Vlorë, January 29, 2024. Representatives of local CSOs from the Vjosa River basin gathered at the third workshop of the Vjosa River Basin Civil Society Network (RRSHCV) with the aim of strengthening and expanding their capacities. Furthermore, the development of this workshop aims to enhance their organizational skills and advocacy in the decision-making, protection, management, and long-term sustainable development processes of the Vjosa River.
The training included sessions on the “Code of Standards for Non-Governmental Organizations in Albania,” a complex set of principles and commitments on how organizations conduct their activities. This code aims to establish a common standard, accepted beyond legal obligations, regarding the sectoral activities of NGOs, aiming to guide these organizations towards improving their work effectiveness and increasing the trust of stakeholders and the general public.
Among other things, the network of organizations reviewed the new requests for membership in the Vjosa River Basin Civil Society Network (VRBCSN).Meeting participants discussed the relevance and potential of new organizations to contribute to the network’s mission and goals. In this context, the need for a transparent and objective process for assessing new membership requests was emphasized, including the criteria and possible contributions that new organizations would bring to RRSHCV.
Detailed discussions and the evaluation of new requests served as an important step towards the expansion and diversification of the Network to meet common goals and challenges in the mission of protecting the Vjosa River.
One of the main topics discussed at the meeting was the issue of the network’s acceptance into the Vjosa River Basin Water Council, emphasizing the need for lobbying to ensure the network’s representation at the Council’s future meetings..
The ESPID 4 Vjosa Project is funded by the Austrian Development Agency – ADA and implemented by Euronatur and EcoAlbania organizations.
The project aims to facilitate the construction of bridges of cooperation among decision-makers, civil society, and science in governance and good management decision-making processes in the water sector, in the Vjosa River basin.
