Countering Shrinking Civil Space - The Story and Results of the NGO Programme in Hungary

Over the past years, the Norwegian Icelandic and Lichtenstein taxpayers contributed significantly to the development of the new Member States of the European Union, among them Hungary, through the EEA and Norway Grants.One of the priority areas of the grants was to strengthen civil society in the beneficiary countries. In Hungary, since early 2013, €11.6 million was distributed by the consortium of foundations which managed the programme locally to more than 440 projects implemented by civil society organizations. This happened in spite of the challenging political situation affecting independent organisations working for the protection of human rights, gender equality, LBGT and against corruption.As the grant programme is coming to an end, the representatives of the management foundations would like to present the key facts and results of the programme – in other words how Hungarian NGOs used the funds. They will also describe the short history of how the programme evolved and how NGOs survived and responded to the challenging situation.Read more about the Hungarian NGO ProgrammeRead more about the EEA and Norway Grants to Hungary