Montenegro

Association for Equality and Tolerance

$40,000
To foster civil society and democratic values among youth in Montenegro. The Association will use a final year of Endowment support to continue the operations of its Cool Radio station. The station will produce non-commercial programming, including a show on NGO activities and the problems of high school and university students. Cool Radio will also provide internships to journalism students and publish an electronic newsletter.

Association of Young Journalists of Montenegro

$34,920
To promote the activities of NGOs in Montenegro and help build public support for the civic sector there. The Association will produce 18 episodes of a television series profiling local NGOs and their efforts to tackle specific problems in their respective communities, presenting stories by individuals who have benefited from the work of NGOs, and providing current news about the Montenegrin civic sector.

Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM)

$36,600
To monitor and assess the state of democracy in Montenegro. CEDEM will use a final year of Endowment support to analyze the correlation between citizens’ perceptions of democracy, gained through a series of public opinion surveys, and the objective state of democracy, based on an analysis of empirical results and practices. To promote reform, the results will be published in a series of three reports, and also in book form as the 2009 Democracy Index.

Center for Democratic Transition

$50,688*
To promote a free and fair process prior to Montenegro’s April 2008 presidential elections. The Center will develop a code of conduct for candidates, train election observers, monitor voting procedures on Election Day, conduct a parallel vote count, publicize instances of electoral fraud through regular reports, and publicize its findings and post-election recommendations.

Center for Democratic Transition

$39,200
To provide Montenegro’s future leaders with practical experience in government affairs. The Center will use a final year of Endowment support to place 12 university students as interns in state government institutions for a period of seven months and provide them with the necessary training in government history, organization, and operations.

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)

$155,046
To strengthen the capacity of the business community to advocate for democratic free-market reforms that will benefit Montenegro’s economy and society. Working with its local partner CEED, CIPE will develop a National Development Agenda with inputs from the business community. An extensive advocacy campaign including focus groups, public forums, and roundtables will forge a public-private dialogue to promote further reforms.

Network for the Affirmation of NGO Sector – MANS

$45,759
To foster accountability and transparency in Montenegro by building public support for the adoption of a revised Law on Conflict of Interest and facilitating its effective enforcement. MANS will implement a public awareness campaign on the need for improved legislation, develop recommendations for its reform, provide assistance to citizens reporting instances of conflict of interest, and research cases of conflict of interest in public institutions.