On April 8th, 2010, the Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TUSEV) and Counterpart Armenia held their second event of the Civil Society Cross-Border Cooperation Initiative (CBCI) . Counterpart welcomed its Turkish CSI partners for the Initiative’s Joint Workshop in Yerevan, which provided an opportunity for Armenian and Turkish civil society representatives to engage in dialogue, compare the two countries’ Civil Society Index (CSI) findings, discuss similarities and differences and discover areas to cooperate and learn from one another.

Kicking off the workshop, a comparative presentation of the research findings in Turkey and Armenia was presented to civil society organizations (CSOs), Armenian Advisory Council (AC) members and international organization representatives. While these findings had already been discussed between Counterpart and TUSEV during the first working trip to Istanbul, this time more qualitative findings were presented and compared, and dialogue was opened up between the two parties. Some of the most interesting similarities highlighted include the low level of civic participation and financial dependency (concerning attracting and fully utilizing private resources).

Next, participants were given the opportunity to ask questions and give their feedback and input on civil society in each country and the CSI in Armenia. Because these individuals were closely involved in the CSI process, their discussion went beyond mere CSI implementation and covered topics like further utilization of the findings and translating them into action.  

In the end, participants came away with the impression that Turkish and Armenian civil society development is at the same stage, but for different reasons. “While both countries are in an intense state of development, the driving force behind Turkey’s development is the European Union process,” says Lusine Hakobyan, National Coordinator for the CSI in Armenia, “while in Armenia it comes from post-independence development. But given the similarities, there is much we can learn and share with each other.”

The next day, the Turkish representatives were invited to take part in the Civil Society National Workshop. While Armenian civil society was discussing its strengths and weaknesses and developing action plans for addressing these weaknesses, the Turkish participants provided invaluable input and shared their experiences and best practices with their Armenian counterparts. This exchange is important for civil societies from around the region to learn from one another and help strengthen the sector in each country.

The Turkish delegation was also able to meet with civil society representatives from Armenian organizations dealing with women’s rights, human rights and environmental issues. The Turkish and Armenian participants shared their experiences and the greatest challenges facing them collectively. This was a solid step for more cooperation to come.

The next step in the CBCI will be for the Armenian Advisory Committee members visit to Turkey and work on the comparative study of Armenian and Turkish civil societies.

PHOTOS: Top: Members of Armenian and Turkish civil society talk during the joint workshop.

Lusine Hakobyan from Counterpart International and Derya Kaya from TUSEV discuss the CSI in both Turkey and Armenia.