The Conference of INGO of the Council of Europe
The Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe is one of the institutional setting representing the civil society. The body is composed of delegates coming from European INGOs and enjoys a participatory status with the Council of Europe.
Independent non-governmental organisations are a vital component of European society, guaranteeing freedom of expression and association both of which are fundamental to democracy. Recognising their influence, the Council of Europe provides international NGOs (INGOs) with the opportunity to acquire particpatory status.
For more information go to http://www.coe.int/T/E/NGO/public/
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentarians who make up PACE come from the national parliaments of the Organisation's 47 member states. They meet four times a year to discuss topical issues and ask European governments to take initiatives and report back. These parliamentarians speak for the 800 million Europeans who elected them. They broach the issues of their choice, and the governments of European countries – which are represented at the Council of Europe by the Committee of Ministers - are obliged to respond. They are Greater Europe's democratic conscience.
For more information visit assembly.coe.int/
The Casimir Pulaski Foundation
The Casimir Pulaski Foundation is an independent, non-partisan institution with a mission to promote freedom, equality and democracy as well as to support actions of strengthening civil society. The foundation carries out activities both in Poland and abroad, among others in Central and Eastern Europe and in North America.
The Casimir Pulaski Foundation was founded due to political changes that took place in Poland after 1989. The principal values of Casimir Pulaski (freedom, justice and democracy) are an inspiration for every initiative undertaken by the Foundation. A few of the Foundations activities include: conducting scientific research, preparing publications and analyses, organizing seminaries and conferences, providing education and support for leaders.
Among others the most renowned initiative of the Foundation is the Academy of Young Diplomats an annual educational program, which prepares candidates to work for Polish civil and foreign service as well as for European institutions (www.akademia.diplomacy.pl).
Foundation is the main organizer of the Warsaw Regional NGOs Congress conducted under auspices of the Council of Europe. The Congress gathers more than 200 decision-makers from the biggest NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe (www.warsawcongress.pl).
Foundation is also publisher of the Communication Platform for Non-governmental Organizations www.non-gov.org This portal is held under auspices of the Council of Europe.
One of the youngest Foundaton’s projects is the Institute of Leadership, which educates future leaders for Polish political elites. The Foundation also provides scholarships for outstanding academics as well as for civic and political leaders (www.instytutprzywodztwa.pl).
Foundation also awards the Casimir Pulaski Prize “the knight of freedom” to outstanding people who have made a significant contribution in promoting democracy. So far the prizewinners were: professor Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, former minister of foreign affairs of Poland, historian professor Norman Davies and doctor Alaksandar Milinkiewicz, leader of Belarusian opposition.
Casimir Pulaski Foundation has a partnership status with the Council of Europe and is a member of the Group Abroad, an association of Polish non-governmental organizations working abroad.
To find out more about the Pulaski Foundation please visit: www.pulaski.pl
Belsat TV
Belsat TV is the first independent television station in Belarus, which started broadcasting on December 10th 2007, on the International Human Rights Day. The project was prepared together with the Polish Public Television (TVP) since June 2006, under the supervision of Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy. Polish Television cooperated with, among others, members of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, which was honoured by the European Parliament with the Andrei Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in recognition for their efforts. Since the beginning, the project has also been supported by the Freedom and Democracy Foundation (a non-profit organization, realizing projects for democracy in Belarus). Belsat is a TV station, created by Belarusians for Belarusians, in their own mother tongue.
The station was created in response to the needes declared by Belarusian democratic circles – for independent information, entertainment and cultural programs. Belarusians have a limited access to their own language and national heritage. Due to Poland’s similar historic experience (the role of Radio Free Europe during the communist rule), the project received support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Polish government, within the Polish policy of supporting international cooperation for democracy and civic societies. Belsat TV is the largest assistance project of this kind in Europe. It enjoys bipartisan support in the Polish Parliament.
The Belsat TV project has been financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and from an organizational perspective by Lithuanian public television. At present, one of the journalistic programs for the TV station is being prepared in Vilnius, a similar cooperation will take place with Radio Svaboda (Radio Free Europe). The governments of Great Britain and Ireland co-finance the training for journalists. The governments of the USA, Czech Republic and Sweden offered assistance in equipment purchases and content production.
For more information go to www.belsat.eu
The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ)
The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) is a non-governmental, non-partisan and non-profit professional union of media workers, united on the platform of free expression and independent journalism ideas. It works to defend the legitimate rights of journalists and campaigns for promoting the freedom of expression in the country.
Founded in 1995, BAJ has currently reached around 1100 members, representing a wide range of media outlets from across Belarus. Around 16% of members work with the state-sponsored media organizations.
BAJ operates out of the central offices in the capital Minsk and through a network of 24 regional affiliates in all regional and important urban centers across Belarus. (Only 6 of them have official status, as the rest had severe problems with getting legal addresses.)
Since 1997, BAJ is an associate member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). In 2003 BAJ signed an affiliation agreement with Reporters without Borders. In 2003, World Association of Newspapers (WAN) awarded BAJ with the Golden Pen of Freedom prize. In December 2004 European Parliament awarded Belarusian Association of Journalists the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
BAJ maintains solid international contacts, through which it facilitates fellow members to get access to professional training opportunities both domestically and in the foreign newsrooms. The Association also positions itself as an opinion leader by initiating public debates and campaigning on the topical media issues in Belarus and internationally.
Among regular brochures and publications on media-related problems, BAJ publishes a professional magazine "Abajour".
For more information go to baj.by
