In the summer of 2014, the Sunce Association commissioned an external evaluation for the purpose of reviewing the overall work and success of the Association over the past ten years.

The key criteria of this evaluation were the relevance of the Sunce’s activities in relation to the social problem (state and the protection of the environment), the activist community, the public and the institutions. It also evaluated the effects and aggregate impact of the Association on the state of environmental protection and nature in the Republic of Croatia over the past ten years, using methods of research, public advocacy, education and innovation in environmental management. The evaluation also focused on organizational aspects of the organization and resource mobilization efforts that have made it difficult to achieve the recognized social effects of the Association, with a final comment on the sustainability and quality of the organization.

The external evaluation confirmed the general impression of members of the Association and its key stakeholders in the public and nonprofit environmental as well as nature sector and the scientific community that Sunce has grown into the leading environmental association in Dalmatia in the past ten years and is one of the main sources of knowledge and advocacy for the environmental movement in Croatia. Particularly emphasis is placed on the issue of protection of the sea and the mechanisms for the management of protected areas and species, the use of legal mechanisms for public participation in environmental decision-making, and in particular in relation to the burning problems of uncoordinated, ecologically unjustified and non-transparent local and regional waste management plans. As the main characteristics of the organization, stakeholders emphasize its expertise, thoroughness, organization, activity and the ability to cooperate with various actors, especially government institutions. As its specificity, they emphasize the strong foundation of public advocacy in scientific and professional research and knowledge of conservation biology, environmental law and the institutional framework for environmental protection and nature.

Throughout the External Evaluation, Marina Škrabalo, a long-standing consultant in establishing the system and implementing the program and organizational evaluations, you can find here.