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In Serbia, coal-dependent local communities risk having limited influence over the green transition.
When national plans began to be drawn up, there was a risk that the process would become overly technical and top-down, without sufficient consideration for jobs, local development and the people most affected.
During the year, the Palme Center’s partner organisation, the Democratic Dialogue Network (DDN), helped to change this. Together with BOŠ and CEPLOR, they brought together civil society, local authorities, experts and institutions in a joint process to promote a fairer and more inclusive transition.
There was a particular focus on the coal mining region of Lazarevac, where local stakeholders took part in focus groups and open discussions on the challenges and opportunities of the transition.
The work resulted in a policy document guiding Lazarevac’s development in the climate transition – with a focus on employment, the local economy and social sustainability. It was handed over to the municipality as a basis for future planning and decision-making.
The initiative helped to broaden the issue from a narrow expert discussion to a wider public and political process, with increased opportunities for affected people to influence their future.
Young people shapes local policy for a just transition in ColombiaIn several of Colombia’s most vulnerable regions – Amazonas, Chocó and Sierra Nevada – the natural environment is under threat from deforestation, mining and climate change.
At the same time, young people often lack the opportunity to influence the political decisions that determine their future.
The Palme Center’s partner organisation, VozEs, is working to change this by training and mobilising young environmental leaders.
In 2025, 800 young people from eight rural municipalities in Chocó took part in a training programme on the environment, democracy and political advocacy. The programme was carried out in collaboration with regional authorities and the Pedagogical University of Colombia and forms part of a wider initiative to train over 3,000 young environmental leaders in the coming years.
A key part of the work is linking the training to real political processes.
Following the training, the participants developed their own policy proposals for a green economy and presented them in dialogue with mayors, regional authorities and national ministries. Several of the ideas have already begun to be integrated into local development plans.
The initiative is particularly significant as it brought together, for the first time, eight municipalities in Chocó around a joint programme for the environment and youth participation – in a region where cooperation otherwise mainly revolves around mining and industrial projects.
Through community education methods and close collaboration with decision-makers, VozEs strengthens young people’s opportunities to influence development in their communities.
In regions characterised by poverty, conflict and organised crime, this work contributes both to protecting the Amazon and to strengthening democracy by encouraging more young people to engage in community decision-making.
Education strengthens dialogue and political cooperation in Southern AfricaIn a region characterised by polarisation, the Palme Center’s partner ETU has strengthened dialogue between political parties through education and the exchange of experiences on coalition-building ahead of elections in countries including South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique.
These initiatives provided the parties with practical tools to manage different election outcomes and prepare for cross-party cooperation.
Ahead of the elections, ETU worked closely with governing parties on scenario analysis and preparations for different outcomes, as well as training in coalition-building.
Following network meetings, concrete support was also provided on how parties could act in practice in the event of a changed political landscape.
The results have been clear.
In South Africa, the ANC quickly accepted the election result when the party received less than 50 per cent of the vote for the first time and was able to swiftly form a unity government for the first time.
In Mozambique, established channels of dialogue between youth leagues helped to keep communication open following a violent election and facilitated a national dialogue.
Through targeted support, ETU has strengthened parties’ ability to manage political differences through dialogue and cooperation.
Food handlers win right to unemployment benefits in South AfricaIn South Africa, so-called food handlers serve school meals to over nine million children every day as part of the national school feeding programme.
Despite the importance of their work, these women have long been regarded as ‘volunteers’ and have been denied access to basic rights such as unemployment benefits.
When many contracts were due to expire in 2025, the food handlers organised themselves and turned their individual struggles into a collective fight.
With support from the Palme Center’s partner organisation, the Labour Research Service (LRS), they organised protests outside employment offices (which also handle labour law and social insurance), ran social media campaigns and launched a petition.
The campaign led to tangible results.
For the first time, food delivery workers were able to access unemployment benefits. At the same time, the Department for Education removed the word ‘volunteer’ from the job title.
Broad alliance challenges power monopoly in ParaguayAhead of the upcoming local elections, the País Solidario party has played a key role in bringing together progressive, liberal and conservative forces within a broad democratic alliance in the capital, Asunción.
A total of 16 parties agreed during the year on a joint process for selecting a candidate, which reduced fragmentation and laid the groundwork for a stronger opposition.
The process required difficult compromises and the establishment of common ground rules.
Through the support of the Palme Center, including training in negotiation and alliance-building, key actors have been strengthened in their roles as candidates and negotiators.
