The third sector can help ease the difficulties that accompany ambitious economic and political transitions. Third-sector organizations contribute tangibly to the economy in the form of services and employment. The decentralization of state activities throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States has allowed for the increasing involvement of third-sector organizations in services formerly provided by the state. A Channel for Social Concerns Third-sector organizations also play important roles both as representatives of citizens' concerns, and as providers of information. Third-sector organizations can also help channel social and economic pressures effectively and peacefully.
Democracy is a system based on trust in human responsibility.
This responsibility, however, has to be constantly nurtured and cultivated. The state should not believe that it alone knows better than anyone else what the society needs. It should trust its citizens and enable them to share in a substantial way in exercising the responsibility for the condition of the society. To this end, it should offer them a wide range of opportunities for engaging in public life and developing diverse forms of civic coexistence, solidarity and participation.