The Cidi project is a two year project, financed by the EU. It is being implemented by a consortium consisting of Kronauer Consulting (Bosnia and Herzegovina), COWI (Denmark), ATOS Consulting (UK) and the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs (Croatia). The project is providing technical assistance designed to facilitate the development of policy dialogue between government and civil society organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Between 22 and 24 June 2010, the Cidi project – Capacity building of civil society to take part in policy dialogue in Bosnia and Herzegovina – held its first seminar and network workshop, entitled Preconditions for policy dialogue, for the issue-based civil society networks participating in the project’s full programme of support for policy dialogue.

This was the first of six seminars and network workshops which will take place over the next 12 months.

At the seminar, representatives of the six issue-based networks had the opportunity to learn about civil society and policy dialogue, and research, advocacy and monitoring in the public policy development process. In addition, they also discussed good practice examples of successful policy dialogue and cooperation between civil society organisations and government institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The seminar and workshop were attended by 33 representatives of the following issue-based networks: • Savez slijepih Republike Srpske (Alliance of blind people, Republika Srpska); • Savez gluhih i nagluhih Bosne i Hercegovine (Alliance of deaf and partially deaf people); • Savez udruženja za pomoć mentalno nedovoljno razvijenim licima Republike Srpske (Alliance of associations working to support people with mental disabilities, Republika Srpska); • Ring (working on the prevention of people trafficking); • Volontiram (I volunteer, working on the promotion of voluntarism); • Mono (working on youth policy)

For more information, please contact: Zelah Senior, Team Leader Vanja Škorić, Senior Legal Adviser Ranko Milanović-Blank, Civil Society Development Specialist Augusta Brauna 14/2, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Tel: +387 33 260 356; Fax: +387 33 260 355 info@cidi.ba www.cidi.ba