USAID releases 2012 NGO Sustainability Index

According to the research, the pressure on civil society organizations (CSOs) of Belarus decreased in 2012 compared to the previous year.

However, the tendency of putting pressure on activists through taxation remains, reports Assembly Of Pro-Democratic NGOs Of Belarus, commenting upon the index.

For example, such NGOs as “Eco House”, “Belarusian Helsinki Committee”, the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, Human Rights Center “Viasna” had to declare their income for several years.

As of December 31, 2012, there were 2,477 registered NGOs, including 229 international, 688 national and 1,560 local organizations, 31 union (association) and 139 foundations in Belarus. In 2012, 111 new public associations, including 2 international, 10 national and 99 local organizations, appeared. About half of the new organizations (51%) have sports as their main interest. No women’s or human rights organizations were registered in 2012.

NGO sustainability index is a key tool for measuring the progress of the public sector development in the Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia (E&E region). The index has been tracking the progress of the public sector in 29 countries over the past 16 years. The index examines general conditions that contribute to the civil society development, focusing on the legal environment for NGO activities, their organizational development, financial stability, advocacy, service delivery, infrastructure and public image.