shall have to comply with sustainable development requirements.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
The wider objective will be attained through an integrated set of measures with the following specific objectives:

1. To rehabilitate and develop tourism related infrastructure including leisure facilities and historical/ cultural infrastructure and to provide transport links to such facilities as well as to increase the attractiveness of the areas with natural SPA potential.
2. To improve and rehabilitate the regional transportation to include ring roads, county roads, as well as road safety measures;
3. To rehabilitate and improve the industrial areas including environmental clean-up and upgrading of such areas and to provide transport links to such facilities;
4. To develop the business infrastructure and related access roads in order to improve access to markets, information, services and technologies in order to improve business competitiveness.

WHO CAN APPLY
- local public authorities: Country Councils, Urban Local Councils
- the Romanian National Company of Motorways and National Roads (RNCMNR).
Applicants can form an association with other eligible authorities (County Councils, Urban Local Councils and RNCMNR) and/or with Rural Councils. However, Rural Councils are not eligible as applicants in their own right.

ELIGIBLE ACTIONS
Projects that will be considered as eligible under this programme must fall into the sectors described hereinafter.

Tourism-Related Infrastructure
The aim of this type of project will be to develop and improve infrastructure for tourism activity or to support infrastructure that improves the attractiveness of existing tourism areas, thus creating conditions for further development and diversification of services that will contribute to longer holidays, higher spending per head, and better use of the accommodation capacity. Special focus on spa tourism will be provided under this category.

Regional Transport
Projects will aim to improve the existing, or to construct new bypasses that link national roads. They should also aim to increase the quality and the safety of the county roads in order to achieve a higher rate of usage.

Rehabilitation of Industrial Sites
This type of project will target derelict or under-used industrial areas, which may exhibit environmental degradation and will concentrate on their improvement, rehabilitation and possible change of use in order to improve the prevailing socio-economic and environmental climate and allow for the development of business sites and premises for industrial and technological parks.

Business Infrastructure
This type of project will respond to the regional need for job creation and economic development. Selected projects will aim to develop infrastructure for business activity in areas affected by industrial restructuring, where strong dynamics for SME creation and/or foreign investment exists. Projects are expected to lead to a significant take up of new sites and premises. Objectives will include the development of a number of strategic sites with the potential of maximising job creation, providing opportunities for businesses seeking to expand and foreign private investments intending to locate in the area.

PROJECT DURATION
The duration for the execution of the works may not exceed 20 calendar months.

FINANCING CONDITIONS and BUDGET LIMITS
Phare support will be made available and will be matched by the Government of Romania state budget through its National Fund as defined in the Financing Memorandum. This funding will only be made available for 'eligible' costs as further defined below and will apply to the eligible costs remaining after deduction of the local contribution. Applicants should note that in accordance with the Financing Memorandum the Phare contribution is capped at a maximum €5 million for each individual project resulting in the National Fund contribution also being capped. Beneficiaries of projects will be expected to provide a 'local contribution' in the amount of at least 10% of the total eligible costs. The local contribution should be only in cash; in kind contribution is not allowed. Applicant should note that 10% is a minimum and that there is no upper limit to the local contribution. The total minimum value of projects is 2 million Euro for them to be eligible and the maximum Phare contribution is Euro 5 million.

WHERE TO APPLY:
Applications must be received in a sealed envelope by registered mail, by express messenger or by hand-delivery (a signed and dated certificate of receipt will be given to the deliverer) to the Regional Development Agency where the project will be implemented.

Applications sent by any other means (e.g. by fax or by e-mail) or delivered at other addresses will be rejected.

Applications (Application Form, all annexes and supporting documents) must be submitted in one original and 3 copies, bound or stamped.

More information
http://www.infoeuropa.ro/ieweb/jsp/page.jsp?cid=197&lid=2&id=21971
www.mie.ro
Email: infrastr@dr.mie.ro


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EastWest Institute - Micro Project Launch Fund for SEE
Application Deadlines: Deadline for Round Two: January 2, 2005, Deadline for Round Three: March 1, 2005


The mission of the EastWest Institute's Regional and Transfrontier Cooperation (RTFC) Program is to identify and actively to bridge emergent political, economic and socio-cultural dividing lines that threaten inter-state cooperation and sub-regional integration throughout Eurasia.

RTFC is currently seeking to identify local change agents able to contribute to the long-term sustainability and institutionalisation of regional cross-border cooperation in Southeastern Europe. The RTFC "Micro-Project Launch Fund" (MPLF) will provide small grants (up to 2000 Euros) in support of local organisations that share the RTFC mission and are actively working to bridge severed cross-border relations in Southeastern Europe.

Geography
RTFC's Micro-Project Launch Fund will target the following micro-regions:
Gjilan/Gnjilane-Presevo-Kumanovo-Trgoviste Micro-region (GPKT), including municipalities of Gjilan/Gnjilane in Kosovo, Kumanovo in Macedonia, as well as the Southern Serbia Okrugs of Jablanicki, Pcinjski and Nisavski
FYR of Macedonia: Municipalities of Ohrid, Prilep, Resen, Struga, and Bitola
Greece: Prefecture of Kozani, Prefecture of Kastoria, Prefecture of Grevena, Prefecture of Florina, Municipality of Kozani, Municipality of Kastoria, Municipality of Grevena, Municipality of Florina, Municipality of Prespes, Municipality of Korresteia, Municipality of Ptolemaida
Albania: Prefecture of Korca, Municipality of Korca, Municipality of Pogradec, Municipality of Erseka and Municipality of Bilisht
The Southern Adriatic, including the border regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro.

