Brussels, 21/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Following the announcement that it will increase its direct support for Belarusian civil society for the period 2011-2013, the Commission is strengthening its donor coordination. Commissioner Füle (enlargement and neighbourhood policy) will participate in an informal donors' coordination meeting on Belarus, to take place in Brussels on 21 March (at the same times as Foreign Affairs Council discussions on the country). Invitees include all EU member states, as well as international organisations (UN, Council of Europe, EBRD, IMF, World Bank, Nordic Council of Ministers, OSCE and IOM) and other international donors (Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine, USA). Belarusian NGOs have also been invited for project presentations and debates.
The meeting is a follow-up to Warsaw's “Solidarity with Belarus” international donors' conference organised by Poland on 2 February. Commissioner Füle also announced that the Commission was quadrupling its aid to Belarus civil society and would offer urgent support to victims, raising the total EU funding for the Belarusian population to €17.3 million for 2011-2013. The commissioner announced (1) an increase in funding to Belarusian civil society (NGOs, independent media, students who are subject to the regime's repression) from the currently available €4 million to €15.6 million during 2011-2013; (2) € 1.7 million to provide urgent support to victims of the repression.
The goal of Monday's meeting was to stimulate discussions among donors and with representatives of Belarusian civil society. Sharing information among donors will help them deliver their assistance more efficiently to those in need. Also, the presence of NGOs, which are allies in reforms, will help donors achieve a better understanding on how democratisation should be pursued in Belarus. (G.B./transl.fl).