Project Title: Strengthening the Capacity of Civil Society in Malta, Cyprus and Slovenia to engage effectively in dialogue with the European Institutions over Sustainable Livelihoods in the Mediterranean and the Barcelona Process.

Implementing Organisation: Koperazzjoni Internazzjonali- KOPIN, Malta

Total Budget: 45 000 euros

Total Request
from Fund: 45 000 euros

About Kopin:

Koperazzjoni Internazzjonali (Kopin) is a voluntary organisation based in Malta working in the field of North-South cooperation. Upon consideration of the social situation of the poor and marginalized in the least developed countries, Kopin’s mission is to alleviate poverty through the wholesome development and effective empowerment of communities and populations in the poorest nations and regions across the world. Kopin engages in dialogue with civil society organisations in Europe and the South and upholds advocacy and campaigning strategies directed at local and EU development policies. Kopin is also coordinating the National Platform of Maltese NGDOs, being a main link between the Maltese and European NGDO community.

Description of the Project:

When KOPIN first applied for PF funding (call 1), it was a very small organisation run by a small group of volunteers. It proposed to implement activities with partners in Slovenia (Humanitas) and Cyprus (Friends of the Earth), focussing on the commitments of the Barcelona Process related to support for the Mediterranean developing countries. The sustainability of the project would be ensured by the organisation Mediate, which would take care of the dissemination of the reports and information generated through the implementation of the project.

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MID TERM REPORT SUMMARY: Please click here to download the summary of the Mid-Term Report of this project

Results after the Implementation:

KOPIN itself has benefited from the Presidency Fund in terms of its structural work on development cooperation particularly in the Mediterranean, which has significantly increased. Its cooperation with the partners in Slovenia and Cyprus not only provided those with opportunities for joint learning processes, but also with extending their network to work in close cooperation with others in the region on the Barcelona Process (particularly in the context of the two meetings organised in Cosenza, Italy). While building its own capacity KOPIN also contributed to the strengthening of the National Platform of Maltese NG(D)Os, thereby paving the way for the Platform’s application for funding from the PF in call 2.

However, in spite of these results it should be clear that the PF had taken a huge risk by allocating funding to KOPIN. Although the volunteers, active in KOPIN, showed very strong motivation and dedication they did not achieve all the proposed activities. There also seems to have been a time constraint as KOPIN twice asked for an extension of the project from April -July 2007 (due to staffing problems) and from July- December 2007 (mainly to take advantage of unforeseen opportunities in the form of the Cosenza meetings on the Barcelona Process).