Eligibility
NGOs, Educational Institutions, Research Institutes and Associations registered at least one year, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Serbia, and Kosovo with a verifiable track history of positive action in trans-border relationship building, are welcome to apply for funding.
NGOs, Educational Institutions, Research Institutes and Associations registered elsewhere in the neighbouring region (for example, in Romania or Bulgaria), may apply if:
a. The primary beneficiaries of the proposed initiative are located in the above GPKT target region
b. A viable regional partnership is identified in the application.
Individuals, without organisational or institutional affiliation, are ineligible to apply at this time. Student initiative groups, with support letters from their educational institutions may be considered. Groups of journalists, with proof of cooperation from media outlets, may be considered.
Funding is contingent on the organisation's ability to meet EWI's due diligence procedures.

Thematic Funding Priorities
The thematic funding priority matches the on-going RTFC programmatic goals in the micro-regions.
In the GPKT micro-region, partners with creative ideas are sought in sectors of:
• Education and youth
• Cultural development
• Media development
• Infrastructure planning
• Economic Planning and Development
In Prespa/ Ohrid, project ideas are most welcomed in the fields of:
• Higher Education
• NGO Development
• Economic Development
• Migration Issues
• Public Service Sharing
• Youth
In Southern Adriatic, RTFC is looking for new and innovative initiatives in the areas of:
• Natural Resource Management (water, fire fighting, waste disposal)
• Tourism and SME Development
• Youth and Culture Cooperation (media, cultural events/ exchanges, anti-drug issues).

Types of Activity Eligible for Funding and Grant Types
The RTFC's Micro-Project Launch Fund seeks to fund initiatives with the realistic potential for affecting lasting, positive change in the target micro-regions.
Projects should clearly address cross-border and transnational issues in the fields mentioned above in order to:
• Register local concerns about cross border issues
• Build capacity to empower citizens to identify practical cross-border initiatives
• Facilitate networking to implement cross-border collaboration
• Encourage information dissemination and knowledge exchange
• Foster dialogue about cross border issues between national governments and affected citizens
• Promote values of tolerance and openness in communities
• Assist communities to respond to the impact of economic and political change.

Grants will be awarded to support a partnership of organisations from more than one country in the target micro-region. The grants will provide seed funding (up to 2000 Euros per partner) for organizations to meet with their partners, to implement local cross-border initiatives or, to gather for specialized training. Maximum allowable funding per project is 6000 Euros.

Each organisation must submit an application and reference the proposed cross-border partner(s). Project details may be outlined in one or all the individual applications. However, an application cover sheet, with background information on the organisation/institution, must be completed and signed by responsible individuals of each participating organisation/institution. Registration, bank and reference documents must also be submitted for each participating organization/institution. Trilateral collaboration is preferred, bilateral cooperation will be considered.

Two types of grants will be awarded, Networking Grants and Initiative Grants.
A. Networking Grants
Aimed to promote networking, trust building, knowledge transfer, presentation of best practices, lessons learned and models of development among interested stakeholders. The category may include cross border conferences and information dissemination. This category is aimed to foster embryonic cross-border partnerships and networks.
B. Initiative Grants
Aimed to provide support for new models of cross border collaboration, including projects aimed to strengthen the capacity, expertise and leadership skills of organisations involved in cross-border initiatives. The category may include model cooperation projects in target sectors, specialized training or mentoring for a cluster of cross-border organisations. Initiative grants would involve some form of capacity building of established networks to foster sustainability of these partnerships. The category may include, in exceptional cases, requests for funding of feasibility studies for implementation of certain cross-border initiatives. However, applications must include appropriate and substantive supporting documentation, clearly justifying the need of the feasibility study to achieve longer-term change, as well as confirmation of support (contact information) from relevant authorities that the proposed initiative under examination is indeed a priority for the cross-border region.

Size of Grant
The maximum amount for an award to one organisation under the Programme will be 2000 Euros. The maximum amount for an award to two organisations under the Programme will be 4000 Euros. The maximum amount for an award to three organisations under the Programme will be 6000 Euros. The maximum award for projects to be implemented by individuals, with organisational affiliation, will be 1000 Euros per individual project participant.
The award should represent approximately 80% of project costs. The balance of project costs should be made by the organisation/institution(s) and in-kind contributions. Proposals with significant verifiable in-kind contributions to projects will be given preference.

Term of Activity
The Organisation(s) participating in the project must complete the proposed project activity and/or implement the planned event within a period of no more than six (6) months.

More information
Website: www.ewi.info
Email: rtfc-apply@ewi.info


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Central European University, Department of Legal Studies - Justice Initiative Fellows Program 2005/ 2007
Application deadline: January 6, 2005


The Open Society Justice Initiative joins with the Central European University (CEU) to announce the Justice Initiative Fellows Program for 2005-2007. The aim of the program is to support and further develop a network of lawyers and activists working on human rights-related issues internationally.

The Human Rights Fellows Program is a two-year program of study and practical work experience. Up to ten applicants will be selected in 2005 to participate in the program. Applicants from the following regions and countries are eligible: Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Mongolia, West and Southern Africa, the African Great Lakes region, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Haiti, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru.

Applicants must be nominated by a non-governmental organization concerned with human rights. The applicant must demonstrate a strong commitment to human rights, hold a university degree and be highly proficient in English. Criteria for selection will include the applicant's experience, his/her potential to contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights, and the suitability of the applicant's proposed role in the nominating NGO. Upon selection, Fellows will be required to sign an agreement with the Justice Initiative committing themselves to the program for two years. The first year is spent at the Central European University, the second in the applicant's home country, working with the nominating NGO.

Human Rights Fellows will reside a total of one year in Hungary, at CEU Legal Studies Department. They will undertake a degree program (M.A. or LL.M. in Human Rights, dependent on their undergraduate degree), in which they will be required to fulfill the requirements of the Human Rights Program at the Central European University. During their stay at CEU the Fellows will also participate in a three-month internship placement with leading NGOs in Europe from January until March.

