Join Our Webinar: Strengthening European Collaboration for CIGS in Ukraine
The European Network for Citizen Initiatives in Global Solidarity (ENfCIGS) warmly invites representatives of European civil society organisations (CSOs), funders, and networks working in or for Ukraine—especially those supporting small CSOs—to participate in an interactive webinar on 12 February 2026.Across Europe, many organisations and funders are engaged in supporting Ukrainian partners and communities under threat. […]
EC Civil Society Strategy aims for democratic resilience worldwide
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice (DG JUST) has launched the EU Civil Society Strategy, a comprehensive plan to strengthen democratic resilience by ensuring an open civic space, fostering structured dialogue with civil society, and providing sustainable funding for organisations defending fundamental rights. This strategy is highly relevant for CSOs active in development aid and […]
Funding for Global Citizenship Education in Europe
Across Europe, funding for Global Citizenship Education (GCE) is increasingly under pressure as public budgets shrink and government priorities shift away from international solidarity and civic engagement. Discussions within the ENfCIGS Funding Working Group and the Connect for Global Change partner group show a shared concern among civil society organizations in France, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, […]
Annual report 2024
In 2024, CIGS continued to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and advocacy for citizen-led initiatives across Europe and beyond. Despite a challenging political and funding landscape, our network of 20 member organizations from 13 countries remained committed to strengthening global solidarity, promoting global citizenship education, and addressing pressing issues like shrinking civic spaces and cross-border networking. […]
Capacity for Gender Equality
Across Europe, the push for gender equality and transformative approaches is gaining momentum, but it is also meeting resistance and facing systemic challenges. During our recent meeting of our Capacity building working group we discussed both progress and persistent obstacles. Here the main takeaways of this session: Europe’s approach to gender equality and transformative change […]
European Civil Society Strategy
Community-based organisations such as CIGS play a fundamental role in strengthening democratic values in Europe: from fighting social inequalities, through defending civil liberties, to protecting the environment. They are natural allies of European institutions defending values such as human rights, dignity, solidarity, equality and the rule of law. Unfortunately, in many countries, civic space has […]
Lianes Coopération joins the network
The Lianes Coopération a French regional multi-stakeholder network dedicated to international cooperation and solidarity in the Hauts-de-France region joined the network during the coordination group meeting on the 12th of June 2025. Lianes Coopération brings together local authorities, associations, educational institutions, and businesses engaged in international projects. It’s mission is to support and strengthen actors […]
Civil society under attack
In the European Parliament the Civic Space Report 2025 was presented on the fourth of June. A comprehensie report on how civic space is developing in Europe, or actually how the right of citizens in Europe to free assembly is increasingly attacked. That civic space is shrinking in ODA countries is something many of us […]
Strengthening local fundraising and mobilising support
The Funding Working Group came together on the 15th of May 2025 to share insights, challenges, and updates related to funding practices, local fundraising, and mobilising support. With growing pressure from shrinking international aid, the meeting served as a valuable platform for members to exchange knowledge on how to better support local partners in securing […]
Coordination Group Meeting – March 2025
On March 20, 2025, members of the European Network for Citizen Initiatives in Global Solidarity (CIGS) gathered online for their latest coordination meeting. Participants included representatives from CISU, 11.11.11, Wilde Ganzen, Fingo, Partnership Foundation, EUcanAid, Collective Leadership Institute, and Radboud University. Key highlights: Preparations are underway for a third European CIGS conference, most likely in […]