Working Group “Civic Participation for Sustainable Development” is a pan-European Group of NGO representatives, which has effective solutions for social problems on the local level. The Group works to support local community development and civic engagement in solving social problems through the study and exchange of experience between Russian and European NGOs.
MAIN FOCUSES
Creation and development of horizontal links between European organizations, including the Russian organizations and organizations from non-EU European countries;
Increasing (improving) the quality of human life;
Development and professional growth of member-organizations;
Solving problems in areas together with the authorities and the local community;
Promoting participation of active citizens, commercial and non-profit associations and authorities in the development of affordable, decent, quality, non-degrading social services;
Promotion of pan-European approach to civic participation at the local level;
Solidarity;
Find and exchange specific examples and best practices for restoration and development of relations between the EU and Russia as a common European space.
WORKING GROUP PRINCIPLES
- Russia and Europe compose a single space;
- The Group is engaged in the development of local topics;
- The Group’s work is based on the interaction with local communities;
- The Group adheres to constructive engagement in the work with stakeholders, including the governmental authorities;
- The Group recognizes that the origin of social problems has complicated character; the Group seeks any partnership with stakeholders (government, business, society) to address social problems.
USEFUL PRODUCTS OF THE WG
- Poly-thematic projects, including information resources and policy papers;
- Publications, database, a set of technologies, the platform to address the social problems of civil society at the local level;
- Thematic projects based on the recommendations for civic participation;
- Organizations’ unities in cooperative projects.
PRIORITIES FOR 2015-2016
- Financial literacy;
- Aging of Society;
- Social Inclusion;
- Social innovation;
- Conflicts on city streets (urban services that allow conflicting groups to engage in dialogue);
- Development of social entrepreneurship as community resources;
- Thematic public social campaign;
- Migrants as a target group of social inclusion;
- Solutions to improve expertise potential of civic participation;
- Development of resource centres network to support international cooperation between NGOs and popular diplomacy.
WORKING GROUP NEWS
WORKING GROUP COORDINATOR
Anna Skvortsova , NGO Development Centre, Saint Petersburg