The Justice Initiative Fellowship will be administered by CEU Legal Studies Department, in partnership with the Justice Initiative, during the first year of the program. Financial conditions will be identical to CEU policies for full scholarship students. Human Rights Fellows will return to their nominating NGOs after the first year, where they will spend at least one year working in human rights advocacy on a non-profit basis: providing legal services, undertaking human rights litigation, providing training and education, etc. The Justice Initiative will pay a local salary during this second year equal to an amount determined to be similar to equivalent work by the nominating NGO. This amount will be provided to the nominating NGOs in the form of a grant.

Application Procedure
Applicants must submit their applications to the CEU Admissions Office (1051 Budapest, Nador street 9, Hungary). They must meet the general CEU Admissions Requirements, which can be viewed online (http://www.ceu.hu/admissions.html), as well as the CEU Legal Studies Department Requirements h(http://www.ceu.hu/legal/admissions.html). In addition, applicants must include with their application:
1. A nominating letter from an NGO describing the reasons for nominating the applicant, the expectations the NGO has of the project, and contractually committing (to the Justice Initiative) to hire the applicant for at least one year after s/he returns from the twelve-month training program in Hungary. The nomination letter should also indicate a monthly salary gross rate in USD (including all taxes and fees) that will be offered to the applicant by the NGO in the event that s/he is selected for the program (provided to the NGO by the Justice Initiative in the form of a grant).
2. A copy of the applicant's bar association membership (if applicable), or the date scheduled for examination.
3. Proof of English proficiency (if available). If no language test has been taken, a test will be carried out during the application procedure (exact dates to be determined). For applicants from the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe, language tests will be carried out by local Soros Foundation/ Open Society Institute coordinators. In other regions, applicants will be contacted individually.
4. A statement of purpose for applying to the Justice Initiative Fellows program.
5. A proposal of project activities that the candidate plans to work on with the nominating NGO during the second year of the fellowship.

The Open Society Justice Initiative, an operational program of the Open Society Institute (OSI), pursues law reform activities grounded in the protection of human rights, and contributes to the development of legal capacity for open societies. The Justice Initiative combines litigation, legal advocacy, technical assistance, and the dissemination of knowledge to secure advances in five priority areas: national criminal justice, international justice, freedom of information and expression, equality and citizenship, and anticorruption. Its offices are in Abuja, Budapest, and New York.

More information
Katalin Horvath, Special Programs Coordinator, Legal Studies Department, Central European University, Nador u. 9, Budapest 1051, tel: +361 327-3205, email: horvathk@ceu.hu, web: http://www.ceu.hu/legal
Rita Bakradze, Fellows Program Coordinator at the Justice Initiative, Nador u. 11, Budapest 1051, tel: +361 327-3102; fax: +361 327 3103; e-mail: rbakradze@osi.hu, web: http://www.justiceinitiative.org


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Central European University - Nationalism Studies, Budapest, Hungary
Application deadline: January 6, 2005


The Nationalism Studies Program was established at Central European University by the late Ernst Gellner with the goal of promoting the study of nationalism in the post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The aim of the program is to engage students in an empirical and theoretical study of issues of nationalism, self-determination, problems of state-formation, ethnic conflict, minority protection and the related theme of globalization. Drawing upon the uniquely supranational milieu of Central European University, it encourages a critical and non-sectarian study of nationalism.

Students are encouraged to engage in an interdisciplinary study of nationalism, a subject that is inherently and fundamentally interdisciplinary. For this reason, the international teaching staff has been assembled to represent a wide range of disciplinary expertise relevant to the study of nationalism including history, social theory, economics, legal studies, sociology, anthropology, international relations and political science. The program offers a wide selection of courses that provide a complex theoretical grounding in problems associated with nationhood and nationalism combined with advanced training in the methodology of applied social science. Additional courses focus on placing problems of nationalism in the context of economic and political transition as well as constitution building in post-1989 Central and Eastern Europe with a comparative outlook on regime transitions outside the region.

The Master of Arts degree in Nationalism Studies is registered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York (US) for and on behalf of the New York State Education Department. The faculty of the Nationalism Studies Program includes Mária M. Kovács, András Kovács, Michael Miller, Will Kymlicka, Shlomo Avineri, Rogers Brubaker, Yael Tamir, Donald Horowitz, Michael Stewart, Erica Benner, Walter Kemp, Selim Deringil, Rainer Bauböck, Marsha Rozenblit, Tibor Várady, Victor Karády, Florian Bieber, Zoltan Milkósi, Júlia Szalai and Panayote Dimitras.

More information
Website: http://www.ceu.hu/nation
Email: pogonyi@ceu.hu (Szabolcs Pogonyi, program coordinator)


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Harvard University - The Kokkalis Fellowship Program
Application deadline: January 7, 2005


The Kokkalis Program strives to provide individuals committed to invigorating the public sector in Southeastern and East-Central Europe with educational opportunities to explore effectual and pioneering means of governance. For this reason, it awards fellowships to enable individuals from the region to pursue one of the following Master's degrees at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University:

Master in Public Policy (MPP)
Master in Public Administration (MPA2)
Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID)
Master in Public Administration/Mid-Career (MPA/MC)

Eligible to apply for the Kokkalis Fellowship Program are natives of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia & Montenegro, and Turkey, who are applying to one of the following degree programs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government: Master in Public Policy (MPP); Master in Public Administration (MPA2); Mid-Career Master in Public Administration (MC/MPA); Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID).
Applications are not accepted from natives of countries other than those stated above.

