2016 Cso Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia 20Th Edition - July 2017
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2016 CSO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND EURASIA 20TH EDITION - JULY 2017 Cover Photo: The photo was taken in Cahul (a city from the south part of Moldova as part of the campaign, Europa pentru Tine (Europe for you), that started in 2014 in Moldova. Participants, united by the idea EUROPA PENTRU TINE, formed a live chain in a circle symbolizing united countries on the EU flag. This photograph was taken by FHI 360/MPSCS The 2016 CSO Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia Developed by: United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Europe and Eurasia Technical Support Office (TSO), Democracy and Governance (DG) Division TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................................................ ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................ 1 2016 CSO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX SCORES ......................................................................................................... 12 ALBANIA ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 13 ARMENIA ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 AZERBAIJAN ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 32 BELARUS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 42 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (BiH) ................................................................................................................................................. 53 BULGARIA ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 62 CROATIA ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 71 CZECH REPUBLIC ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 80 ESTONIA ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 89 GEORGIA ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 98 HUNGARY ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 107 KOSOVO ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 118 LATVIA .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 127 LITHUANIA ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 137 MACEDONIA .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 146 MOLDOVA ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 157 MONTENEGRO ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 168 POLAND ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 178 ROMANIA .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 188 RUSSIA ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 198 SERBIA .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 210 SLOVAKIA ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 220 SLOVENIA ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 230 UKRAINE ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 240 ANNEX A: CSO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX METHODOLOGY ........................................................................... 251 ANNEX B: STATISTICAL DATA.............................................................................................................................. 266 ANNEX C: REGIONAL MAP ..................................................................................................................................... 277 THE 2016 CSO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND EURASIA INTRODUCTION The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is pleased to present the twentieth edition of the CSO Sustainability Index (CSOSI) for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, covering developments in 2016. This year’s Index reports on the CSO sectors in twenty-four countries in the region, from the Baltics in the north to the Caucasus in the south, and the Visegrad countries in the west to Russia, which stretches east to the Pacific Ocean1. It addresses both advances and setbacks in seven key components or “dimensions” of the sustainability of the civil society sector: legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, ad- vocacy, service provision, infrastructure, and public image. The Index’s methodology relies on CSO practitioners and researchers, who in each country form an expert panel to assess and rate these dimensions of CSO sustainability during the year. The panel agrees on a score for each dimension, which can range from 1 (most developed) to 7 (most challenged). The dimension scores are then averaged to produce an overall sustainability score for the CSO sector of a given country. An editori- al committee composed of technical and regional experts reviews each panel’s scores and the corresponding narrative reports, with the aim of maintaining consistent approaches and standards so as to allow cross- country comparisons. Further details about the methodology used to calculate scores and produce narrative reports are provided in Annex A. The Index is a useful source of information for local CSOs, governments, donors, academics, and others who want to better understand and monitor key aspects of sustainability in the CSO sector. The CSO Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia complements similar publications covering other regions: CSO Sustainability Index for Sub-Saharan Africa, which assesses the civil society sector in thirty-one countries; CSO Sustainability Index for the Middle East and North Africa, which covers seven countries; and CSO Sustainability In- dex for Asia, covering seven countries. These various editions of the CSO Sustainability Index bring the total number of countries surveyed in 2016 to sixty-nine. A publication of this type would not be possible without the contributions of many individuals and organiza- tions. We are especially grateful to our implementing partners, who played the critical role of facilitating the expert panel meetings and writing the country reports. We would also like to thank the many CSO repre- sentatives and experts, USAID partners, and international donors who participated in the expert panels in each country. Their knowledge, perceptions, ideas, observations, and contributions are the foundation upon which this Index is based. 1 Please note that the five countries of Central Asia are no longer covered by this publication. THE