Europe

The Federation for Social Defence (German: Bund für Soziale Verteidigung, BSV) is an independent, non-governmental organisation based in Minden, Germany, that unites people and organisations of pacifist and antimilitarist conviction. The BSV was founded in 1989 as an umbrella organisation to promote social defence and other alternatives to the military, and to work for total disarmament. Its creation was the result of a big conference on social or civilian-based defence held in Minden, Germany, a year earlier. Currently, we actively support civil rights groups in Belarus and Ukraine, are engaged in advocacy work to promote the concept of Unarmed Civilian Peacekeeping (UCP), and seek to counter the militarization of youth in (German) schools through peace education.

Third World Saar Campaign (Aktion 3. Welt Saar) is a social organization that is not linked to any political party. We are not involved in any projects in the Third World because we think that we do not have the right to develop people in other countries. Our objective is to make a difference in Germany. For centuries, Europe has forced its ideas about development upon other countries and thereby destroyed development programs that were already in process. Now it is time to put an end to this kind of violent development policy.

Since we are not associated with any political party, we refuse to focus on one individual objective. Some people expect us to stand up exclusively for topics related to the Third World and stay out of German politics because they assume we cannot achieve anything anyway. But instead, we interfere because we care. We want to bring about changes in Germany.

As an organization that is not linked to any political party, we commit ourselves to topics such as fair trade, world trade, nutrition, political asylum, racism, migration, energy policies, anti-Semitism, militarization, ecology and development policies. Above all, we try to do something about the unequal distribution of goods in the world. We intend to make sure that everyone has access to intellectual and material resources and does not live in poverty and misery.

We, the Third World Saar Campaign,

• are financed by our members and sponsors and are not linked to any political party, church or lobby;
• annually organize 120 events and campaigns independently or in cooperation with other organizations;
• establish networks, link up groups and people and initiate campaigns;
• recommend speakers and provide counselling for the organization of events;
• publish the results of our research and studies on a regular basis.

The German Toilet Organization (GTO) is a non-profit NGO, which was founded in Berlin in the October of 2005. Our aim is to protect the environment and improve public health by raising awareness about and providing people with clean and sustainable toilet and wastewater treatment systems.

The Democratic Society East Foundation (DSE) is a public service organization established in 2002. The Foundation's mission is the development of civic society through education in Poland and countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Major activities conducted by DSE in recent years:

I. Global Education Projects
a) Long-term program "How to Operate and Cooperate, How to Exist and Co-exist in the Modern World" – educational materials and training for the teachers
b) Competitions for the Best Initiative in the Field of Global Education (2005, 2007)
c) Global Education Festival (2006)
d) Volunteerism in the East (long term program)

II. Journalists in Civic Society
a) International seminar "Improving the Media. An International Exchange of Experience" (2005)
b) Free Media and Election Campaigns. Polish-Ukrainian Seminar for Television Journalists (2005)
c) Workshops for Beginning Journalists of the Polish Émigré Press in Moldova and Ukraine (2005)
d) Television Investigative Journalism as a Tool in Fighting Corruption – Training for Ukrainian Journalists (2006)

III. Support for Local Democracy in Ukraine
a) Cooperation between Polish and Ukrainian Local Governments
b) "Welcome to Europe" – Support for the Crimean Tatars
c) Polish-Ukrainian Youth Cooperation for the Development of Local Society

IV. Project to Activate, Educate and Integrate Senior Citizens

We work predominantly with schools, universities and early years settings in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands region to promote awareness and understanding of global development, citizenship and sustainability issues.

In collaboration with German and Filipino associations, the organisation aims to implement and support projects concerned with environmental education, conservation of species and resources, and development cooperation in order to facilitate sustainable society development.
The organisation's concern is to motivate others to act responsible with regard to the principle of sustainability and North-South equitability, as well as teaching the necessary skills.

In our charitable organisation, experts on educational matters and coaches from the Brandenburg and Berlin area are working on the following topics:

• adult and youth education in politics (development policy, ecology, development of democracy, civic participation, questions concerning human rights, migration, etc.)
• intercultural communication
• mediation and conflict management, mediation training and parental training
• organisation counselling
• anti-discrimination training
• study travels focusing on political and cultural matters and related to natural history in (Eastern) Germany and Eastern Europe

In terms of language and culture, we have gathered experiences and established contacts particularly with (Southeastern) Europe, Turkey, the Arab States, Israel, Latin America and Africa.

EDUCASOL – Plate-Forme Française d’Education au Développement et à la Solidarité Internationale (French platform for development education and international solidarity) Educasol is an organisation that has set itself the task of strengthening and enhancing activity in the fields of development education work and international solidarity

- It coordinates the work of actors involved in development education as well as international solidarity and strengthens their positions
- It promotes development education work and the enhancement of international solidarity at various institutions. Associations that have different structures:

The Educasol platform unites four types of actors: associations for international solidarity, associations organised as networks, associations representing interest groups as well as organisers of groups, campaigns and programmes.

Educasol is not only open to all associations for international solidarity acting on a national level, but also to those involved regionally. On these different levels, important work is done in the fields of development education and international solidarity.

Educasol supports many areas: The Educasol platform aims to strengthen the position of the key actors in the development education domain, and to represent them at the level of French and European authorities in a better way. For this reason, the organisation covers different coordination associations like HCCI (Haut Conseil de la coopération internationale [higher council of international cooperation]), CCD (Commission Coopération Développement [committee on development and cooperation]), CONCORD (European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development), DEEEP (Development Education Exchange in Europe Project), the Development Education Forum (political body of CONCORD – the permanent working group) and the North-South Centre.

co2online gemeinnützige GmbH is a non-profit limited liability company that is campaigning for a reduction in emissions of the environmentally harmful gas carbon dioxide (CO2). The central approach here is: climate protection by means of energy saving through dialogue. With online advisers, communal heating consultants and a climate quiz, as well as portal partners from business, media and politics, co2online motivates private households, trade and commerce to become actively involved in climate protection - and to save money at the same time! co2online informs and motivates mainly in the area of technical modernisation measures for heating and thermal insulation in existing buildings and is the project sponsor for the "Climate Seeks Protection" campaign, which is backed by the Federal Environment Ministry.