Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs (GOfNGOs) organised Contracts Awarding Ceremony, on 21 April 2026, in the atrium of the Croatian Museum of Natural History. In the second part of this event, the Implementation Workshop was held.
On the occasion of the completion of the project contracting process in relation to
the Call “Strengthening of the CSOs contribution to the Education for Sustainable Development”, implemented within the Program Civil Society, under the
Swiss-Croatian Cooperation Programme, Second Contribution in the Republic of Croatia (RoC), the GOfNGOs, as the Programme Manager, organised the Contracts Awarding Ceremony including 9 contracts worth
2.120.952,41 EUR. In accordance with the Call Purposes, the projects are aimed at strengthening of cooperation of CSOs and educational institutions, innovative educational contents development and teaching methods, as well as the raising awareness of sustainable development, nature protection, equality in society and responsible resources management.
More specifically, through projects the students will be provided with interactive methods of developing digital, STEAM and social skills, learning about digital sustainability, mental health, responsible use of technology and nature-inspired problem solving. By planting of “pocket forests”, as the new and innovative method in the environment preservation, biodiversity and greening of public spaces, including the involvement of the local community, it is intended to influence the increase of the children and youth competences for sustainable development in the areas of education, climate protection and preservation of life on the Earth, as well as to contribute to sustainable cities and communities. In line with the Call General Goal , projects will also address the promotion of political literacy among young people and the development of their competences for active participation in the local community, as well as the development of key competences for sustainable development and active citizenship among children and youth with a focus on rural and less developed areas. Also, with a series of creative ecological actions in schools and local communities led by the students themselves, the production of quality promotional materials and effective dissemination events, will directly influence the public awareness of the need for sustainable development to build responsible, sustainable and resilient schools and communities. In addition, with the purpose of the public awareness raising and inclusion of units of local self-governments, numerous volunteer actions and public events will be organised, as well as the new educational programme for the secondary schools students will be developed and implemented and the student (including students of vulnerable groups) will create and implement local plans - climate change mitigation projects including adaptation of methodology and educational material, educators assistance individual needs oriented. Activities in the field of sustainable agriculture, including the education of CSO’s employees and volunteers on topics such as healthy food, nutritional self-sufficiency, gender equality, climate change and biodiversity will be supported under this Call. In the same way, activities of sustainable development education promotion through art, i.e. workshops, educations, volunteering and multimedia activities, implementing creative and participative methods of working with children and youth, as well as development of the new teaching methodology which better integrate the sustainable development concept into educational system will be financed by this Call.
The projects will be implemented on the territory of almost all the Croatian Counties. In terms of the impact, the projects will aimed at the development of sustained schools and communities, increasing of civic inclusion in education for sustainable development, as well as strengthening of schools and CSOs through action-based learning, competence building, activation of the local community for long-term practical application of the principles of sustainable agriculture and development, development of competences for sustainability. In addition, through education and mentorship for teachers, the capacities for the implementation of sustainable development and civic education, as well as the activism among youth, especially in designing and implementing actions in communities (including students) will be developed.
The signatories of the contracts (beneficiaries), representatives of the relevant ministries, Council for the Civil Society Development, educational institutions, CSOs and media were welcomed by Her Excellency Mrs Beatrice Schaer, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to the RoC and Helena Beus, authorised for performing duties of the Head of the GOfNGOs. The whole event was moderated by Ivana Radaljac Krušlin, journalist and editor, from Croatian Radio and Television, Radio Sljeme.
Mrs Helena Beus expressed her gratitude to the Swiss Confederation and the representatives of their Embassy in the RoC for the preparation of the aforementioned Programme of Cooperation, as well as the representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds who were cooperating with the GOfNGOs employees in the preparation of the Cooperation Programme. She also emphasized that this contract awarding is the continuation of successful cooperation established within the Swiss-Croatian Cooperation Programme, First Swiss Contribution, within which 52 projects were funded and 94 associations from Croatia and 10 organisations from Swiss Confederation participated in implementation. Those projects have fostered changes in the areas of volunteering, socially beneficial learning and cooperation between CSOs, public institutions and local and regional government units in their local communities.
The Ambassador Mrs Schaer also thanked to all who contributed to the realisation of this Programme and that especially to the Croatia partners, the GOfNGOs and the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, who had the key role in this process. Through the Civil Society Programme, the Swiss Confederation wishes to share its experience in mobilising civil society as a key factor in development, whether by providing essential services, strengthening participation or initial social transformations. She, in addition, pointed out that, by strengthening the capacity of CSOs throughout Croatia, this Call will enable their effective inclusion in democratic process, the reduction of economic and social disparities, as well as the strengthening of inclusive communities. She also underlined the importance of education for sustainable development, that is, by strengthening citizens, especially youth, by providing them with knowledge, values and skills, the initiatives of CSOs support the informed participation of citizens and contribute to long-term social, economic and environmental resilience.
The awarding ceremony has thematically organised on the eve of the global event Earth Day, and this year’s theme
Our strength, our planet refers to the role of people and communities around the world in maintaining environmental protection, which affects the cost of living, public health, infrastructure reliability and long-term stability. Environmental conditions affect food systems, water availability, energy access, disaster risk and economic resilience in all regions.
In the continuation of the Programme, an Implementation workshop was held aiming at informing the Beneficiaries of the projects within the Call “Strengthening of the CSOs contribution to the Education for Sustainable Development” on the implementation, i.e. procedures of the implementation of the envisaged activities, as well as the reporting, narrative and financial part of the projects. The GOfNGOs employees, in addition to monitoring of the implementation, will certainly provide them with technical support throughout the project duration.
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