|
|
|
Publications >> 2000 Annual Report
|
|
Regional Programs NEW INDEPENDENT STATES (NIS) Highlights (pdf)
Return to Table of Contents |
2000 Grants: New Independent States (NIS)
Descriptions of 2000 Grants: New Independent States (NIS) Armenia Association of Women with University Education $30,632 To identify and train women leaders to be informed and active in strengthening democratic processes and building civil society in Armenia's capital city and provinces. The association will conduct seminars for rural and small town women to raise awareness of their role in building civil society. Helsinki Association $25,000 To protect human rights and foster solidarity among lawyers and advocates who support the rule of law in Armenia. The Association will monitor the drafting of legislation on fundamental issues of human rights and civil liberties. Republican Center for Democracy (RCD) $28,743 To continue to promote human rights and strengthen civil society by supporting its centers in Yerevan, Gyumri, Goris and Gavarh. RCD will provide legal advice and conduct educational and outreach programs. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia The American Center for International Labor Solidarity $245,692 To support the efforts of labor unions in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to develop into strong, independent, and viable organizations capable of promoting democracy and actively participating in civil society within their countries. Azerbaijan Association of Lawyers of Azerbaijan $35,990 To provide free legal consultations to low-income people in Baku. By focusing on legal rights, this project will assist in raising the popular awareness of such issues as equality under the law and other essential principles of civil and criminal law. 
Center for International Private Enterprise $79,500 To enable the Entrepreneurship Development Foundation to publish 12 Parliamentary Bulletins in the Azeri language. The Bulletins will discuss proposed legislation on economic reform and corruption. CIPE will conduct a training course for business print and electronic journalists. Model Constitutional Court $24,820 To raise public understanding of the rule of law in Azerbaijan by holding monthly public mock-trials to ascertain the constitutionality of Azerbaijani laws, decrees and draft legislation relating to human and civil rights. MCC will focus on corruption. Support Center for Democratic Elections (SCDE) $30,000 To encourage civic participation in local government and to increase the effectiveness of elected officials. SCDE will publish a manual that will be used to conduct 19 training sessions for local government officials, NGO activists and individuals in the provinces of Azerbaijan. Zerkalo Newspaper $50,284 To monitor and publish objective information about the candidates, political parties and the electoral process for the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. Belarus The American Center for International Labor Solidarity To protect workers' rights in Belarus by building democratic union structures and increasing member participation. Seminars will be organized to address broad policy areas including international labor codes. The Solidarity Center's strategy is to include all trade unions in an effort to develop coordination and cooperation. In 2000, NED provided direct assistance to organizations in Belarus working in the following areas:
A) Independent Media To strengthen sources of objective information, including independent newspapers, press agencies and web sites, that are attempting to break the information blockade maintained by the government of Belarus. B) Human Rights To promote human rights in Belarus by supporting networks of human rights activists, defending those persecuted by the regime, monitoring the country's human rights situation, training public defenders, organizing legal education programs and disseminating information about human rights violations. C) NGO Development To develop and strengthen the third sector in Belarus, especially NGOs based in the country's regions, through support for training seminars, networking, equipment and other operating expenses. D) Citizens Education and Mobilization Programs To strengthen the capacity for citizens to promote change in Belarus by improving cooperation, coordination and networking among democratic activists; building pro-democracy coalitions of independent organizations; conducting training programs for young political activists; and supporting get-out-the-vote campaigns for the country's 2001 presidential elections. Central Asia Regional International Memorial Society $24,390 To provide objective and comprehensive information on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, which will be disseminated to international human rights organizations.
Central Asian/Caucasus Region Tsentral'naya Aziyai Kavkaz Journal $49,980 To provide a forum for political leaders and civic activists to present alternatives to government views on regional developments, particularly on how to cultivate democratic values along with native traditions. Georgia Center for International Private Enterprise $56,000 To enable the Georgian Association of Women in Business to increase public understanding, appreciation and outreach regarding the role of economic reforms and democratic development. The center will disseminate its information through four issues of the Georgian Economic Reform Today magazine and the monthly bulletin, Business Herald. Horizonti, Foundation for the Third Sector $34,572 To advance democratic processes in Georgia. The foundation will organize video and TV programs where NGOs will invite government representatives and prominent individuals to discuss issues of concern to Georgian society. Kyrgyzstan Institute for Regional Studies $26,820 To continue its program of civic education for teachers, high school and university level students, and to prepare a publication for use in schools. The Institute will conduct seminars to instill tolerance and democratic values into the educational process. Jalal-Abad Regional Human Rights Organization Spravedlivost $22,807 To support five legal aid offices to provide advice and legal assistance to the poorer people in Jalal-Abad and the surrounding region. The organization will also publish a human rights bulletin, Rights for All.
