The LOOKING AT FUTURE conference of non-governmental organizations of Yugoslavia
took place in Belgrade from 3 to 5 September 1999

 
CIVIC INITIATIVES
Vlajkoviceva 17, 11000 Beograd
(011) 3231525
E-mail: civin@EUnet.yu

PRESS RELEASE

The LOOKING AT FUTURE conference of non-governmental organizations of Yugoslavia, took place in Belgrade from 3 to 5 September.  The conference was organized by the Belgrade based NGO Civic Initiatives in the framework of the project "Breaking barriers, building bridges" which was being realised in cooperation with the Institute for democracy in East Europe from Washington.
The conference gathered  206 participants from 144 non-governmental organizations from 38 towns of FRY and 20 international and CEE non-governmental organizations.  It was also the first time for the representatives of Citizens' Parliaments to attend such a gathering. The conference viewed the conditions under which the NGOs have worked in post war period and discussed the topics which should have priority in future work.  It was concluded that relations between the state and non governmental organizations were very bad. Partnership relations, characteristic for developed democracy, should be established through a change of the legal regulation which will be feasible only upon the general political change.
In regard to that, NGOs have a decisive role in the process of changes and preparations of citizens for active participation in that process.  In that context, the example of Slovakian OK campaign 98 that was presented to the participants, was extremely useful.
The tragic humanitarian situation, of both refugess and local population, requires the urgent and efficient resolution.  Non-governmental organizations are ready and capable to provide and distribute needed humanitarian aid,  but a monopoly that the state established has been preventing them from doing so.  The conference resulted in the establishment of a coordinating body of NGOs for humanitarian issues and in the launching of an initiative for the urgent change of the current law.
Inter-ethnic relations were marked as one of generators of a crisis in society.  Apart from resolving of crisis situations, it was pointed out that future conflicts should be prevented through education for tolerancy and an inter-ethnic dialogue.  The discussion initiated the question of responsibility for the beginning of a war, ethnic cleansing and complete exclusion of Yugoslavia from the international community.
NGOs estimate intensive local and regional networkings as the only way of the efficient functioning.  The first moves in that direction have been made at the very conference: intensified cooperation, with a final goal to establish a Forum of women's organizations, was agreed about between women's organizations from Subotica, Ulcinj (an Albanian organization), Novi Pazar, Nis and Kraljevo. The Vrsac based NGO Urban Workshop and Society for Education of Malopolska from Poland agreed on a joint project on alternative education.
The conference also discussed the current financial and staff situation in the Yugoslav NGO sector.  It was underlined that significant changes would take time and that the strategy of patient functioning through small steps was the only way to bring stable results.

In Belgrade
Miljenko Dereta
6th September 1999
Executive Director of

Civic Initiatives

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