As part of the project “Strengthening resilience of older persons and persons with disabilities during COVID-19 and future crises” financed by the European Union and the Austrian Development Agency, the Red Cross of Serbia organised training for partner organizations on 23 and 24 January 2023 entitled “Engaging with policy makers and advocating for policy change in the process of EU accession”. This training is part of the three-year regional project, specifically the section on ​​advocacy for influencing the development of public policy on long-term care services, and is building on the already completed activities that included research studies and sets of recommendations related to long-term care services in the Western Balkans.

Partners in the project, civil society organizations from Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, as well as partners from Kosovo*, during the two-day training held at the EU Info Center, had the opportunity to become more familiar with the legal context and relevant public policies related to improving access to long-term care services within the European Union. Furthermore, part of the training was related to effective communication with decision makers and creation of effective strategic plans for public advocacy. Through working in groups, the participants practiced creating different messages for different stakeholders in the process of public advocacy.

The training was attended by 20 participants from partner organizations in the project, and was moderated by experts from European networks of civil society organizations that advocate for the rights of the elderly and people with disabilities: Apolline Parel on behalf of Age Platform Europe and Phillipa Tucker on behalf of the European Disability Forum.

After the completed training, on 24 and 25 January, a meeting of partners in the project “Strengthening resilience of older persons and persons with disabilities during COVID-19 and future crises” was held in the House of Human Rights and Democracy. At the meeting, the results achieved in the second year of implementation were discussed and the dynamics of activities for the last year of the project were agreed upon.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UN Security Council resolution 1244 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.