Candidates should hold an undergraduate degree recognized by their native state and an academic and/or professional background in one of the following fields: social sciences, public policy and/or administration, the non-profit sector, law, economics, business, or work experience in related fields.
All applicants should demonstrate a strong commitment to public service and the region of Southeastern Europe.

More information
Website: http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/kokkalis/fellowships.html


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European Law Students' Association and Romanian Red Cross Society - International Law School on Means and Methods of War "Law Is Better Than War!" 3rd edition, November 30 - December 11, 2004, Bucuresti, Romania
Application deadline: November 10, 2004


The Academic Programme
10 courses (1st - 6th December 2004), each course consisting of one hour lecture upon the theme, one hour of case study and one hour debating upon the subject.

A Moot Court Competition (8th-10th December 2004) so as the participants have the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge achieved during the courses, fighting in a competition based on a case inspired from the International Humanitarian Law reality.

The themes of the courses and the lecturers are:
December 1st, 2004
Course 1 "International Humanitarian Law - Introduction", Mr. Patrick Zahnd, Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for Central Europe
Course 2 "Means and methods of warfare. The evolution of the Hague Law", Prof. Dino Kritsiotis, University of Nottingham

December 2nd, 2004
Course 3 "Convention on Conventional Weapons", Mr. Louis Maresca, ICRC Geneva
Course 4 "Nuclear, Bacteriological and Chemical Weapons. ICRC initiative Biotechnology, Weapons and Humanity", Mr. Robert Young, Legal adviser of the ICRC Regional Delegation for Central Europe

December 3rd, 2004
Course 5 "Antipersonnel landmines", Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affaires
Course 6 "Military targets - civilian objectives. The principle of distinction", Prof. Ryszard Piotrowicz, University of Wales

December 4th, 2004
Course 7 "The protection of the cultural patrimony during armed conflicts", Romanian Ministry of Culture
Course 8 "Perfidy and reprisals", Mr. Tamas Lattmann, Zrínyi Miklós University of National Defence, Budapest

December 5th, 2004
Course 9 "Terrorism and International Humanitarian Law", ICRC
Course 10 "Repression of violations", Mr. Almiro Simoes Rodrigues, Former ICTY judge, Portugal

On 10th December 2004, we'll have Anniversary and Special Ceremony - International Human Rights Day and 103 years from the first Nobel Prize for Peace awarded to Henry Dun ant, "father" of International Humanitarian Law and of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Social Programme
The organizing Law students will be there for you during the 10 days, guiding you through the beautiful sights in Bucharest and in Romania, organizing parties for you, a trip to Carpathian Mountains on 6th December, a one-day-tour of Bucharest and preparing lots of surprises. Pay attention to your clothes, because there will be winter in Romania and it usually snows!!!!

Participation in the Event
There will be 15 participants from Law Universities from Europe and 15 participants from Law Universities from Romania.
Regarding the selection process, each candidate should fulfill the following conditions:
- Be a Law student or graduate
- Be fluent in English
- Be well versed in Public International Law
- Be involved in or planning to become involved in an activity, which gives scope for the promotion of International Humanitarian and Criminal Law.
ELSA members will have priority in the selection process of participants.
In addition, the selection of candidates will reflect an equitable geographical distribution.

Participation Fee
The payment of the participation fee shall be made until 20th November 2004. (Fax or e-mail of confirmation)
ELSA members from favored countries: 12 Euro/day
ELSA members from non-favoured countries: 17 Euro/day
ELSA Alumni: 22 Euros/day
Non ELSA Member: 27 Euros/day
Non-Student: 27 Euros/day
ELSA members from Romania: 1 600 000 lei/event
Non ELSA Members from Romania: 2 400 000 lei/event
The fee for participants includes accommodation (11 nights at hotel), meals (all meals for 10 days, Supper on the 30th of November and Breakfast on the 11th of December), academic materials and the trip in the mountains.

More information
Website: www.elsalawschool.unibuc.ro
Email: bucuresti@elsa.ro, lorena-ioana.voinea@drept.unibuc.ro


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CARE BH, Western Balkans Youth and Student Democracy Initiative - Call for trainers and freelance trainers, WBYSDI Project
Application Deadline: Module I - November 10, 2004, Module II - February 1, 2005, Module III - March 1, 2005


CARE International within the Western Balkans Youth and Student Democracy Initiative Project is issuing call for trainers, targeting trainers and freelance trainers from the countries of western Balkans.

Target Group: At least 25 youth NGOs, student organizations and scout associations in the 6 targeted countries or entities.

A central element of the project will be to implement a training program, aimed at capacity building, targeting youth leader volunteers and activists involved in youth organizations and youth groups in the Western Balkans. The training program will have emphasis on the needs of youth associative life in the six primary target countries or entities: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo/a, Montenegro and Macedonia.

In order to provide trainers for different activities, CARE will utilise trainers from the youth NGO sector and national training organisations in six targeted regions with specialised skills. CARE will work with trainers and partnered groups to develop resource material to be used by the participating groups and other interested youth NGOs on topics related to the training program.

All trainers must comply with the following criteria:
- Have a general knowledge of the situation of young people in South East Europe;
- Have experience from previous involvement in the youth NGO sector in his or her country of origin and preferably in South East Europe;
- Have an in-depth experience in conducting above mentioned training topics;
- Use interactive communication techniques;
- Must be creative leaders;
- Must promote democratic values and be willing to share experiences in regards to their work;
- Be fluent in English;
- Have previous documented training experience in the youth field and/or third sector.

