For the third time, the Power of Humanity Foundation organised the (Re)Building Democracy conference in June. We invited civil society, aid agencies and donors from the Central and Eastern European region to reflect together. A summary of the meeting was produced by Lilla Dézma.
“How can we support well?” This was our key question for the conference in 2024. How can we make capacity-building programs responsive to the needs of our beneficiaries, taking into account their current resources, especially in rural areas? General or tailor-made? Project or core funding? High outreach or focused small-scale programs? How can we concentrate on the internal resources of our grantees and build on them to make them more effective? Other topics were networking as a tool against shrinking civil space and digitalization as a way to increase efficiency.
(Re)Building is a meeting point for organizations, experts, and donors dealing with the development of the civil sector for over three years. It is our conviction, backed up by international research, that a strong, resilient, well-functioning democracy is based on a strong, independent civil sector. During the last decade, a democratic backlash occurred in the Central Eastern European region, which can be seen in legislation, the autonomous functioning of civic organizations, and active citizenship.
Smaller or weaker organizations in rural areas are more dependent on local power, which influences their opportunities. A simple look at voter preferences in peripheral areas also suggests a stronger susceptibility to illiberal ideas. In recognition of the above processes, there is a growing focus on building the civic organizations’ capacity in the countryside lately, so also at the (Re)Building³ conference. This event has offered an opportunity to talk about common issues and problems and help each other, as the limited civil space is a shared experience.