Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso is promoted by the Peace Bell Foundation and the Forum Trentino for Peace and Human Rights. It is sponsored by the Council Department for International Solidarity of the Autonomous Province of Trento and by the Municipality of Rovereto, in Italy.
It was established in 2000 in response to the demand for knowledge and debate with people, associations and institutions that for years had promoted peace and social cohabitation in the Balkans; today, Osservatorio is a think-tank, an electronic media and a research centre dedicated to South-East Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus.
International aid workers; scholars and researchers; journalists; students; local, regional and national authority's officials; business professionals; South-East Europe's and Caucasus citizens; tourists and travellers use Osservatorio's services and participate as dialogue partners.
With the website, www.osservatoriobalcani.org, the programme BalcaniCooperazione and the thematic page dedicated to the Caucasus region, Osservatorio combines information, research and support for international cooperation. It uses the potentials of various medias and through the open source model encourages wider distribution of its information.
THEMES
Grassroots political Europe
From the enlargement of the Europe of nations to the integration of Europe's societies
Transcultural dialogue
Civil society and cultural "creolisation"
Territorial cooperation
Decentralised and community cooperation, cooperation and economic globalisation
Conflict and peace
Public memory and conflict resolution, social security and geopolitical interests
SERVICES
Information
News, dossiers, in-depth examinations on the websites www.osservatoriobalcani.org, www.balcanicooperazione.it and www.osservatoriocaucaso.org
Analysis and reflection
Field research, surveys, publications, documentary production, seminar, forum and congress organisation
Advice
In our themes of competence, on the use of new technologies for public administration's information services
Training and education
University, master degree's and special training courses lectures; education for operators of the field
Information diffusion
Meetings, public initiatives, campaigns
Support networking
Between activists in Italian and Balkan non-profit organisations, between actors of territorial and decentralised cooperation, between journalists, writers, artists, illustrators
PARTNERSHIPS
The Observatory on the Balkans has chosen the web as a tool and working method. Our partners are:
National publications
AltrEconomia, D La Repubblica delle Donne, Il Manifesto, La Nuova Ecologia, Popoli, Vita non profit magazine
Television programs
Levante ed Estovest di RAITre
Radio
RadioRAI, Radiotelevisione Svizzera Italiana , Radio Radicale , Radio Vaticana , Radio Popolare , Radio inBlu, Radio Onda d'Urto Brescia, Radio Città del Capo Bologna
Press agencies
AMISnet, AGR, GRT News, News Italia Press
Specialised magazines
Diario Europeo, Limes
Counterpart sites
Le Courrier des Balkans, TOL - Transitions Online, IWPR - Institute for War and Peace Reporting, BIRN - Balkan Investigative Reporting Network
NGOs and associations
ALDA - Associazione delle Agenzie della Democrazia Locale(Association of the Agencies of Local Democracy), Caritas, ICS - Consorzio Italiano di Solidarietà ( Italian Consortium for Solidarity), IPSIA - Istituto Pace Sviluppo Innovazione delle ACLI (Institution for Peace Development Innovation, ACLI), Legambiente, UCODEP - Unità e Cooperazione per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (Unity and Cooperation for Peoples Development)
Research Centres
CEIS - Center for European Integration Strategies di Ginevra, CeSPI - Centro Studi di Politica Internazionale di Roma, Istituto per l'Europa centro-orientale e balcanica di Forlì, Historical Museum in Trento
Universities
University coalition of Portogruaro, University of Bologna, University of Salento, University of Siena, University of Torino, University of Trento
Governmental institutions, local and regional authorities
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Region of Emilia Romagna, Region of Lombardia, Region of Piemonte, Region of Puglia, Region of Toscana, Region of Veneto, ANCI - National Association of Italian Municipalities