The result marks an important step towards breaking a long-standing monopoly on power and paving the way for increased political competition, reduced clientelism and a more functional democracy in Paraguay.
Podcast gives workers a voice in Bosnia and HerzegovinaIn Bosnia and Herzegovina, issues relating to working conditions and trade union rights have long struggled to gain a foothold in the public debate. Traditional media rarely give space to workers’ perspectives.
To change this, Božo Marić, president of the Public Administration Trade Union of Republika Srpska, launched the podcast “Bez rukavica” – “Without Gloves”.
With support from the Palme Center, a new platform was created for open discussions on labour law, social justice and current political issues.
The podcast has quickly gained significant traction. Within the first 40 days, the programme had already reached around 1.5 million views on YouTube and social media.
The initiative creates a new public arena where workers, politicians and employers can engage in dialogue. It demonstrates how trade unions can make workers’ conditions more visible in the public debate.
Civil society strengthens democracy and rights in DR CongoThrough the Palme Center’s programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo, civil society has gained greater opportunities to influence policy, strengthen democracy and improve people’s living conditions.
During the 2022–2025 programme period, several partner organisations have contributed to tangible results in the areas of women’s political participation, political accountability and workers’ rights.
With support for organisational development and capacity building, the women’s organisation CAFCO has held its first general assembly in many years and trained newly elected female municipal councillors. Their advocacy work helped increase the proportion of female candidates in the 2023 election from 11.68 to 17 per cent.
The youth movements Filimbi and LUCHA have strengthened grassroots organising and developed new methods to scrutinise and hold local authorities to account.
At the same time, CODELT has contributed to important legislative reforms concerning natural resources, forests and land rights through legal expertise and strategic advocacy.
Through the partner organisation CONAFED, a new solidarity-based social security system has also been established for civil society actors and informal workers. In October 2025, representatives from civil society, trade unions and cooperatives gathered to adopt statutes and elect the leadership for the system, which covers pensions, health protection and survivor’s benefits.
Trade unions have also made progress. For the first time in many years, free and democratic trade union elections have been held in workplaces, strengthening workers’ representation and opportunities for dialogue with employers.
Together, these results demonstrate how a strong civil society can create new opportunities for democracy, social justice and citizen influence in the DRC.
Civil society in Albania strengthened dialogue ahead of election dayIn the run-up to the general election, civil society created new forums for interaction between voters and political candidates.
Through the POP Network, citizens were given the opportunity to ask questions directly to politicians and raise local priorities.
In ten municipalities, public forums were organised where more than 42 candidates met with over 700 citizens in direct dialogue. The discussions were broadcast live and reached over 23,000 viewers online.
The focus was on issues such as governance, transparency, social services and gender equality.
The format was based on local dialogues where residents first identified their most important issues. During the forums, they were then able to demand concrete answers from the candidates.
The initiative helped shift the election campaign from political rhetoric to substantive issues, whilst strengthening citizens’ ability to participate in democracy and hold politicians accountable.
Campaign raises awareness of the rights of blind war veterans in UkraineRussia’s full-scale war has left thousands of Ukrainians with severe injuries. One group that is often overlooked is soldiers who have lost their sight.
The Palme Center’s partner, SD Platform, has therefore launched a campaign to ensure that blind veterans receive the support and rehabilitation they need to lead a dignified life.
The organisation, which works towards a society built on freedom, justice and solidarity, highlights social issues in a context where these are often pushed into the background.
Through the campaign, SD Platform is pushing for concrete reforms: long term financial support, improved rehabilitation and access to care and rehabilitation throughout the country.
They also work to ensure that public spaces, transport and government services are accessible to people with visual impairments.
The initiative helps to raise the profile of a forgotten group – and to shape Ukraine’s reconstruction into a more inclusive society where everyone can participate on equal terms.
Trade unions take their place in African trade policyThe African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) covers over a billion people and could have a major impact on jobs, industry and economic development across the continent.
Despite this, trade unions were long excluded from both the negotiations and the implementation of the agreement.
Thanks to support from the Palme Center’s partner organisation, the Labour Research Service (LRS), the situation has now begun to change. Trade unions in nine African countries have strengthened their knowledge of trade policy, developed joint demands and pushed to gain influence over how the agreement is to be implemented.
This work has yielded concrete results.
In both Rwanda and Namibia, trade unions have now secured seats on the national committees responsible for implementing the AfCFTA. This means that, for the first time, workers’ perspectives are represented in key decisions on trade and economic policy.
This change marks an important step towards trade policy in Africa taking greater account of working conditions, employment and social justice.
