Baltic civil society activists will build partnerships with organisations from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway in Vilnius

The EEA and Norway Grants programme “Civil Society Fund” (CSF) is launching its activities across all three Baltic States with a major civil society networking and partnership-building event in Vilnius from 18 to 20 November. The event aims to foster networking among civil society activists from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania and develop joint ideas with organisations from the donor countries – Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – for future projects under CSF calls for proposals.

More than 80 participants from six countries will gather in Vilnius, with Latvia represented by 21 organisations. The event will focus not only on establishing new contacts, but also on discussing shared challenges and potential solutions, exchanging experiences and effective working methods, and developing ideas for cooperation with organisations from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Particular attention will be given to strengthening democracy, civic participation, human rights and civil society’s capacity to respond to contemporary challenges.

During the event, organisations will share their experiences and explore opportunities for cooperation on issues such as protecting civic space, mobilising society for advocacy, crisis preparedness, human rights and sustainability. Dedicated time will also be set aside for meeting potential partners and discussing joint project ideas.

Building international partnerships is one of the opportunities offered by the Civil Society Fund. It enables organisations to combine the experience and expertise of different countries, adopt successful approaches and develop joint initiatives. Furthermore, partnerships with organisations from the donor countries will be a prerequisite for submitting proposals under several upcoming CSF calls for proposals.

Strong Interest and Diverse Representation from Latvian Organisations

A total of 67 Latvian civil society organisations expressed interest in participating, exceeding the number of available places by more than three times.

When selecting the Latvian participants, consideration was given to the diversity of organisations’ fields of activity, experience and regions, as well as representation of organisations operating at local, regional and national levels. The distribution of participants across the event’s thematic sessions was also an important consideration. The selection process additionally assessed organisations’ motivation, the relevance of their activities to the Civil Society Fund’s objectives and their potential for future international cooperation.

The Latvian delegation includes organisations working in democracy and civic participation, human rights and equal opportunities, community development, environmental and climate protection, migration and integration, as well as those providing support to Ukraine and helping address the consequences of the war.

The following organisations will represent Latvia at the event:

Active Rainbow & Riga Pride; Alūksnes Rural Partnership Association; Baltic Human Rights Society; MARTA Centre; “Cilvēks. Iniciatīva. Kopiena.” Association; Flourish NGO; “Gribu palīdzēt bēgļiem”; Apeirons Association of Disabled People and Their Friends; GAISMA Youth Social and Cultural Activities Centre; Sēlijas salas Community Cooperation Network; “Krievu balss Latvijai” Association; NGO “Kur Zeme Dara”; Latvian Child Welfare Network; World Wide Fund for Nature; Coastal Environmental Protection Association; Riga Centre Development Association; “Sievietēm 50+” Association; “Tavi Draugi” Association; “Zaļā brīvība” Association; as well as the Latvian administrators of the Civil Society Fund – the Civic Alliance - Latvia and the Latvian Rural Forum.

We thank all organisations for their interest and the cooperation ideas shared in their applications! The international partnership-building event in Vilnius is one step towards developing broader cooperation opportunities that the Civil Society Fund will offer to Latvian civil society organisations.

The event is organised by the Civil Society Fund administrators in the Baltic States in cooperation with the Fund’s contact points in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

The event takes place within the EEA and Norway Grants programme “Civil Society Fund”. The Civil Society Fund is part of Iceland’s, Liechtenstein’s and Norway’s contribution to building a more democratic, inclusive and resilient Europe.

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