We are happy to announce that the Third Annual Meeting of the FSTP Community of Practice (CoP) will be held in Skopje, North Macedonia, from November 5 to 7, 2024!

The FSTP Community of Practice is growing due to the increase in CSF grant beneficiaries implementing projects with the FSTP component and the number of CSOs implementing projects funded by other donors and having sub-granting as part of their activities.

At the moment, the FSTP CoP LinkedIn group gathers over 300 members interested in learning and sharing knowledge and experience on FSTP practices.

FSTP regional expertise is essential for strengthening our capacities in managing projects, resulting in a broad reach to its constituencies. Much knowledge has already been created, and more is yet to be learned, discussed, and promoted.

Please visit the EU TACSO 3 online library to learn more about previous events held.

The upcoming Third Annual FSTP CoP meeting will be the last such an FSTP-related event organised within the mandate of the EU TACSO 3 project. Thus, it will reflect on the achievements and changes initiated due to the FSTP concept’s introduction. The event will also discuss how the FSTP implementors changed, what key lessons were learned from that development process, and how they envisage the future of the Community of Practice.

The event will promote peer-to-peer support and the transfer of knowledge. It will also discuss experiences on the effects of building capacities of the FSTP beneficiaries and the impact of funded projects.

Therefore, the event’s design is open to interested contributors, who are invited to submit their ideas for the presentation and breakout group discussions.

Key topics of the Third Annual FSTP CoP Meeting

• How have we changed due to adopting the role of the FSTP implementor? – The experiences of the organisational transformations due to introducing the FSTP approach (key changes, challenges, how they were managed, current practices, and future plans).
• FSTP and horizontal aspects of projects – Experiences of introducing/applying gender-mainstreaming, green transition, human rights-based approach, etc.
• Effects of change – What are the visible examples of the changes at the organisational and community levels due to FSTP support provided? What were the main struggles of the FSTP beneficiaries when implementing FSTP-funded projects? What are the changes the FSTP beneficiaries are reporting?
• Efficient capacity-building approaches in FSTP implementation – What methods of support proved to be easily implementable concerning the capacities of the FSTP implementors? Which types of capacity-building support do we recommend applying? Which types of support we found not so efficient (considering human resources needed, time, logistics, etc.)?
• Update on the various topics (DG NEAR Guidelines and assessment, VAT manual, upcoming calls).
• Envisioning the future of the FSTP Community of Practice

How to apply?

The EU TACSO 3 project will cover travel costs and full board accommodation for a limited number of participants from each IPA Beneficiary. The event will be held at Hotel Aleksandar Palace. In your application, please state whether you are requesting EU TACSO 3 funding or whether your participation will be self-funded.

The refreshment breaks and lunch will be provided for all event participants.

The following criteria will apply in selecting participants requesting EU TACSO 3 funding for travel and accommodation:

• The applicant is representing an FSTP implementor from the WBT region. The advantage will be given to the CSF regional grant beneficiaries.
• Previous experience in managing FSTP projects (balance between different levels of experiences will be considered)
• Capacity to contribute to the event (presentation, facilitation, etc.)
• Geographical coverage
• Gender balance

If you are interested in this event, please apply by filling out the application form of your preference:

• Application form for contributors
• Application form for participants

The deadline for submission of applications is 11 October 2024, 15:00 CET.

Do you have more questions? Please contact Ms. Andreja Tonč, EU TACSO 3 Key Expert for Capacity Building, at capacitybuilding@tacso.eu for more information.