Kehys is the Finnish national platform of CONCORD, the European federation of relief and development NGOs.

The membership of Kehys consists of nearly 40 Finnish non-governmental organisations that share an interest towards EU development cooperation and policy.

The members nominate a board of directors that governs the activities of Kehys and its secreteriat.

Kehys was founded in 1995 as the EU Liaison Committee for Finnish NGOs and became and independent organisation in 2001.

 

OUR WORK

 

Training and Advice

Kehys offers information and training on NGOs’ EU funding opportunities and promotes discussion on issues of EU’s development policy and global education.

Kehys aims to strengthen Finnish NGOs’ capacity to plan and implement EU-funded projects. Kehys shares information on different funding opportunities and encourages Finnish organisations to apply for EU funding for their projects.

Kehys trains NGOs in applying for funding and project management in addition to informing them about the application processes. In addition to funding advice and project training, Kehys promotes the Finnish NGOs’ and other interested actors’ knowledge on EU’s development policy and cooperation through different kinds of trainings. 

Kehys is an active participant in the European global education field and aims to promote the cooperation of European and Finnish NGOs. Kehys iparticipates in the European Development Education Project (DEEEP, Developing Europeans Engagement for the Eradication of Global Poverty) and in the implementation of the European development education strategy.

 

Advocacy Work

Kehys monitors EU development policy and aims to influence it together with its members and European organisations in all phases of planning and decision making.

Kehys for example produces expert opinions and is heard both in EU institutions and on the national level in different ministries. Contact with  the European Commission, Parliament and ministries is regular. Kehys aims to promote the knowledge of Finnish NGOs on EU’s development cooperation and their advocacy opportunities through its work.

The focus of Kehys’ work is on observing policy coherence for development in EU’s decision making. Kehys also observes the coherence between development cooperation and other policy sectors and especially in development and environmental issues, security and immigration. Geographically a special focus is on Africa and EU’s neighbouring regions.

Kehys arranges regular training on EU funding and EU’s development cooperation.

Kehys coordinates thematic working groups, whose aim is to exchange latest news on the EU development agenda and collect resources for joint advocacy work. Working groups meet regularly and are open for all interested parties and people.