More information
Website: www.carebih.org
Email: sp.carebl@blic.net (Sasa Petkovic, Project Coordinator)


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William Davidson Institute - Rethinking the Way in which NGOs Do Business, March 4 - 6, 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia
Application deadline: December 10, 2004


The Pontis Foundation in Bratislava, Slovakia is co-organizer of this conference.
Submitted briefs should focus on the following topics:
- Strategies for developing corporate NGO partnerships
- Methods through which NGOs can achieve long-term sustainability
- Innovative, commercially-sustainable and business sound approaches to addressing social problems (i.e., microfinance, the NGO s role in organizing production and distribution networks, and the third sector s role in providing access to information and technology)
- Creative fundraising techniques including the creation of for fee services

Authors should be employees of, or advisors to, NGOs located in Central and Eastern Europe or Eurasia. Policy briefs should focus on innovative methods through which NGOs (or other groups with whom NGOs collaborate) have adopted strategies to become less donor-dependent and more able to influence their financial future. Briefs can also be based on theories or strategies NGOs plan to adopt in the future.

The submitted brief should be a non-technical, country- and/or topic-specific summary, between 5-10 pages in length. If a brief is selected for the conference, WDI will provide editing support and will include the accepted brief in the WDI Policy Brief series. Examples of current WDI briefs and submission guidelines are available at http://www.wdi.bus.umich.edu/publications/policy_papers_briefs.htm.
In addition, we ask that the submission include a summary of the organization and a short personal biography of the author.

The conference aims to bring together leaders in the nonprofit sector who are developing and/or utilizing innovative approaches to achieve financial sustainability. The last day of the conference will include special sessions on leadership, communication, strategic management, and marketing presented by top business school professors. The remaining portion of the agenda will include the presentation of selected briefs with the aim of sharing best practices and networking with NGO colleagues.

Funding is provided for all travel and accommodation expenses. All meals will be provided at the conference.

More information
Email: janigak@umich.edu (Kelly Janiga, Manager of Research Programs at the William Davidson Institute)
royk@umich.edu (Kristen Roy)


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William Davidson Institute - NGO Alliance


The William Davidson Institute NGO Alliance, a coalition of public interest groups based in Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the NIS, is focused on issues central to creating a foundation for a successful transition from a controlled to a market-based economy.

To expand the NGO Alliance, we are seeking the participation of NGOs with interest or experience in the following fields:
- Innovative and commercially-sustainable approaches to alleviating poverty (e.g., microfinance, assistance with organizing production and distribution networks, access to information and technology, etc.)
- Corporate governance, business ethics and anti-corruption
- Institution-building
- Economic development
- Trade and open markets

The goal of the NGO Alliance is to promote information sharing and dissemination of best practices, with the aim of promoting the development of effective and efficient markets which work for all people. WDI believes that NGOs play an instrumental role in the transition process and can provide valuable insights into the transition process that may be overlooked by academics.

More information
Website: http://www.wdi.bus.umich.edu/research/ngo/
Email: janigak@umich.edu (Kelly Janiga, Manager of Research Programs at the William Davidson Institute)


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Information Diffusion Europe Association - Training for Not-for-Profit Organisations, November 25, 2004, Brussels, Belgium


Information Diffusion Europe Association (ID's) aims at helping organisations in the not-for-profit by providing services such as support for developing European projects, training, information, research and publications.

ID's training sessions are designed for organisations who wish to develop the European angle of their work, run European projects, or are just interested in the European Union and some of its particular aspects. Training modules may concern various topics, such as lobbying, EU funding, the European Union and the Youth sector, the European Union and the social field. They are designed on request for a specific umbrella organisation, large NGOs, education and training bodies, to match the specific EU training needs of the organiser and provides the training itself and the documents.

The next thematic training session, "European Union Funding for Human Rights, Development Co-operation, and EU External Relations", is organised further to many requests received from associations, NGOs, institutes and social organisations. It is designed for representatives of organisations intending to request EU-funding for their programmes or projects concerning human rights and development co-operation. The
modules are for participants who already have a basic knowledge or preliminary experience of European funding or who have attended previous ID's training sessions.

The training should enable participants to learn about:
-Which projects and what type of expenditures can be covered by EU
funding?
-Which programmes are the most relevant for a project?
-How and when to submit an application and make it a success?
-How and where to find information, documents, relevant contacts ?
-How to find and work with partners in Europe?
-How to manage a project in an optimal way?

More information
Website: www.idseurope.org
Email: info@idseurope.org


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South East European NGO Festival, December 1 - 5, 2004, Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro
Application deadline: November 14, 2004


The Festival is organized by Youth Council of Vojvodina - Nature Conservation Agency - Voluntary Center of Vojvodina in cooperation with Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization, South East European Youth Network, USAID CRDA Program and Provincial Secretariat for Environment Protection and Sustainable Development. It will take place from 1st till 5th December 2004 in Sports and Business Center "Vojvodina" in Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro. It will be open for visitors during all 5 days from 9.00 AM till 9.00 PM.

NGO Festival Idea: Main idea of this Festival is to gather NGOs in one place, especially youth NGOs working in South East Europe. The Festival is a fair-like exhibition, during which NGOs will have multiple opportunities to present themselves and to make contact with other similar organizations.

Every day of the Festival has its main subject:
first day is World AIDS Day, second day is Youth Day, third day - International Day of People With Disabilities, fourth day Environment Day, and fifth day is International Volunteer Day.

Through activities of each day and presentations of organizations participants will have the opportunity to make new contacts and lay foundations for new networks of cooperation, while enforcing existing ones. Also, the Festival will have great media coverage which will be great opportunity for presenting entire NGO sector to wider population and influence government institutions.

Who can apply?
Any non-governmental organization working actively in one of the themes is more than welcome to apply. There is no participation fee.

