National Platform: From declaration to action

The adopted Concept of the development of the National Platform EaP CSF makes it possible to expect more dynamic development of the consolidation processes within the civil society of Belarus.

One of the main results of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum conference that took place in Minsk, November, 16 was the adoption of the National Platform Development Concept.

“If we declare commitment to democracy and values of the Eastern Partnership as before, then we need to move from declaration to actions”, - noted the head of the Board of International Consortium "EuroBelarus" Uladzimir Matskevich in his speech.

During the previous conference the National Platform Development Concept wasn’t adopted, as within the scope of the project discussion certain feedback was received from the participants of the National Platform. In this connection the adoption of this document was deferred, and by the decision of the NP Coordination Committee a work group was formed, which during four months has been working out several variants of the development concept.

 As a result of this work, the participants of the National Platform were offered two variants of the development concept. The authors of the first variant are the Chairperson of International Consortium “EuroBelarus” Ulad Vialichka and an expert of Humanitarian Technologies Agency Tatsiana Vadalazhskaja. The second variant was suggested by the analyst of the Belarusan Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS) Dzianis Melyantsau and the Head of the Office for Democratic Belarus Olga Stuzhinskaja.

“If we are unable to make a decision now, then we won’t be able to make important decisions further”, - noted Ulad Vialichka before the voting. This opinion was supported by Yaraslau Bekish, the member of the Steering Committee of the National Platform for the EaP CSF: “It is very hard to make any decisions without the concept, including those on a variety of technical points”.

In the first variant of the suggested development concept a wider interpretation of the goals and functions of the Belarusan National Platform of EAP CSF was suggested. And finally it was the first variant that was supported by a majority vote. The representatives of the organizations-participants of the National Platform who voted for the alternative variant of the development concept recognized the legitimacy of the taken decision.

Commenting upon the adoption of the concept, Uladzimir Matskevich noted that he is “still dissatisfied with the speed and rate of the National Platform’s enforcement and its provision of a  consolidative basis, with the core function for consolidation of all sound forces in democratic opposition and in the civil society. But our efforts are not in vain, we have certain progress. And adoption of the concept really frees our hands”.

As the adopted development concept says, “allowing for the existing challenges and obstacles on the way to fulfilling goals of the Eastern Partnership, it is of obvious necessity to extend the agenda, privileges and strategic vision of National Platform importance and function. It implies the inclusion on the urgent-problem list those questions that go beyond the scope of the Eastern Partnership, but the decision of which directly influences the future of the country, civil society organizations and the efficiency of the further transformation processes”.

During the conference the perspectives, goals and objectives of the Belarusan civil society at Eastern Partnership and European dialog level on modernization, regional processes of cooperation, national programs as well as other issues, concerning the development of the National Platform of EaP CSF, were discussed.

Special attention was attached to the goals and objectives of the Belarusan delegation at the fourth meeting of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum that will be held at the end of November in Stockholm.

The conference resulted in the resolution adopted by the participants of the National Platform, in which the intention to broaden the cooperation with the European structures is declared, as well as the protest against the persecution of the civil activists by Belarusan authorities and the demand to free all prisoners of conscience.