"DANUBE CONFLUENCE 2023-24 is an EUSDR project of Agapedia, Supernatural, Europazentrum Baden-Württemberg, danube connects and the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung with the aim to experience, capture and medially

use the richness of the Danube region and its people through the interaction in different project activities. For this

purpose, a series of educational camps were developed and linked to campaigns (impact events with influencers). eople together on the Danube to take photographs, gain media skills, and create a digital exhibition that will be presented at en EUSDR events."

National Participation Days (NPD, formerly national hearing) are annually held meetings of all interested active or potential stakeholders of the EUSDR on a national level. The NPDs specifically addresses civil society organisations and their networks, local actors from municipality level, academia, public authorities on local and regional level as well as national institutions active in the EUSDR and EUSDR Priority Coordinators (PACs) based in the country, as well as the National Contact Point (NCP).

The NPD is the national platform in the structured civil society dialogue of the EUSDR.

Foster Europe is pleased to introduce the TALE project - Take the Lead in the Eu Elections, a project funded by the European Parliament and coordinated by ALDA - which aims to reach greater number of voters and empower them to play an active role in the European parliamentary elections in 2024.

The principal objective of the TALE project was to encourage and facilitate the active engagement of European young citizens with the construction of a vibrant European democracy through participatory processes.

"What is the role of the Lower Danubian islands in the modern and contemporary history of riparian communities and the riparian states of Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine? These islands are active agents which interfere with human’s affairs – they emerge and they shift, they host life and impact borders. By telling the intricate history of these ecosystems and human societies, we will introduce a novel approach for Southeast European historiography and social anthropology – environmental history. Furthermore, we will engage with a multispecies perspective, by looking at the ways in which social realities are shaped in their interaction with natural beings and processes – bacteria and viruses, animals and forests, soil and rivers hydrodynamics.

The project is funded by UEFISCDI through PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-1238 and hosted by the ‘Francisc I. Rainer’ Institute of Anthropology, Romanian Academy."

The potential of traditional knowledge about genetic resources (TK/GR), the domain of cultural heritage, in sustainability and improving the quality of life in the Danube region in the sectors: food security, public health, ecosystem services, resource management, peace and security, human rights and innovation / science/ education?

"The first phase of the project on the methodology for establishing a register, inventory, as an initial step for the valorization of heritage in all sectors has been completed. Standards have been established to overcome the fragmentation of public policies, differences in social, economic and administrative aspects of members in the Region, Non Paper document, , https://worldmusic.org.rs /projekti/promocije u inostranstvu.

The WIPO Treaty on TK/GR dated May 24, 2024, is the most significant assumption after twenty years of harmonization, to regulate this area through the protection of intellectual property https://lnkd.in/eypGJu6T. Serbia is preparing a Consortium that will develop the next phase of the project; Establishment of registers."

ALDA (the European Association for Local Democracy) focuses on promoting good governance and citizen participation at the local level in Europe and beyond. The organization emphasizes a bottom-up approach, working closely with local and regional authorities as well as civil society organizations to foster community cohesion, cooperation, and development. In the Danube region, ALDA supports initiatives that enhance local democracy and sustainable development through participatory approaches.

LDA Odesa: The Local Democracy Agency Odesa has been opened in November 2023 and it is the third LDA established in the country. The creation of this Local Democracy Agency in Ukraine, as an instrument of peace and social cohesion, is the first step for the creation of other LDAs in the country, as established by ALDA’s Flagship Initiative in Ukraine.

Since 2013, the non-profit association ILEU has been the office of the informal educational network Danube-Networkers, founded in 2008, in which over 100 civil society associations from the fields of education, culture, social affairs and the environment, universities and schools from all 10 Danube riparian countries work together in campaigns or in longer-term-projects as well as the office of the international association Danube-Networkers for Europe (DANET), founded in 2014.. Aim: International exchange across borders and generations in the Danube region, getting to know each other, breaking down prejudices, strengthening .European awareness. Method: analogue and digital - it's the mix that makes the difference!

For 70 years the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) has been fostering cross border cooperation and dialogue in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2022 the IDM has been collaborating with GLOBSEC, ELIAMEP, and the European Movement Ireland on the EU-funded project EUact2: 'Towards Democratic and Inclusive Europe: EP Elections and Active Citizens Participation and Contribution'. This project aims to enhance citizens' knowledge of the EU, its institutions and values, while fostering greater participation and involvement, particularly in light of the recent EU elections. As part of this initiative, the IDM has conducted various activities, including awareness-raising public events and panel discussions, as well as focus groups for young professionals and leaders where practical solutions for urgent EU-related issues and recommendations for EU policymakers were developed.

With the program Perspektive Donau: Bildung, Kultur und Zivilgesellschaft (Danube Perspectives: Education, Culture, and Civil Society) the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung contributes to the implementation of these goals and supports the people of the Danube region. Furthermore, it seeks to advance the whole region across countries.

What will be funded?

We are supporting long-term projects in the Danube region, particularly initiatives with a focus on culture, civil society promotion or educational development.

Who can apply?