Why?
Participation in this Festival every organization has opportunity to present itself, expand existing network of cooperation and create new ones. One of the main goals is to strengthen civil society and NGO sector through its presentation to government institutions. Large media coverage is expected which provides for participants presentation to wide population. This kind of presenting NGO sector is very important for visibility of its work and influence to other sectors.

More information
Email: seengof@vcv.org.yu


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Young European Federalists Moldova - The issue of the national minorities and their role in a Peaceful Europe, January 3 - 6, 2005 in Moldova and January 8 - 11, 2005 in Lithuania
Application deadline: early deadline: November 15, 2004, late deadline: December 1, 2004


The main aim:
Participants of our training will get acquainted with the ethnic minorities' problems of a country, especially in Moldova, Romania and Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia. The participants will have the possibility to discuss and analyze the minorities' issue and also to give prospective resolutions of the conflict that causes disorder and trouble. We also tend to attract the attention of young people coming from different cultural and social backgrounds on the various aspects of ethnical and national minorities' protection and promote an open dialogue between them.

Specific objectives:
• Better understanding of the issue of national minorities in a country through different debates and discussions with several experts
• Giving solutions or finding possible ways of solving the issue of national minorities
• Provision of comprehensive information about the national minorities' problem in the states mentioned above
• Through workshops and simulation games participants shall get a better understanding for political decision making and the great importance of the national minorities' issue. As a result of our training we expect our participants to be able to provide this information to their compatriots, support the idea of peace and friendship among the ethnic groups of their country or region
• Peaceful conflict resolution; the training will permit the participants to promote and to explain the importance of solving the ethnical issue in a peaceful way, or to minimize the proportion of this problem which could provoke anytime a serious crisis in a country's society.
• Local impact; The involvement of young people from the local, national and international level will encourage them to maintain and to promote the sense of alliance and the idea of a peaceful resolution of the minorities conflict among their friends, colleagues and the whole ethnic group.
• Interethnic cooperation; The training made by our organization will promote and intensify the cooperation between the ethic groups in order to eliminate the inequity between them and will contribute to the development of new, friendly and warm relations.

Participation conditions:
The participants will be young people between 18 and 28 years old, involved in an NGO work or other type of voluntary activity interested in conflict resolution and minorities issues. Lodging, board and trips covered by the organizers (with the support of the European Youth Foundation). Participation fee is 70 Euro.

Travel reimbursement will be provided in the amount of up to 70% of the cheapest means of travel and only upon presentation of the tickets, and the total amount of reimbursement will not exceed 150 Euro. Travel reimbursement will be given only to participants who attend at least 80% of the seminar. The participation fee will be deducted from the travel reimbursement.

There are scholarships available for those whose travel expenses prove to be very high. These scholarships consist in reduction of the participation fee or increase of the travel reimbursement amount.

More information
Website: http://www.iatp.md/jef/future.htm
Email: jefmoldova@yahoo.com


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Mental Disability Advocacy Center - Job: Legal Officer
Application deadline: November 19, 2004


The Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC), an international NGO based in Budapest, seeks a dynamic and committed LEGAL OFFICER to work within its legal program. MDAC works in Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia on the human rights of people with mental health problems and intellectual disabilities via litigation, research and advocacy.

Description: The Legal Officer works as part of the legal team to develop and implement human rights test case litigation within the mental health and social service systems in MDAC's target countries. Primary duties include: communicating with MDAC in-country legal monitors and other contracted lawyers; carrying out accurate legal research; drafting legal submissions for national and international courts; managing legal cases; monitoring legislation and progress of cases at national and international levels; and maintaining legal documentation.

Essential requirements: Law degree from a country within the Council of Europe region or equivalent experience; excellent written and spoken English; excellent legal research and drafting skills, a demonstrated familiarity with the European Convention on Human Rights and other international human rights law as it pertains to mental disability; strong interpersonal and organizational skills.

Preferred qualifications: Masters degree in human rights or related field; knowledge of and experience in the (mental) disability field; experience of human rights litigation; knowledge of a language of Central and Eastern Europe.

MDAC offers challenging work with an international team, possibilities of training, travel to countries in our target regions. MDAC is an equal opportunities employer. People with personal experience of mental health services are particularly encouraged to apply.

More information
Website: http://www.mdac.info/mdac/employment.htm


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Translation of Selected Publications into CEE National Languages
Application deadlines: November 30, 2004 and February 28, 2005


LGPSRI (Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative Open Society Institute) Budapest, Hungary has awarded the grant to the NISPAcee publication project.

Goal of this project is to translate SIGMA and other relevant publications from English to CEE national languages based on requests and needs of governmental institutions or NISPAcee member institutions from CEE countries.
NISPAcee also make a general agreement with the EIPA (European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht, The Netherlands) for the translation of EIPA publications within this project. All institutions interested in translation of the EIPA publications are invited to apply for the translation grants to NISPAcee. Information about the publication you can find at the homepage of EIPA http://www.eipa.nl

The objective of the project is to make publications, which were developed and published with an aim to provide decision-makers, civil servants as well as academics from CEE countries with a tool which could help them in the transition period and reform efforts, accessible for them in their native language.

Application Procedure
The project Selection Committee will approve proposals on a competitive basis within a month after each deadline. The Selection Committee will consider each proposal individually. The necessity of each translation for certain country will have to be evaluated separately. Grants will be awarded to selected projects.

After the selection procedure the NISPAcee Executive Director will sign the contract with awarded applicants. The grants will be given to recipients in two installments. First installment 50 % of awarded amount will be given after the contract is signed. The rest 50 % will be reimbursed to the recipient when the project is finished, based on the final report, all relevant documents, calculation of costs, example of the translated and printed publication, distribution list. NISPAcee made a general agreement with the EIPA (European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht, The Netherlands) for the translation of EIPA publications within this project. All institutions interested in translation of the EIPA publications are invited to apply for the translation grants to NISPAcee.

