On 29-30 April 2011, CEI Secretary General, Amb. Gerhard Pfanzelter, and Serbian CEI National Coordinator, Amb. Zoran Popovic, participated in the International Conference on “Accepting Diversities: Human Rights and the Challenge of Reconciliation”.
The gathering was co-sponsored by the European Union and the CEI and organised by the University of Sarajevo, the University of Bologna and by a Network of civil society representatives of the CEI region.
The conference aimed at stimulating discussions between scholars and practitioners of civil society in Central and South-East Europe on issues of common interest. At the end of the conference 65 representatives of civil society from various CEI Member States - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine - signed a declaration asking the Serbian CEI Presidency to submit a proposal to establish a Network of Civil Society Organisations under the CEI umbrella to the Meeting of the CEI Ministers of Foreign Affairs on 10 June 2011. Moreover, the signatories commit themselves to submitting a draft Statute, in compliance with the CEI objectives, both to the Serbian Presidency and CEI Secretariat. The document will be circulated to National Coordinators for discussion at their meeting in Vienna on 27 May.
The CEI Network of Civil Society Organisations will be open to NGOs from all CEI Member States and cover various areas of activity (e.g. Rule of Law, Human Rights protection, inter-ethnic and inter-cultural dialogue, environmental policies). The initiative aims at strengthening the network capacity of participating organisations in order to promote regional programmes and projects which will reinforce civil society activities in the CEI region. The project-oriented approach of the CEI would assist in the promotion of EU- funded projects. The CEI, as an inter-governmental forum, would offer young generations of civil society the opportunity to establish a direct dialogue with the CEI Governmental Dimension. In order to better streamline CEI activities, the participation in the CEI Network of Civil Society Organisations would be promoted among NGOs and civil society organisations which have already cooperated with the CEI.
The European Union promotes the strengthening of civil society and participatory character of democracy. Therefore, the CEI Network of Civil Society Organisations would represent an added value in helping non EU-CEI Member States to reach EU standards.
For more information: mameli@cei-es.org