The Balkans
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Overview
After the Yugoslav crisis of the 1990s, the Balkans region saw the birth of several new states. Many of the present issues facing these countries - such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia - are linked to the conflict of the last few decades. Issues of ethnicity, religion and identity are high up amongst the list of problems Civil Society and government groups must tackle.
It could be argued that the Balkans is now at another pivotal point in its history. In the fragile peace following the various regional crises, Balkan civil society actors and governments are working together, along with international partners from various countries, to create a more stable and inclusive society, improved governance and democracy. For some countries the ultimate goal is accession to the European Union, which involves reaching various targets in several areas of governance, human rights and economic standing. There is still widespread poverty, however; for example in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 20% of the population lives below the poverty line.
Religious minorities in many Balkan states feel excluded from political and civic life and difficulties arise because of a lack of communication, understanding or acceptance between the majority and significant religious minorities. There are significant populations of both Muslims, and Christians in all of the Balkan states, and many countries have an almost even split of Muslims and Christians. In Macedonia, the Christian Orthodox population is nearly 65%, but there is a Muslim population of 33%, while 
in Bosnia the population is almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians.
Issues surrounding ethnicity also abound. The Balkans has a mix of Croat, Bosniak, Serb Albanian and other ethnicities, and most countries in the Balkans have two or three prevalent languages. Many people who were internally displaced during the region's recent conflicts are afraid to return to their homes because of interreligious unrest and ethnic divisions.
Nonetheless, Balkan NGOs and CSOs are tackling the issues with new and innovative approaches, open-mindedness and determination. It is heartening to see networks of NGOs at work across the region, to heal rifts and bring a greater understanding between peoples.
Civil Society in the Balkans
A number of initiatives have looked at the strength of the NGO sector across the Balkans or in particular countries (for example, USAID Sustainability Index, DECIM, Euclid, Civicus Civil Society Index). Also, there are a number of networks within countries or for specific themes. They have identified that these NGOs need mechanisms to cooperate better and to learn skills.
The main issues for NGOs in the Balkans are (1) relations - between NGO communities; cooperation in a region split between communities; non-politicisiation of NGOs (2)financial - sustainability of funding and diversity of funds. Subsidiary issues include legal issues, environment, management skills, cooperation and advocacy.
Activities
In 2010, The Humanitarian Forum will bring together our partners from around the world and organisations in the Balkans, to assess the needs of the humanitarian sector and explore future partnerships. After an initial visit to Macedonia in January 2010, during which we visited several NGOs and held meetings with government ministers to assess the needs of the humanitarian sector, we will be returning to Skopje in April to meet with local NGOs in a one day conference.
Tensions between communities remain in many areas, and the NGO sector needs a neutral platform for humanitarian dialogue. The Humanitarian Forum can help to mend the rifts in Balkan society by bringing together humanitarian organisations that are Muslim and non-Muslim, local and international, in e neutral space for dialogue and cooperation.
The Humanitarian Forum's initiative is new because it bridges the gaps between:
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Muslim and non-Muslim NGOs within the Balkans;
- NGOs from different countries within the Balkans;
- international and local NGOs.
Report: EU Pre-accession policy in the Balkans
The Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) has published this report, entitled The Successes and Failures of EU Pre-accession Policy in the Balkans: Support to Civil Society, which examines EU policies regarding civil society enlargement and how these have been put into effect in the Balkans.
Civil society has been a central aspect of the EU Enlargement Policy in the Balkan states. This paper examines at the successes and failures of this policy, and at lessons learned.
