About

Background.

Following the Third Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (Warsaw, 16-17 May 2005), the INGO Conference of the Council of Europe introduced a new project for national NGOs from Council of Europe member states and Belarus. The project aims at assembling representatives of the leading national non-governmental organisations at regional congresses to discuss important problems related to the participation of civil society in the development and consolidation of democracy.

The first Regional NGO Congress was held in March 2006 in Warsaw. More than 150 civil society representatives from Central and Eastern European countries took part (Warsaw Conclusions). The second congress took place in November 2007 in Kiev, Ukraine (Kiev NGO congress resolution) and brought together 180 participants.

More than 200 civil society representatives participated in the third congress, which was organised in December 2008 in Penza, Russian Federation. (Penza Declaration)

Aim

The Congress aims to provide a platform for leading NGO representatives to discuss the role of their organisations in the development and consolidation of democracy, as well as to look into the possibilities and prospects of co-operation, as well as to prepare recommendations for the activities of NGOs in their region and their interaction with the structures of the Council of Europe.

Topics

“The role of NGOs in a pluralist democracy” is the key topic of the fourth Regional NGO Congress to take place on 10-12 June 2010, in Vilnius. Discussions during the Congress will focus on the following:

  1. Participation of NGOs in the decision-making process at:
  • local level
  • national level (parliament and government)
  • international level (Council of Europe, European Union, OSCE, United Nations)

2.   The state of civil society

  • NGO legislation
  • relations between NGOs and
  • authorities
  • media
  • businesses

3.   Human rights activists

  1. Side event: the role of NGOs in post-conflict situations

The Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation document will serve as a reference tool. The Council of Europe Recommendation (2007)14 is of particular relevance for the session on NGO legislation. (Rec(2007)14).  The strengthening of regional co-operation among NGOs will be a transversal issue to be addressed in all workshops.