How to apply:
- Eligibility is limited to members of NISPAcee and other institutions with professional interest in public administration in Central and Eastern Europe.
- Applicants will have to prove the utility of the translated publications in their respective countries, the distribution policy, quality of translation, and an ability to cover the distribution costs.
- Priority will be given to institutions, which will distribute the publication at their own expense.
- Applicants should determine clear overall calculation of costs of translation (checking/editing) and publishing (priority will be given to reasonable price quotes for translation and publishing).
- The institution must meet re-print conditions of the OECD, and acknowledge credit to NISPAcee, SIGMA and LGPSRI.
- Extra copies will be made available upon demand, by the organisation, for at least six months after publication, to satisfy late requests.

More information
Email: sklenar@nispa.sk


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Open Society Institute and IDEA - SEELI 2005 Romania
Application deadline: December 1, 2004


SEEYLI/ A program of the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administered by the Open Society Institute and IDEA.

The Southeast Europe Youth Leadership Institute invites you to apply for the opportunity to participate in an intensive, challenging 4-week study of civil society in the U.S., beginning July 2005. During this month, while staying at a university campus near the U.S. capital, student and adult participants will:
- Engage in several small, intensive group workshops, focusing on the skills of advocacy, negotiation, investigation, and leadership
- Study and practice debate
- Explore American culture through visits to area attractions, two-week home stays with American hosts, and interaction with American students.

To be considered for this program, applicants must first be selected to participate in a local 3-day leadership camp in January or February 2005. Local camps will be held in Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia.

There is no charge to apply to the SEEYLI program. Likewise, there is no charge to participate in either the 3-day local camp or the 4- week program in the U.S. Participants in the U.S. program will receive a modest per diem allowance.

How do you apply?
- Complete an application form, in English. Applications must be hand-written by the applicant. Attach a recent photo to your application.
- Submit 2 letters of recommendation along with the application, using the forms available with the application. (Students should submit letters from 2 adults (other than relatives) whom they have known for a substantial period of time. Teachers/ community leaders should submit one letter from a colleague and one letter from a supervisor.)
- Students should also include secondary school transcripts showing coursework taken and grades earned.

More information
Website: www.seeyli.ro (official SEEYLI Romania)


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ECPR Joint Session - Local Participation in Different Contexts, April 14 - 19, 2005, Granada
Application deadline: December 1, 2004


The aim of the workshop is to investigate (changes in) local political participation in different institutional and political contexts. In the past decades, major changes have taken place all over Europe with regard to citizen integration into local politics. First, we want to look more closely at old and new opportunity structures of local political participation and their use in practice, in order to get a picture of actual trends shaping today's participation in local politics. The focus, however, will be the investigation of contexts affecting local political behaviour. Although participation is often explained by individual characteristics, it also varies according to differences in the institutional and political context - such as the size of a community, institutional arrangements or the opportunity structures given. The context can directly affect the gains and the losses of the individual participatory act. Additionally, it can indirectly change the relationship between individual characteristics and participation. We therefore want to look especially at macro determinants of local participation. Studying context effects upon local participation from a comparative (and hopefully international) perspective additionally offers a solution to problems of studies of national political participation. The number of available cases can be easily extended, thereby increasing the political and institutional variations in contexts, which again helps to understand of how participation works.

The workshop is open to all researchers studying local political participation empirically, although they may come from different research traditions. Comparative approaches are especially welcome - taking into account the contexts where the participation takes place.

Prospective participants should contact the director/s of the workshop in which they are interested in the first instance. They should bear in mind that they will be expected to present a paper and should, therefore, be conducting research in that particular area.

An application to participate should include a short summary of the proposed paper, with a short explanation as to how this will fit into the general theme of the workshop. Participants are expected to contribute fully to one workshop for the whole period of the Joint Sessions. They should not, therefore, apply to more than one workshop. Workshop directors normally inform applicants as to whether they have been accepted shortly after the deadline for applications has passed. Confirmation of participation by those accepted should be made to them as soon as possible, so that if there are any spaces, people on reserve lists can be offered places.

More information
Email: angelika.vetter@po.pol.uni-stuttgart.de (Angelika Vetter, University of Stuttgart, Department of Sociology and Political Science)
H.vanderKolk@utwente.nl (Henk van der Kolk, University of Twente, School of Business, Public Administration and Technology, Chair: Political Science)


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Institute for Strengthening Democracy In Bosnia - Eighth International Seminar "Democracy and Human Rights in Multiethnic Societies", July 11 - 15, 2005, Konjic, B&H
Application deadline for financial support: December 1, 2004


The seminar is organized in co-operation with Department of Comparative Politics and Rokkan Centre, University of Bergen, Norway, and supported by the Project "The Politics of Democratic and Welfare Development in South Eastern Europe: a Network for Research and Education", backed by the Center for International University Cooperation and Norwegian Research Council, Oslo.

Please ensure the announcement of your participation immediately, including your co-ordinates (institution, city, country). Working titles of presentations are welcome at this stage. Participants are encouraged to propose and organize workshops and panels. Any other initiative on your part will be highly appreciated.

Students, women, members of minority groups, as well as disabled persons are encouraged to participate.

A number of grants for travel and accommodation for participants from Albania, Belorussia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia/Montenegro and Ukraine, are available owing to the support already provided by the sponsors.

Organizers hope to ensure additional grants for participants from Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, and are undertaking necessary moves to provide it timely.

More information
Website: http://www.bosnet.org/democracy_institute/


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Open Society Institute - HESP Regional Seminar for Excellence in Teaching, Budapest, Hungary
Application deadline: December 15, 2004


The Open Society Institute's International Higher Education Support Program (HESP) is accepting proposals for the HESP Regional Seminar for Excellence in Teaching (ReSET) program.

