On 16 June 2026, the Responsible Business Forum, in cooperation with Smart Kolektiv, organized a workshop for civil society organizations interested in strengthening their collaboration with the private sector through a better understanding and application of ESG principles.
The workshop, “ESG: The Relevance of the Concept for Civil Society Organizations and Opportunities for Cooperation with the Private Sector,” was held at the Belgrade City Hotel and brought together representatives of civil society organizations from across Serbia. The event was opened by Neven Marinović, Director of Smart Kolektiv and Executive Director of the Responsible Business Forum, together with representatives of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation SRB, who presented the objectives of the project and emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships between civil society and the business sector.
The workshop was organized as part of the “For an Active Civil Society Together – ACT” project, in which the Responsible Business Forum has been involved since April 2026. The project’s goal is to introduce civil society organizations to the ESG concept and help them present their expertise, experience, and social impact in a way that companies increasingly recognize as valuable and relevant for building long-term partnerships.
The expert sessions were led by Svetlana Damnjanović, an ESG expert consultant, who guided participants through the fundamentals of ESG, stakeholder engagement, ESG reporting, and partnership development between civil society organizations and the private sector through presentations, practical exercises, and the analysis of real-life examples.
Throughout the one-day programme, participants combined introductory presentations with hands-on exercises, analyzed companies’ ESG reports, discussed good practice examples, and developed initial ideas for future partnerships with businesses. The workshop focused on helping organizations identify shared priorities with companies and communicate their work through the language of sustainability and social impact.
In addition to gaining new knowledge, participants left the workshop with concrete plans for the coming months. These include mapping companies that share their values, analyzing potential partners’ ESG reports, improving the way they communicate their organizations’ social impact, and preparing stronger partnership proposals for companies and foundations.
This workshop marks the first step in a broader support programme for civil society organizations implemented through the “For an Active Civil Society Together – ACT” project. As the programme continues, participants will receive individual mentoring to further develop their ideas and prepare to present them to the members of the Responsible Business Forum. The programme’s experiences and outcomes will also be shared with the wider business community at the CSR & ESG Forum 2026.
