Press Releases
International Donor Community Assembles in Cavtat to Support Civil Society Development
EMBASSY OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Public Affairs Section
Zagreb, Croatia
INTERNATIONAL DONOR COMMUNITY ASSEMBLES IN CAVTAT TO SUPPORT CIVIL SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT
Zagreb, September 24, 2007 - International and private donors will convene in Cavtat this week to discuss civil society development across eastern and central Europe, the former Soviet Union and Turkey. DECIM - Donor Exchange, Coordination & Information Mechanism - is an informal group sponsored by the World Bank and European Commission with an active commitment to improving their support for civil society programs. DECIM will host its annual Roundtable meeting along with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Croatia and the Croatian NGO Council.
Following the DECIM Roundtable, an international workshop will be held on September 28th & 29th. The workshop is titled The Role of the Donor Community in Supporting the Development and Execution of the Legal Framework for Civil Society Organizations. In addition to international and private donors, the workshop will bring together numerous participants from Croatian civil society organizations and Government of Croatia institutions to present the Croatian perspective. Croatia is recognized as having made significant progress in the area of CSO legal framework.
The workshop is being co-sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
USAID is the primary assistance organization of the United States Government. Since 1992, the United States has provided over $407 million to Croatia (much of it through USAID programs) to strengthen democratic institutions and assist in postwar reconstruction and the return of refugees, to support de-mining and economic development, and to provide educational and training opportunities. The U.S. has also provided guidance and support to the Croatian judicial and military sectors to further Croatia's integration in Euro-Atlantic institutions.