Proposals must come from academic institutions, associations, or individuals with demonstrated potential for and commitment to promoting teaching excellence and lending ongoing support to individual faculty and departments in Central, Eastern, and South Eastern Europe; the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union; and Mongolia.

Projects considered for funding will target the young faculty currently teaching in the social sciences and humanities in the institutions of higher education in these regions.

More information
Website: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/hesp/focus_areas/regional_seminar/guidelines
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/hesp/news/resetproposals_20040928


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www.balkankult.org


Do not miss the opportunity to check the latest creativity report from the Western Balkans on www.balkankult.org
BalkanKult organization for cultural cooperation has updated its European Cultural Network database. More than 170 networks are ready to help you find a partner for future cultural cooperation.


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www.pdc.ceu.hu


Policy Documentation Center

For those interested, the Policy Documentation Center is a free to use on-line database put together by the Center for Policy Studies. The aim of the project is to promote the work of local policy researchers and, at present, the PDC holds almost 1000 policy papers from over 60 think tanks and applied research institutes based in CEE and the fSU. You are welcome to search through their position papers, commentaries and background reports on topics ranging from monetary policy to security reform.


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http://topics.developmentgateway.org/governance


Development Gateway Foundation On-Line Database
Online database on Governance in developing and transitional countries

The Development Gateway Foundation, initially conceived by the World Bank, maintains and interactive online database of resources and an e-community of experts on the issues of governance in developing and transitional countries. The Development Gateway Governance interactive database already contains more than 2,000 resources (articles, reports, programs, books, background information, news, events, etc) on different key issues of governance. Many of these resources are related to Central Asia, Central and Eastern Europe regional issues.

The online database of dgGovernance will enable you to access existing resources and contribute additional resources on Governance issues, as well as get automatic e-mail alerts on the new content added to the database. This is an interactive site, which means you will be able to post materials here and share your knowledge with others. You will be able to perform searches and locate information resources pertaining to Governance on this site. You will also be able to remain up to-date with the most important current developments taking place in the governance area. For example, the current special feature on dgGovernance, which was prepared in cooperation with International IDEA, is on Electoral rocesses.

You can join the dgGovernance community by going to the http://topics.developmentgateway.org/governance. You do not need to be a registered member to access resources, news, event calendar and other information resources on the portal. In order to contribute or place a link to your own article/report or other resources that, in your opinion, can be useful for students, academics and practitioners working in this area, please, click on Become a Member button and follow the instructions.


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http://www.unesco.org/shs/ijms/


The International Journal on Multicultural Societies (IJMS)

The International Journal on Multicultural Societies (IJMS) is a scholarly and professional journal, published by UNESCO. It provides a platform for international, interdisciplinary and policy-related social science research in the fields of migration, multiculturalism, and minority rights. Established by UNESCO's social sciences research and policy division in 1998, it aims at improving the linkages between academic communities in various regions and across different social science disciplines. One of its particular features is to promote the policy-relevance of social science research. Each issue is devoted to a coherent thematic debate on a key issue in the field of migration and multiculturalism. All articles published in the IJMS are refereed in external peer-review.


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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YDA_International/


International Youth Development Agency - E-Group

If you are interested in youth work, want to participate in the recent local and global seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings, to get every type of information regarding the youth work then we invite you to be a member of e-Group of International Youth Development Agency (IYDA). It is an international NGO whose aim is to extend and increase the active role of the youth in the society.

IYDA has special youth exchange programs, and actively engaged in organizing seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings and other youth work. IYDA is also looking for partners who will work together towards the common goals; to empower youth work in the society.

If you are really interested to get all these information, to get acquainted with youth work and want your project also to be taken into consideration then do not hesitate to become member of IYDA e-Group. You may get some more information by entering to the web page of the group by: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YDA_International/


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www.ecmimacedonia.org


The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) is pleased to announce the launch of the trilingual (English/Macedonian/Albanian) homepage for ECMI's Program in Macedonia: www.ecmimacedonia.org

This homepage consolidates the three ongoing projects in Macedonia and gives access to the projects' individual web sites:

ECMI NGO Network web site www.ecmingonet.org.mk is a virtual space to exchange ideas, enhance capacities through an open dialogue among the parties who are working on the improvement of interethnic relations in the Republic of Macedonia. Launched on December 18, 2001, the web site has developed into a significant resource of information reflecting the role and activities of 71 grass-roots NGOs in the country.

The Policy Dialogue Initiative web site www.ecmipolicydialogue.org.mk contains basic information about the initiative that brings together key stakeholders from the civil society sector, government and political representatives and leading professionals from all regions of Macedonia together to discuss, as working groups, current policy issues and to develop recommendations in the fields of education, economy, health care and human
rights. Currently, part of the web site is restricted to the members of the working groups, but as soon as the recommendations are finalized, anticipated in mid-November this part of the web site will also become public.

Toward Regional Guidelines for the Integration of Roms web site www.ecmirom.org focuses on the needs assessment of the Romani population in the Republic of Macedonia, conducted from September to November 2003. Among the highlights of the site is the possibility of downloading the 100+ page needs assessment report. More features will be added as ECMI implements follow-on activities based on the needs assessment in Macedonia and carries out additional needs assessments in neighbouring countries.

ECMI is one of Europe's leading expert institutions in the field of interethnic relations.


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Euroregional Center for Democracy

Semenic Nr. 10
300035, Timisoara
Romania

Tel: + 4 0256 221 471
Fax: + 4 0256 436 633

http://www.regionalnet.org

Editor:
Camelia Cocioba

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