Centre for Civil Society in Ex-Soviet Countries Established in Prague
Published: Feb 19, 2015 Reading time: 3 minutes
Thursday April 19 marks the official unveiling of the Prague Civil Society Centre which will support civic initiatives in the countries of the Eastern Partnership (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan), Russia and the countries of Central Asia.
“We are establishing a new Centre because civil society in the region has tremendous potential yet it is under growing pressure, especially in some of the countries“, explains the Centre’s director Rostislav Valvoda.
The Centre understands civil society in a wider sense. “We want to support not only traditional NGOs but also innovative informal initiatives and projects (often online-based) or creative individuals such as bloggers, filmmakers, artists or independent researchers. We will also focus on reaching out to younger generations and people outside the capital cities,” adds Valvoda.
The Centre will be unique by offering wide and complex forms of support: It will award flexible grants to NGOs and civic initiatives, enabling them to function even in increasingly difficult circumstances. The Centre will also organize trainings, seminars and workshops (both physical and online) that will bring together civil society representatives from different countries in the region. It will develop opportunities for internships, fellowships and study stays in the Czech Republic, as well as in Poland, Slovakia and elsewhere in Central Europe. In addition to that, it will partner with one of Prague’s universities to found a master’s degree programme in “Transition Studies”. The aim of the Centre is to become a modern and dynamic hub for active citizens from all over the region that will facilitate cross-border cooperation and knowledge-sharing in pursuit of the values of openness, tolerance, rule of law, and human rights and dignity.
The Centre has three founding organizations: The Polish think-tank Institute of Public Affairs, the Norwegian organization Human Rights House Foundation and the Czech non-governmental organization People in Need (whose bid won the international tender to set up the Centre).
Apart from representatives of the three founding organizations, the Centre’s seven-member Board consists of the renowned historian Timothy Snyder; the programme director of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch Tanya Lokshina; the director of the think-tank European Stability Initiative Gerald Knaus; and the cofounder and director for innovation of Sourcefabric non-profit Douglas Arellanes.
Initial funding to set up the Centre is provided by two private foundations (the C.S. Mott Foundation and the Oak Foundation) and the Swedish, Czech and U.S. governments.
Among the guests at the Centre’s public launch will be the deputy chairwoman of the Nizhny Novgorod-based Committee against Torture Olga Sadovskaya, the founder and director of the Azerbaijani exile online television station Meydan TV Emin Milli or the Ukrainian journalist and cofounder of the Euromaydan SOS initiative Maria Tomak. The organizers of the launch also invited the popular Russian musician and satirist Vasya Oblomov to perform at the Prague event. The launch event is for journalists only.
Media contact person: Dan Macek, tel.: (+420) 775 443 609