Executive director of the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), Daliborka Uljarević, was appointed for a member of the newly established Western Balkans Advisory Committee (WBAC) of the global Open Society Foundations (OSF). Uljarević was invited by Christopher Stone, President of the Global Board of the Open Society Foundations, on behalf of George Soros, President of the Foundation and the Global Board itself.
This Committee will function as an advisory body for dialogue between foundations in the Western Balkans and the OSF, analyzing common political and social trends in the region and advising national foundations, OSF programmes, the European Advisory Committee and, when relevant, the Global Board. The Committee will also identify possibilities of regional cooperation between foundations and exchange of experiences, evaluate regional work of OSIFE network programmes and promote cooperation among foundations. Finally, the Committee will provide strategic coordination between five foundations in the region and provide space for planning what the OSF can further achieve in the region.
Time and expertise of the members of this Committee are of vital importance for functioning of national foundations in the countries of the Western Balkans, assessed Christopher Stone in a letter to Uljarević, noting that since launching the first foundation, Soros relied on opinions of independent experts in philanthropic efforts to improve areas in which he acted.
Individuals who are members of this body are recognized by their original approach in thinking and practices they establish, they are able to respond to different challenges and contribute to hone strategies in pursuing for an open society. Committee comprises of eight members, two of which are members of the European Advisory Committee from the region, one member per Board of national foundations, and one member from Montenegro, where the Foundation itself does not have a representative office, but there are number of active programmes supported by the Foundation. Uljarević was elected as a member from Montenegro on the basis of proven expertise and results in civil society work, which is certainly a recognition for CCE in wider not only regional, but also international frameworks. Her mandate in this body will last three years, starting from tomorrow when the first meeting of the Committee will be held.
CCE will continue, with its actions, to open path to a more just and tolerant society where expertise will be in the forefront of suitability, rule of law in the forefront of inequality before the law, dialogue and arguments in the forefront of manipulation and conflict. This is precisely the year when CCE marks 15 years of existence and is walking towards a mission for which it has been established, and this recognition of the CCE’s and its members performance is an additional incentive for further more intensive work.
Miloš Knežević, programme associate