With you since 1996....

The Center for Civic Cooperation (CGS) is a non-government, non-profit, non-political organisation whose goal is to promote citizen activism in improving life in their communities.

The organisation was established in 1996 by the Washington DC-based Center for Civil Society in Southeastern Europe (CCS), who provided expertise, financial and technical support during the first year of operations. With CCS assistance, core funds for operations were secured from the National Endowment for Democracy, the US Institute of Peace and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

CGS was the first non-government organisation in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina to actively support democratic processes by commencing activities promoting human rights, civil and minority rights, and interethnic cooperation.

All CGS projects are designed to benefit all citizens irrespective of ethnicity, religion, political or any other association. An overall goal is the re-establishment of their interethnic community as the basis for sustainable coexistence in a modern multiethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Their key activities cover ten municipalities (Bosansko Grahovo, Drvar, Glamoc, Grude, Kupres, Livno, Ljubuski, Posusje, Siroki Brijjeg and Tomislavgrad) in Cantons 8 and 10 in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Projects

They research, develop and implement projects that promote citizen activism as a key factor in developing their society and improving people's standard of living. The majority of their activities target ten municipalities in Cantons 8 and 10 and they cooperate with government and non-government organisations across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Currently they are implementing projects focusing on:

- Increasing citizen participation in decision-making processes at the local government level
- Lobbying for better legislative protection of workers' rights through networking between trade unions and non-government organisations
- Peer education for youth about HIV/AIDS and reproductive health
- Adoption of a Local Environmental Action Plan in Livno municipality
- Strengthening the non-government sector through our role as a resource centre.

Since 1996 they have implemented projects dealing with the following:

- Human rights and democratic processes
- Local self-administration and Local Communities
- Labour rights and promoting formation of trade unions
- Gender equality and implementation of legislation at the local level
- Strenghtening civil society and capacity building for local NGOs
- Ecology and environmental protection
- Transitional justice and reconciliation
- Sustainable return and assistance to returnees
- Strengthening the local media and education for journalists
- Education for youth (democracy, human rights, reproductive health and environmental issues)