PASOS reaches 50-member milestone
News Source: PASOS Secretariat, Prague, Czech Republic
With the addition of six new members, the Policy Association for an Open Society (PASOS) has reached the 50-member mark, more than double the number when PASOS was founded in 2004.
The additions include two think tanks in Kosovo and Montenegro, joining as full members; three new associate members in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine; and the association’s first individual associate membership.
The various applications for membership were approved before and during an association Board of Directors meeting in March 2011. PASOS now has 39 full members, 10 associate members, and one individual associate member.
“With the approval of the new members, PASOS has reached a significant milestone in its history,” said Jeff Lovitt, executive director of the association’s secretariat in Prague. “We are pleased to know that so many policy centers in our region find PASOS membership to be a worthwhile investment that helps them network with other like-minded NGOs, learn about their peers’ activities and projects, shape projects together to further democratic transition, and benefit from access to PASOS training and capacity-building events.”
The new full members:
The Foreign Policy Club (Prishtine, Kosovo) is a non-governmental organisation which brings together intellectuals, politicians and prominent civil society activists that show an affinity for foreign policy. FPC aims to contribute through intellectual debates and recommendations with regard to generating Kosovo’s foreign policy around peace in Kosovo, the region and the world. FPC generates debate, examines developments, and presents recommendations for Kosovo’s foreign policy, focuses on examining global trends that affect Kosovo’s daily political economy, and also researches Kosovo’s opportunities for integration in the world. FPC strives to draw attention to world debates and the necessary steps for Kosovo’s politics in relation to such developments.
The Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) (Podgorica, Montenegro) was founded on 2 July 1997 as a non-profit citizens’ association with a mission to advance and raise awareness on the importance of proper and successful democratic transition; to research, analyse and follow the process of transition in order to exercise influence by its activities, as much as possible, on the transitional process in Montenegro; to contribute to the strengthening of civil society and the democratisation process as a whole. CEDEM seeks to generate ideas to improve politics and policy, and to give Montenegro’s people more power over their lives.
The new associate members:
The Center for Social Research Analitika (Sarajevo, Bosnia
and Herzegovina) is a non-profit, non-governmental, non-partisan policy research organization based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mission of Analitika is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on such research, offer relevant, innovative and practical policy recommendations that help drive the public policy process forward and promote inclusive policy change responsive to the public interest.
The Center for Social and Economic Strategies (CESES) (Prague, Czech Republic) was established in October 2000 at Charles University in Prague within the Faculty of Social Sciences. CESES is an interdisciplinary research and education unit engaged in the development of theory, methodology and practice of exploring possible futures, and the application of analyses and forecasts in decision-making.
The Institute of World Policy (IWP) (Kyiv, Ukraine) represents a new generation of think-tanks in Ukraine which combine cutting-edge analytical thinking with punchy products, creative advocacy, and vibrant public events. IWP strives to adopt new approaches to foreign policy dilemmas, as illustrated by its diverse activities. IWP brings together a new generation of Ukrainian analysts filled with creative drive and enthusiasm toward the European choice of Ukraine. While independent of Ukrainian political movements, election cycles, and intellectual fashions, however, IWP’s expert network strives to represent and clarify positions of Ukrainian politicians and policy-makers on strategic and tactical issues of importance.
The new individual associate member:
Darina Ch. Kadunkova, a Sofia, Bulgaria-based Development/Civil Society consultant, is founder and managing partner of Kadunkovs & Associates Ltd. She was a member of the founding Board of Directors of PASOS, and continued as a member of the Board from 2004-2008. She started her development career at the Open Society Institute in Bulgaria before joining one of the biggest development agencies in Bulgaria (C.E.G.A. Foundation). After the launch of official EU accession negotiations, Darina worked on projects related to Bulgaria’s EU accession for the European Institute, a Bulgarian think-tank and member of PASOS. Since April 2010, she has been working with the Centre for Economic Development, another PASOS member in Bulgaria, to help internationalise the policy operations of CED.
