The last of the Civil Society Sector Workshops held within the context of the “Technical Assistance for Support to the Preparation and Implementation of the Turkey Civil Society Sub-Sector Programming 2016-2017” which is implemented by the Ministry for European Affairs, will be as held on 9 January 2018 in Konya.

In the second phase of the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) covering the years 2014-2020, civil society has been defined as a sector to show the importance attributed to civil society. The Ministry for European Affairs, as the leading institution for the programming of EU financial assistance within the civil society sector, is responsible for the coordination among the relevant institutions and organizations.

In the new period, projects are being developed by the Ministry for European Affairs and public institutions for developing the capacity of civil society organizations, strengthening public-civil society cooperation, improving the legal framework and strengthening EU-Turkey civil society dialogue. The workshop aims to increase the awareness and knowledge of CSOs about the civil society sector in order to ensure their contribution to the programming process and information on grant schemes to be implemented in the upcoming period.

In the morning session of the workshop, the participants will be informed about the “Civil Society Sector” and the operation of the programming process by the representatives of the Ministry for European Affairs, as well as the grant opportunities available to civil society organizations within the scope of EU financial aid in the new period. The outcomes of the Civil Society Sector workshops organized in Ankara, İstanbul, Trabzon and Gaziantep in 2017, will also be shared. The afternoon session of the workshop will consist of group work.