USAID Releases 2005 NGO Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2006
0510-06-043
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announces the release of the ninth edition of the NGO Sustainability Index, a key analytical tool that measures the progress of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the Europe and Eurasia (E&E) region. The NGO Sustainability Index draws on the expertise of NGO leaders in 29 countries and entities in E&E and highlights major developments and trends in the NGO environment.
The NGO Sustainability Index measures progress in seven critical areas: legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy, service provision, infrastructure, and public image. Scores are measured on a 1 to 7 scale, with 7 indicating a low or poor level of development and 1 indicating a very advanced level of progress. Each country report provides an in-depth analysis of the NGO sector along with comparative information regarding prior years' dimension scores encapsulated in easy-to-read charts. The Index further includes statistical appendices summarizing scores for 1998-2005.
"This is a very valuable USAID product, unique to the Agency, and it is used by NGOs and academics all over the region, as well as in the U.S." said Drew Luten, USAID Acting Assistant Administrator for Europe & Eurasia. "Among donors, USAID is a leader that is finding solutions and tactics for civil society sustainability, and the NGO Sustainability Index allows us to continue to track progress and report on creative, new strategies," he said.
2005 was a year of uneven progress for civil society in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia. While sustainability in the European countries continued to progress or consolidate, the NGO environment in many Eurasian countries deteriorated. Some of the most dramatic developments of the year centered on efforts of governments, primarily in the former Soviet Union, to constrain civil society activities, particularly where they appear to pose a threat to the government in power. In this year's Index, the article "Civil Society Under Threat: Common Legal Barriers and Potential Responses," David Moore and Catherine Shea examine an issue that has affected NGOs not only in the region but around the world - the use of repressive NGO laws to stifle NGO activities and free association. Robert G. Herman, another contributor to the index, considers the evolution of NGO advocacy in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, as well as challenges to advocacy organizations, in "Advocacy in the E&E Region: Progress, Promise and Peril."
The full report can be found on USAID's Europe and Eurasia Website, http://www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/dem_gov/ngoindex/index.htm.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
Back to Top ^
|
RSS Feed for Recent USAID Press Releases
