Civil Society Across Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia Calls for Stronger Regional Cooperation on Democracy and Digital Rights
Civil society organizations from North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Türkiye have jointly identified key advocacy priorities aimed at strengthening democratic participation, digital rights, transparency, and civic engagement across the wider region.
The discussions highlighted shared challenges related to access to information, digital transformation, institutional accountability, civic participation, and the enabling environment for civil society organizations. Participants emphasized the need for stronger legal frameworks, improved access to public data, and sustainable support mechanisms that ensure the long-term resilience of civil society actors.
Organizations from Türkiye shared experiences from their work in fact-checking, misinformation monitoring, civic participation, human rights, sustainability, and digital engagement. They highlighted ongoing challenges related to access to reliable data, difficulties in verifying information, bureaucratic barriers when engaging with public institutions, and broader transparency and information-access issues. Participants also discussed the growing use of AI tools in advocacy work, alongside the need for targeted capacity building in this area.
Across all regions, youth engagement, gender equality, digital inclusion, and the participation of vulnerable and marginalized groups were identified as cross-cutting priorities. Participants agreed that stronger regional networking, knowledge exchange, and joint advocacy initiatives are essential for building more open, inclusive, and accountable governance systems.
The news is published as part of the Regional Support Mechanism EECA project, implemented by Metamorphosis Foundation and TechSoup, in partnership with CIVICUS and under the Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) that covers the Global South.
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