Civil society organizations around the globe are operating in a time when global human rights and development agendas are being challenged, conflicts are on the rise and the space for civil society to operate freely is shrinking, while the global donor landscape is changing drastically,
Together we are stronger
Every year DIGNITY’s partners meet for three days and participate in the online workshop ‘Power of Partnerships’.
The workshop was led by FORPOST Ukraine under the theme “Resilience in Action”. and explored how to adapt to shrinking civic space, how to offer psychosocial support, self-help and finally how civil society acts as an important agent of change.
For three days, 139 participants from 39 partner organizations in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East presented, listened, asked questions and discussed challenges.
»Though working in different contexts, from Egypt to Myanmar and Ukraine to Sierra Leone, our partners face many similar challenges and risks, « says Kari Øygard Larsen, project manager in DIGNITY and responsible for the ‘Power of Partnerships’.
»As an International NGO based in the Global North, it is one of DIGNITY’s most important tasks to support partners on their paths towards increased resilience and sustained impact. By sharing and listening together as authentic partners. We not only learn and feel inspiration, but we also build solidarity and alliances. «
Co-creating partnerships
During the three workshop days, the partners expressed a desire to move beyond transactional funding relationships and toward more dialogic engagement with international NGOs and donors – not just as recipients, but as co-creators of sustainable and responsive partnerships.
Over the five years the workshop has been co-hosted, partners have consistently highlighted the value of coming together across regions. This year, the need for connection, shared learning, and mutual support was particularly evident. In a global context marked by crisis and fragmentation, partners emphasized that convening in solidarity around human rights is not only meaningful, but essential.
»Through the engagement and commitment, the workshop offered a unique insight into what resilience is. Not as a technical capability, but as a relational ethic: people holding space for one another, sharing efforts across borders, and keeping one another visible and valued, even amidst uncertainty, « says Yuliia Honchar from FORPOST.
»It reminded us that partnership is not just about shared goals, but about shared labor – and shared joy.«
