Newly established Eastern Partnership Minorities Network invites minority organizations to join

The Eastern Partnership Minorities Network (EaPMN), a network in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, offers new training and networking opportunities for organizations working on minority issues in the region. The five establishing partners invite minority organisations to join the network and enhance in cooperation the full participation of minorities in the EaP process.

As part of a three-year programme funded by the European Union and launched by Minority Rights Group Europe (MRG), a human rights organisation based in Budapest, the network will build the capacity of minority organizations in the region to undertake effective human rights advocacy at national and European level, in particular within the EaP process.

EaPMN members are minority activists and civil society organisations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, including ethnic, linguistic, national, religious minorities, indigenous peoples and visible minority communities. As a result of the programme, minority communities in the region will more effectively participate in shaping reforms and influencing the decision-making processes. In the long run, the cooperation will result in minority-informed policy development and implementation in the EaP countries.

Programme activities

• Train partners on the regional policy framework of the Eastern Partnership and on the minority right advocacy
• Establish a regional civil society network
• Coordinate local and national advocacy and awareness campaigns on minority issues and the Eastern Partnership
• Hold best practice seminars to share regional civil society practice and develop new and innovative strategies addressing minority rights
• Publish the first CSO advocacy guide to the Eastern Partnership, a policy paper assessing the impact of the EaP on minority issues and a resource web portal
• Participation in EaP Civil Society Forums and other regional development fora by minority organisations

Partners:

• Analytical Centre for Interethnic Cooperation and Consultations (ACICC) in Georgia
• European Centre for Minority Issues Caucasus (ECMI) in Georgia and Belarus
• Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation (ACGRC) in Armenia
• No Borders Project – Social Action Centre in Ukraine

For further information on the network see MRG's programmes page or facebook-page.

You can also contact the EaP Minorities Network Programme Coordinator Shorena Kabaidze ( [email protected]) or MRG's Human Rights and Development Officer, Zsofia Farkas ([email protected])