Kyrgyzstan Human Rights Committee $30,000 To continue to provide free legal aid to victims of human rights violations and to challenge the arbitrary exercise of power by the authorities. KHRC will also take part in drafting legislation for the new position of Ombudsman for Human Rights. Youth Human Rights Group (YHRG) $26,847 To educate young people about their rights and their role in promoting democracy. YHRG will hold civic education classes in fifteen high schools in Bishkek; and monitor the human rights situation in psychiatric institutions. Russia Agency for Social Information (ASI) $40,010 To promote local activism by drawing public attention to successful citizen initiatives in Russia's regions. Working with partner organizations in fourteen Russian cities, ASI will identify ongoing successful citizen initiatives and offer local NGOs assistance in publicizing their activities. Center for International Private Enterprise $48,240 To enable the North Chamber of Commerce and Industry to promote democracy and small business in the Murmansk region, and support advocacy campaigns, involving business and policy development. Center for International Private Enterprise $21,135 To enable the Institute for Humanitarian Communication to support civil society organizations and journalists who are attempting to combat corruption in Russia, and sponsor a two-day conference for participants from diverse sectors.
Center for International Private Enterprise $134,922 To conduct roundtable discussions on small business in four regions of Russia, focusing on barriers to its development. Participants will include representatives of small business, business associations, journalists, human rights organizations and government policymakers. Center for Social Projecting "Vozrozhdenie" $30,000 To foster interaction between voters and local political parties by offering seminars for Pskov Oblast political party activists and organizing meetings between voters and party workers. The Center for the Support of Democratic Youth Initiatives $30,000 To expand teacher training, human rights curriculum development and publications. The center will develop a pilot civic education curriculum for students in the Perm region and offer professional training for civic education and social studies teachers. The center will organize "olympiads" to motivate student interest in democracy and human rights. Center for the Support of Land Reform in Vladimir Oblast $35,000 To provide information on land reform and to offer legal assistance for rural residents who wish to leave collective enterprises and establish their own private farms. The center will consult with collective farm managers and government officials on reform and defense of rural citizens' rights. The Chelyabinsk Oblast Public Fund "Helping Hand" $29,964 To provide basic management training to NGO leaders and to educate victims of human rights violations on how to protect themselves.
The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Tatarstan $24,996 To monitor human rights abuses in Tatarstan, and set up joint human rights monitoring programs with NGOs in the neighboring republics of Bashkortostan and Udmurtia. Coordinating Council for Assistance to Refugees and Forced Migrants $39,895 To expand its legal assistance to refugees and forced migrants to Voronezh, Kursk, Kaluga and Kostroma. The council will evaluate the problems faced by migrants and refugees and help migrants to secure residence. Development Through Education Foundation (DEF) $37,000 To establish a regional civic education resource center for all interested primary and secondary school teachers. This center will train teachers and equip them with skills to use the Internet. Express Chronicle $70,000 To publish its print and electronic weekly newspaper and expand international coverage. For more than seven years, Express Chronicle has offered Russians detailed coverage and analysis of human rights and related legislative and international developments. Glasnost Defense Foundation $40,676 To publish several books on freedom of the press, including books on journalists' rights, specific cases of violations of freedom of the press, and the relationship between a free press and Russian society.
Glasnost Public Foundation $24,500 To investigate and analyze the NGO re-registration situation in Russia. The Foundation will gather information regarding the refusal of government officials to re-register NGOs, patterns of refusal, and the consequences suffered by NGOs. Globe Independent Press Syndicate $34,440 To provide regional independent press with stories and resources on the 2000-01 elections, and to publish a weekly bulletin on coverage of the elections in 51 regions of the Russian Federation. Globe will also post the bulletin on the Internet. Globe Independent Press Syndicate $14,600 To collect articles from prominent democratic journalists, politicians and pro-free-market economists regarding the presidential election. The articles will be distributed to more than 100 provincial newspapers. Human Rights Foundation for Civil Society $59,960 To continue its small grants program that assists regional human rights groups. Human Rights Publishers $36,000 To publish Human Rights Defender (Pravozashchitnik) quarterly which will be distributed throughout the Russian Federation. The journal will analyze Russian and international human rights issues and help to enhance the knowledge and professionalism of local human rights activists.
