The first Belarusian Forum of non-commercial law started its work in Vilnius

About a hundred lawyers and leaders of the biggest non-governmental organizations, as well as experts from Russia, Ukraine, and the EU countries are taking part in the work of the Forum.

On May 23-24 the first Belarusian Forum of non-commercial law takes place in Vilnius. The organizers of the Forum are the Center for Legal Transformation “Lawtrend”, the Assembly of democratic NGOs, NGO Law Institute (Lithuania), and European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (Hungary) in cooperation with the Belarusan Human Rights House named after B. Zvozsky.

About a hundred of lawyers and leaders of the biggest non-governmental organizations, as well as experts from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia are taking part in the work of the Forum.

The welcoming speech to the participants of the Forum given by Maina Kiai, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, also testifies to the significance of the event. At the first day of the Forum the presentation of the leading principles on freedom of associations of OSCE and Venice commission took place.

Volha Smalianka, the head of the Centre for Legal Transformation “Lawtrend”, shared her expectations from the organization of the event and told about the main goals of the Forum in the talk with the “EuroBelarus“ Information Service.

“One of the main goals of the Forum is the exchange of the experience of human rights defendants, leaders of NGOs in the region, as well as discussion of common-European and international experience of NGOs’ legal regulation. Second goal is to organize the discussion of prospects of perfecting the Belarusan legislation in the sphere of freedom of associations”, - Volha Smalianka said.

According to her, the Forum is expected to result in discussion and adoption of common actions for collective defense of NGOs’ interests, as well as in adoption of the map of legal reforms. “We assume that the participants of the Forum discuss and, probably, agree on promoting these reforms, as well as agree on the plan for future actions”, - noted the head of Lawtrend.

“Besides, we have less global but no less important goal – to enhance cooperation in non-commercial sector. As it is an open secret that the leaders and lawyers of non-commercial sector, despite it small size in Belarus, often don’t know anything about each other, don’t communicate at least at the level of their own organizations. And such events as the Belarusian Forum of non-commercial law make it possible to create new and strengthen the already existing links in the NGO sector. All the more that very different NGOs are taking part in the Forum – human rights organizations, social, educational, ecological, and other organizations”, - Volha Smalianka added.