Charitable and nonprofit institutions from Baden-Württemberg are eligible to apply. They must have at least one interregional cooperation partner from the Danube region. Please check the current calls and deadlines for grant applications on our website. "

WWF-Central and Eastern Europe and its country office WWF-Ukraine have been advocating for better environmental policy frameworks and conducting on-the-ground nature conservation work for over 20 years. Since Russia´s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the joint team has used this experience for promoting a green recovery of Ukraine toward donors and governments. For higher impact, we are cooperating with other civil society organisations with similar missions. "Civil Society´s commitment to a sustainable recovery of Ukraine - A Joint Statement of the green CSO community and call for collaboration" is the most recent output of such cooperation.

River networks provide a multitude of ecosystem services and functions that are essential for human societies. While being fundamental for cycling of matter and habitats of highly diverse communities, rivers are of high importance for global biodiversity (Cid et al., 2021).

The key question of the research is the understanding of species distribution patterns and species assembly processes related to environmental niches and dispersal abilities and the drivers that could explain their ecological preferences.

Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Social and Economic Council promotes economic and cultural exchange and integration between the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the countries of Central Asia in a wide variety of areas. The project “Danube Digital International Transport Corridor: smart mobility and resilient supply chains” addresses challenges in EU-Ukraine/Moldova/Serbia logistics by increasing capacity and sustainable development of the Danube route. The actual bottleneck situation shall be removed to allow an easier flow of good and create new regional resilient supply chains. One important feature is to build communication lines along the waterway, create digital platforms and improve data collection.

The Local Democracy Agency (LDA) supports democratic processes at the local level, in cooperation with Local Authorities and Civil Socaty Organisations, with a participatory approach for sustainable communities. LDA has been operating in the City of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) for 20 years, with a wider regional and global approach through project partnership and within its network ALDA, the European Association for Local Democracy.

Youth & Commute is a project that aims to increase accessibility to bicycles by creating a structured and fun approach. We want to educate young people who have little knowledge about cycling and bicycle maintenance and motivate them to become daily bike users. The project is addressing green transport and mobility, road safety literacy and the mobility and inclusion of young refugees, migrants and other groups living at the margins of the society. Youth & Commute promotes the added health benefits of cycling, which in turn will help people to get fitter and reduce the number of obese people in Europe.

First of all, the project addresses challenges with regard to sustainable use of natural resources Danube region, in particular in small-scale fishing, via the use of digital solutions and tools that will ensure more effective it using. Secondly, the project will solve major environmental challenges, such as the preservation of commercial river living resources and the conservation of Danube Delta biodiversity and habitats, by developing joint IT monitoring solutions for small-scale fishing. Thirdly, the project will help solve the urgent operational challenges associated with the large influx of Ukrainian refugees into Danube countries and IDPs in Ukraine through their psychological and professional adaptation and social integration through the project's involvement, where fishing is used as a source of recovery of the psycho-emotional state and self-employment.

NBS EduWORLD is a Horizon Europe project at the crossroads between nature-based solutions and education, a forerunner project blending the two topics. The result is a unique consortium bringing together researchers, educators, NBS practitioners, and even sports community members with the common goal of creating engaging and locally relevant educational materials centering the environmental, social, and professional merits of NBS.

The Development and cooperation project DIALOG ATRIUM is focused on the development of cooperation between people, countries and organizations and the exchange of experience in the areas of ecology, education, democracy, digitization, arts, ecumena. Specifically focused on connecting countries in the mentioned areas and in the reality of tourist routes and dialogue of different views and concepts. The creation of a film documentary from the course of the project.

For over 30 years, CONCORDIA Social Projects has been dedicated to supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged communities across Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Kosovo. The organisation focuses on providing essential services, such as child care, education, family strengthening and social integration, to children, youth, and families in need. By fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, CONCORDIA empowers individuals to achieve self-sufficiency and improve their quality of life. Through a network of committed volunteers and professional staff, the organisation addresses the complex social challenges faced by marginalised populations.

"After receiving the Erasmus accreditation in adult education this year, the Association “The Writers` League” Timisoara Banat Branch/ Asociatia “Liga Scriitorilor” Filiala Timisoara Banat (LSFTB) is implementing the project 2024-1-RO01-KA121-ADU-000206703.

The objectives of the project are:

1: Capacity building for successful adaptation to digital transformation and overcoming language barriers for strengthening relations with organisations from the field of Adult Education from other European countries

2: To develop our capacity to become a more involved organisation in promoting European heritage and supporting a sustainable lifestyle in our enviroment for the benefit of our members and community

3: To support inclusion and diversity through art and culture obtaining a change of mindset and behaviour among staff and learners so that contributes to positive effect on individuals

4: Strenghten staff capacity through international development opportunities to deliver high quality activities that empower adult learners to reach their potential and bring about positive change."

"Project objectives :

Update Ukrainian refugee skills in DR’s host countries to ensure that everyone can participate fully in the economy and that employers in all sectors can hire the necessary digitally skilled employees .

Project scope

- Review and analysis of the current country's digital education & training system for for Ukrainian refugees

- A comprehensive overview of the state of affairs in the Ukrainian refugee's digital education & skills

- Supporting the sustainable development of Digital education and skills of Ukrainian refugees: policy recommendations to DR’s host countries."