Independent Council of Legal Expertise $32,380 To capitalize on regional human rights activism by providing human rights organizations with expert analyses of laws and legal problems. The council will monitor legal developments in Russia and provide analyses on pending and actual human rights legislation. Information Center for the Human Rights Movement $34,800 To publicize the goals and activities of the human rights movement by continuing a campaign of press releases, press conferences, and press monitoring. Information Research Group "Panorama" $34,996 To gather and disseminate information on important events and trends in 15 major city governments. Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe $25,000 To support refugees stranded in Ingushetia following the Russian-Chechen conflict. International Republican Institute $52,000 To support the League of Women Voters of St. Petersburg to establish six regional affiliates in Arkhangelsk, Tver, Kaliningrad, Apatity, Vyborg, and Boksitogorsk. The League will conduct training on logistical issues and assist women interested in becoming involved in politics.
International Republican Institute $160,000 To train local government bodies on the development of the economy and an effective tax system, and how to improve city services and property management in Tambov, Vologda, Krasnoyarsk, Siktivkar and Pskov. LAM Center for Complex Research and Popularization of Chechen Culture $40,000 To promote democratic institutions, ideas and the rule of law. LAM will hold conferences, produce publications and provide small grants to other Chechen NGOs to support renewed development of Chechen civil society. The Moscow Helsinki Group $36,023 To publish the Chronicle of the Moscow Helsinki Group, a newsletter which will provide news and information to human rights groups throughout Russia and abroad. Nizhnyi Tagil Human Rights Protection Center (NTHRPC) $32,686 To support human rights programs in the city of Nizhny Tagil and the Urals region as a whole. The Center will continue to produce human rights videos for local television, a radio program on human rights, and provide free legal assistance to the local population. Regional Strategy - Kaliningrad $24,294 To conduct training for young political activists in Kaliningrad oblast, and train a core of 70 to 100 volunteer youth activists in practical aspects of political organization.
Ryazan Regional Branch of the Memorial Society $35,000 To publish Karta, a journal of recent Soviet history, comparative politics and human rights issues. The Saratov Legal Reform Project $35,000 To collect and document local laws for distribution to lawyers and ordinary citizens, and to maintain its free legal aid clinic. Third Sector $17,696 To continue publishing Obshchestvennaya Gazeta (Social Gazette), its monthly NGO newspaper, which addresses issues of interest to a wide range of NGOs, from charities to human rights defenders and political activists. Tomsk Research Center for Human Rights $23,094 To improve human rights in Tomsk Oblast, a western Siberia region of about a million people, and the surrounding areas by providing free legal aid to victims of human rights abuses. The center will monitor the situation in Tomsk Oblast and publish its findings. Uchitel'skaya Gazeta $30,000 To publish Grazhdanovedenie, its widely read weekly, devoted to the introduction and dissemination of civic education curricula, teaching methods and materials.
Urals Foundation for Social Innovations $43,978 To foster understanding between local government officials, NGOs, the economic sector and to promote citizen involvement in decision-making. UFSI will also publish a reference book, Local Government in the Urals-21st Century, to facilitate local legislation and policy. Voronezh United Democratic Center $17,143 To expand legal aid centers in Voronezh Oblast and extend them to more isolated regions. Voronezh United Democratic Center (VUDC) $40,249 To establish three more legal centers in Voronezh Oblast to help in the promotion of human rights, and to conduct seminars for pensioners in rural areas. VUDC will also publish a monthly newspaper on human rights and politics. Youth Center for Human Rights and Legal Culture $53,000 To establish a resource center for human rights and legal education. The Moscow-based center will gather, evaluate and distribute new civic education teaching materials and provide consultation to civic education groups. Za Prava Cheloveka $34,815 To coordinate human rights organizations throughout Russia. Using its network of human rights organizations, Za Prava Cheloveka will provide free legal assistance to victims of human rights violations, and to analyze and publicize human rights violations.
