Project: Regional agenda 2020-2030
Objective
of the project is to develop and implement regional agenda for the third decade of 21st century in order to find solutions to the most prominent problems which present obstacles to modernization of the region as a whole and of separate countries of the region, such as: massive brain-drain and young people leaving the region, solidarity and mutual support of the countries of the region in the EU accession process, social equality, gender equality and the social dialogue, cooperation in the context of the Berlin process and challenges which come with it, reconciliation and conflict-solving process, education, etc.
The project will consist of a research, two meetings (“Setting up the agenda” being the title of first meeting and “Policy Lab” being the title of the second meeting), and follow-up activities.
Outcome
of the project will be developed policies for the entire region in seven areas which are of the highest importance to all of the countries of the region. The policies will be written in the way so that they can be incorporated into national policy-agenda. They will consist a clear roadmap and recommendations for the countries, including the list of needed amendments of the legislation, recommendations for the state institutions and authorities, necessary steps to be taken in each of the areas, public policies and recommendations for establishing the dialogue between the institutions, trade unions, CSOs, youth organizations, employers, universities and other stakeholders. Participants in the project and policy-developers are prominent politicians and decision-makers in their own countries and will be able to advocate for the implementation of those policies and solutions. The project will not be over when the policies are developed, agreed on and adopted by entire group – the results will go beyond it and the follow-up activities of the members of the group are equally important. This is why the fact that the group will remain active through the other activities of ADD is of outmost importance for the evaluation of the project and follow-up activities.
Policies that are developed during the project will become laws, practices, notions, protocols and official state policies of the countries of the region.
1. Research
Prior to the first meeting, a comprehensive research was conducted, defining the main issues, topics and problems in the countries of the region. The research is going to be based on the work with the focus groups, desk research, different types of the analysis of the public polls and available and collected data all over the region. The findings of the research will be distributed to the participants prior to the first meeting and presented by the researcher to the participants. The researcher will also provide the participants with all necessary data, information or anything else they might need in order to write policies between the two meetings.
2. "Setting up the agenda" Meeting
First meeting, called “Setting up the Agenda”, was held online on December 6th. Building upon the research about the main problems that all of the countries of the region share, topics in which common policies are going to be developed are going to be defined, discussed and selected. The discussion among the participants (seven decision-makers and seven representatives of NGOs – two from each of the countries of the region) who will carefully analyze the research, select areas in which they are going to develop policies and distribute among themselves who will be in charge of each of the selected topics is crucial for the quality and eventual implementation of developed policies. The results of this meeting are going to be guidelines for future development of the policies in selected areas. During the course of three days, participants are going to be active and present in the media and entire conference will have media coverage, as well as online streaming.
Between the two meetings, the participants are going to write policy paper drafts, in accordance with discussions, conclusions, guidelines and agreed principles during the first meeting.
3. "The Policy Lab" Meeting
Second meeting, called “The Policy Lab” is going to be held in the end of January (or beginning of February). During the course of the three-days long meeting, draft policies are going to be discussed, amended, adjusted and fine-tuned according to the discussions and suggestions made by the participants, guests and experts. Again, public will be included in all of the events. Following the meeting, final policy documents will be adopted, and if there is possibility, they will be printed and distributed to the state institutions, embassies, political parties, experts, NGOs and stakeholders. The developed policies are going to contain analysis of the current situation in the area, proposals for amendments of laws and other legal documents, recommendations for the state institutions, authorities, officials and other players for policy development, guidelines and roadmap to achieving the solutions to the problem, recommendation on the dialogue between authorities and stakeholders, etc.
Between the two meetings, the participants are going to write policy paper drafts, in accordance with discussions, conclusions, guidelines and agreed principles during the first meeting.
Main goal of the project
Developing common regional policies for crucial areas defined by politicians and NGO experts at the kick-off meeting that will lead to the improved situation in the selected areas, amendment of the selected legislation, improved behavior of the institutions and authorities, enhanced dialogue between institutions and stakeholders and improvement and democratization of the overall situation in the region. e.g. The expected result of the policy in the area of youth emigration which is increasingly becoming one of the burning problems of the region is to find and offer solutions, ways, laws, programs, procedures and activities with which states of the region can fight this problem and keep young people in the region.
Project goals
- Enhancing regional cooperation and democratic development
- Raising the awareness about the shared problems in the region
- Offering solutions to some of the region’s key problems
- Promoting the need of joint efforts to solve problems
- Strengthening the sustainable network of young decision-makers and NGOs from the region
Expected results
Developing and implementing common regional policies in selected areas, that will be implementable on national level and that will considerably improve the situation and existing policies in the countries of the region.
This project is supported by
