Welcoming speech by Andrea Wiktorin, Head of the EU Delegation to Belarus, at the information session on 4 May
Information session for the call for proposals "Supporting Capacity Building and Partnership of Civil Society and Local Authorities in Belarus"
Minsk, 4 May 2017
Distinguished representatives of Civil Society,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A very warm welcome to all of you. I would like to thank you for your positive response to our invitation to come and learn more about the Call for proposals "Supporting Capacity Building and Partnership of Civil Society and Local Authorities in Belarus".
The European Union was founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law. Human rights and democracy are important areas of EU cooperation and support, and work in this field is done through a number of European Commission assistance programmes.
In line with these principles, the European Union already enjoys a long-standing relationship and cooperation with non-governmental and other civil society organisations in Belarus, as well as with Belarusian local and decentralised authorities in the field of development.
Over the past ten years (2007 – 2017), the EU has allocated through different instruments more than EUR 40 million to support civil society-led activities in Belarus, and almost EUR 10 million to support local authority-led actions in Belarus. These funds have been mainly provided on a competition basis, via calls for proposals, first by the EU Delegation to Ukraine and since 2013 by the EU Delegation to Belarus. Over the years, countless capacity building workshops, study tours and seminars have been organised. We have supported a large number of beneficiary groups, such as children, young people, women, residents of rural areas, people with disabilities, prisoners etc. etc. Topics have varied – but there is a clear shift towards democracy-related issues such as participative decision-making procedures. Another clear tendency, which we appreciate, is that civil society and local authorities are actively looking for various opportunities to co-operate.
If you wish to find out more about the projects that we are financing, you are more than welcome to visit the official page of the EU-funded projects in Belarus, euprojects.by
The call for proposals that has brought us together today is being financed by means of two thematic instruments:
- “Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities,” designed to strengthen civil society organisations and local authorities in the EU's partner countries.
- "The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights" which aims at contributing to the development and consolidation of democracy, the rule of law, and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The objective of this call for proposals is to strengthen the role of civil society and local authorities in Belarus in promoting participatory governance, democratic reforms and inclusive socio-economic development. In order to respond to constant requests for support for small grassroots organisations, our guidelines require the allocation of financial support to third parties where possible.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, we are very much aware of the conditions in which you are working in Belarus, and also of the further challenges that our strategic decisions set for you. Nevertheless, we are confident that this call for proposals will attract a number of competitive bids that will result to five to 10 high-quality projects that contribute to the development of the sector, for the final benefit of Belarusian society in general.
I would like to thank you for your attention and I express hope that you will find our presentations helpful for preparing successful proposals for the contest.