§ 25. Mr. Gordon MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to develop civil society programmes that will contribute to stability in south-eastern Europe. [704]
§ Clare ShortStrengthening of the role of civil society is one of the main objectives of our programmes in south-eastern Europe.
In Serbia we are designing a major project to assist co-operation between civil society and government in service delivery. In Croatia we have agreed a programme of support to the Government Office for NGOs, support to civil society co- operation with government and to evaluation of government grants to NGOs. In Albania and Bosnia Herzegovina ye are supporting major social policy projects, which inch de the involvement of civil society in design and delivery of programmes. In Albania we have also assisted with the government's arrangements for consultation with civil society on its poverty reduction strategy. In Macedonia we are working with civil society agencies to develop a network of citizens advice and information services.