New online platform launched to support civil society in Mongolia

However, challenges to accessing international funds and leveraging global expertise continues to be a challenge for local CSOs. In Mongolia, CSOs are essential for more accountable governance and freer societies and must be adequately resourced. The future of the sector is via supporting local actors alongside strengthening government systems yet the processes and systems to support such locally led action are minimal.

To better serve CSOs, People In Need (PIN), inspired by the EU Delegation’s CSO Roadmap, has launched a new platform called “Civil Society Now” – commonly referred to as CSN.

“At PIN, we are looking at an approach to flip the power dynamic whereby we provide capacity building services to local CSOs in order for them to be able to directly access and manage international donor funding,” said Camila Garbutt, Head of PIN’s Global Technical Advisory Unit.

“PIN itself has grown from being a small civil society organisation in the Czech Republic to become a trusted partner of institutional donors operating in more than 20 countries. This recent growth means it has a fresh living memory of its own organizational development, remembering and understanding the needs of smaller organisations and pathways for establishing the required standards.”

PIN will open up its internal fundraising, accountability, donor compliance and programme management systems to provide local CSOs with the resources required to build their own in order to access and effectively manage international donor funding. The CSN platform aims to contribute to Mongolia’s development, growth and emancipation of local civil society organizations. The services provided to members would be template resources, internal guidance documents, drop-in sessions on topics requested by members, and consultancy support.

“An empowered Civil Society is a crucial component for Mongolia’s democratic system and is an asset in itself. CSOs represent and foster pluralism and can contribute to more effective policies, to equitable and sustainable development and to inclusive growth. It is great to see that our Roadmap is inspiring others to contribute to a Civil Society landscape conducive to strengthening governance and democracy in Mongolia.”, said H.E. Ms Axelle Nicaise, Ambassador of the European Union to Mongolia.

About People in Need (PIN): The CEO and co-founder of PIN is Simon Pánek, one of the student activists during the Velvet Revolution in the Czech Republic. PIN is an active member of the European Partnership for Democracy as well as a framework partner of the European Commission for civil society development. In Mongolia, PIN strives to strengthen capacities of local authorities and CSOs, promote human rights, and empower communities to be the drivers of change and equal opportunities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Government’s ‘Vision 2050’.

For more information about PIN Mongolia and its work, visit here