This study by EAST Center’s Research Director Andrei Yeliseyeu gives an overview of CSOs’ activities in Belarus and the latest trends in various aspects of CSOs’ functioning. It is based on analysis of official documents, specialized reports, and deep interviews with a number of leading experts, practitioners, and civil activists.
Despite the fact the situation of civil society organizations in Belarus remains very difficult, one cannot say that it has worsened over the last years from the legal point of view. On the contrary, some positive developments have taken place lately in this regard. Most notably, article 193.1 of the Criminal Code criminalizing the activities of non-registered organizations was repealed in late 2018. Even more importantly, state authorities softened their control over civil society in recent years, which gave Belarusian NGOs some more space even in the absence of meaningful sustainable legal liberalization. It has to be stressed, though, that the risk of a further deterioration in the situation cannot be excluded.
The change of the EU support paradigm in 2015 resulted in the situation when GONGOs are increasingly favored at the expense of independent NGOs. This turn sidelined independent CSOs in many sectors and undermined efforts to genuinely promote good governance and the rule of law instead of favoring window-dressing on behalf of state authorities and GONGOs. Increased efforts to raise money from local sources, including the public and businesses, are a well-marked trend when it comes to CSOs’ financial viability.
Acknowledgement: This research is part of the larger project, realized by the Center for Economic and Social Development, the World Experience for Georgia, the EAST Center, and the Institute of Public Affairs, and co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe. The full research, titled «CSO Legislation in the EaP and Adapting the V4 Experience Developing the Capacity of Civil Society», is published on the website of the Center for Economic & Social Development (Azerbaijan).