Za Prava Cheloveka $20,000 To organize an all-Russian human rights conference, inviting human rights activists from throughout the Russian Federation to Moscow to discuss recent developments in Russia's human rights situation and means of combating negative developments in respect for human rights. Ukraine The American Center for International Labor Solidarity $73,680 To sponsor discussions in Kyiv to develop a strategy for the establishment of freedom of association in Ukraine. Center for International Private Enterprise $75,482 To conduct discussions between local organizations, policymakers, journalists and other interested parties to enhance transparent and open public policy debate, a key element in building democracy in Ukraine. CIPE will support a survey of 2,000 businesses to measure the impact of recent legislation in Ukraine. Center for International Private Enterprise $39,415 To enable the Youth Alternative to build a network of young political activists who are likely to become future leaders, and to conduct seminars on economic reform.
Crimean Tatar Center for Information and Documentation $25,000 To educate the Ukrainian public and officials about political and economic issues in Crimea. Dnipropetrovsk Center for Social Research (DCSR) $25,000 To support a weekly television program on social and political issues and to organize a group of local political experts to coordinate the activities of NGOs in Donetsk region. DCSR will publish 1,000 copies of a 150-page guidebook on local political parties. Donetsk Human Rights School (DHRS) $29,005 To conduct teacher training and curriculum development for secondary school teachers, and to conduct seminars and conferences for teachers and those interested in civic education. DHRS will develop and test a civic education curriculum in Donetsk region schools. It will also develop a Web site. Kharkiv Center for Women's Studies $52,000 To develop a training program and consultancy on human rights, and to promote the activities of the Interregional Women's Coalition of Ukraine, raising awareness of women's issues. The Kharkiv Group for Human Rights Protection $40,000 To improve human rights in Ukraine through education and seminars for human rights teachers and law enforcement officials.
Lokhvytski Rayon Civic Association of Landowners (LRCAL) $20,000 To help rural residents and to promote land privatization in Ukraine, offering legal aid to those who need it. Regional Information Center for Women $24,945 To provide men and women with basic skills in use of the Internet and elementary principles of democracy and NGO management. Smoloskyp, Inc. $55,000 To conduct workshops and conferences on democracy and political activism for young people to promote participation of Ukrainian youth. Smoloskyp will publish a reference book, ABC of Ukrainian Politicians, and support an archive, a library and a museum, in Kyiv. Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research $99,980 To prepare materials and collect and monitor democratic processes and political events in Ukraine, make this information available to the media and for publication and to analyze and propose amendments to selected bills before the Ukrainian parliament. The center will publish Democracy in Ukraine 2001, which will analyze important events in Ukrainian politics. Ukrainian-American Bureau for the Protection of Human Rights (UABPHR) $36,400 To promote reform, transparency and accountability in Ukraine's governing agencies and ministries, and to evaluate the impact on human rights by the Ukrainian prison and the court systems, alternative forms of punishment and the psychiatric care system.
Youth Alternative $54,861 To place 40 student interns in the Ukrainian Parliament, providing democratic parliamentarians with knowledgeable assistants at no cost, and providing the students with experience in public affairs. This program will be supplemented with seminars and discussions with guest speakers. Uzbekistan Association Central Asia $25,000 To continue publishing the Uzbek independent journal, Harakat. The Association will also establish two more regional centers, which will be equipped with printers and computers to reprint the journal. Center for International Private Enterprise $42,808 To enable the Tashkent Business Club to support 12 monthly roundtables covering a wide variety of topics, including legal defense of entrepreneurs, and advocacy for better registration and licensing procedures. These roundtables will actively seek to represent the interests of honest business leaders and increase business participation in the policy framework. Tashkent Public Education Center $31,191 To provide information and training on how to teach civic education in Uzbekistan's high schools. The program will include consultations for teachers and NGOs on civic education issues and the creation of a library. NIS Regional The American Center for International Labor Solidarity $91,880 To organize an international conference, in Kyiv, for trade unions representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Lithuania. The conference will discuss legal, institutional and practical challenges to independent trade unions in the region. Glasnost Defense Foundation $39,920 To conduct seminars in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine on legal issues of concern to journalists in the region. GDF will monitor freedom of the press and provide journalists and lawyers with skills to defend press freedom.
*Indicates funding source other than annual Congressional appropriation. |
|
| |