Civil Society Contributions to Human Rights and the Reform Agenda

Civil Society Contributions to Human Rights and the Reform Agenda
Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum: Working Group 1 Conference
Agenda
8-9 June 2015, Brussels
Thon Hotel Brussels City Center
Avenue du Boulevard 17, 1210 Ville de Bruxelles
Phone: +32 02 205 15 11
Introduction
The year 2015 is an important milestone in the Eastern Partnership Initiative, with big geopolitical
events impacting each of the six countries and the region altogether and with a review initiative that
the EU is carrying out. While EU cooperation has intensified on almost all areas with Georgia, Moldova
and Ukraine, the other three EaP countries are redefining their relations with the EU. Working Group
1 Conference will take place at the crossroads of two policy moments for the EaP. On the one hand,
the EU is undertaking a review of the European Neighbourhood Policy by the end of June 2015, of
which Eastern Partnership is the definition for EU’s relations to six of its Eastern neighbours. On the
other hand, the Conference will be held after the Eastern Partnership Summit and related events held
in Riga on 20-22 May. This EaP CSF Conference will explore areas of vital interest to strengthening
democracy, human rights and stability in the region, looking at the civil society contribution to the
reform agenda in the areas of human rights, security, media freedom, visa facilitation and women
leading change. A high level closing panel will engage with the participants on the road after Riga and
focus of the future reviewed Eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy.
Aim
The Meeting of the Working Group 1 will be held over 1.5 days and will take the shape of an advocacy
conference, aiming to engage in dialogue with EU decision-makers and human rights organisations
and pass on messages on areas EaP CSF has identified as key to strengthening human rights and
continuing on the reform agenda.
Specific objectives include
1. Advocate on areas of priority for EaP CSF related to platform 1
2. Encourage more pro-active regional initiatives human rights
3. Increase engagement and exchange with European Organisations and with key EU decisionmakers working on human rights, democracy and good governance
4. Consolidate regional focus messages, drawing on activities of subgroups and National
Platforms of the 6 EaP countries
5. Strengthen the advocacy role of WG by engaging in dialogue with EU decision-makers.
Participants
The meeting will include all participants of WG1 who attended the Annual Assembly in Batumi (up to
50 whose participation will be fully covered), observers to the Annual Assembly (who will need to
cover their own costs and will need to register at [email protected]) and a limited number of invited
speakers who can contribute their expertise to the WG. The Day 1 and the first half of Day 2 of the
meeting will be open to the Brussels-based organisations and representatives of the EU institutions
(prior registration at [email protected] needed).
Interpretation
The meeting will be held in English and Russian and simultaneous interpretation will be provided. If
the sub Working Groups decide to meet, they will need to make sure that someone among the
participants can interpret if needed.
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AGENDA
Day 1: Monday, 8 June
Day 1 and the first half of Day 2 is open to anyone interested to attend, for registration please
contact: [email protected] Please note that the venue will not allow us to include more than 20
external guests. The registration will be done on the first come-first served basis.
12:00-13:00
Lunch (restaurant of the Thon Hotel; for Working group participants only)
Opening Address
13:00 – 13:30
Krzysztof Bobinski, Volodymyr Kuprii – Coordinators of Working Group 1, EaP CSF
Christian Danielsson, Director General for Enlargement, DG NEAR (TBC)
Session 1
Human Rights in the Eastern Partnership countries: Challenges and Focus Areas
13:30-15:00
Moderated by: Ion Manole, PromoLex, Moldovan National Platform, EaP CSF
Speakers:
Simon Papuashvili, International Partnership for Human Rights
Jana Kobzova, European Endowment for Democracy
Razi Nurrulayev, “Region” International Analytical Centre,
Azerbaijani National Platform, EaP CSF
Elena Tonkacheva, Legal Transformation Centre Lawtrend,
Belarusian National Platform, EaP CSF
15:00 –15:20
Session 2
Coffee Break
Women Leading Change in Eastern Partner Countries
15:20 – 16:40
Moderated by: Kristina Vaciunaite, European Endowment for Democracy
Speakers:
Katarzyna Pisarska, European Academy of Diplomacy (TBC)
Shahla Ismayil, Women’s Association for Rational Development,
Azerbaijani National Platform, EaP CSF
Emma Sandahl, DG NEAR Expert on Gender
Representative of Kvinna till Kvinna, member of Swedish CSO
platform active in EaP (TBC)
Sessions 3
Progress on Reforms in Eastern Partnership
16:40 – 18:00
Moderated by: Volodymyr Kuprii, Coordinator of Working Group 1, EaP CSF
Speakers:
Ivane Chkhikvadze – Open Society Georgia Foundation, Georgian
NP, EaP CSF
Lilia Carasciuc – Challenges with reform implementation in
Moldova, Transparency International - Moldova, Moldovan
National Platform, EaP CSF
Iryna Sushko – implementing unpopular reforms in Ukraine,
Europe Without Barriers, Ukrainian National Platform, EaP CSF
Jeff Lovitt – European Integration Index 2014, Policy Association
for an Open Society, EaP CSF
Peter Balas – Head of Support Group for Ukraine, DG NEAR (TBC)
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Day 2: Tuesday, 9 June 2015
Session 4
A Stronger Eastern Partnership: Conflict and Security Aspects
9:00-10:30
10:30-11:00
Moderated by: Jan Pieklo, Polish-Ukrainian Cooperation Foundation PAUCI, EaP CSF
Speakers:
Hennady Maksak - EaP CSF recommendations on security dimension
of EaP, Polissya Foundation for International and Regional Studies,
Ukraine NP, EaP CSF
Natalie Sabanadze, Georgian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg
and the European Union
Malgorszata Wasilewska, Head of Division, Conflict Prevention, Peace
Building & Mediation Instruments, EEAS (TBC)
Richard Tibbels, Head of Division, Eastern Partnership, Regional
Cooperation and OSCE – update on Platform 1 activities
Coffee Break
Session 5
Media Freedom and Combating Propaganda in EaP Countries
11:00-12:30
Moderated by:
Speakers:
Session 6
The Way Forward after Riga: Debate with Policy-Makers
12:30 –14:00
Moderated by: Chris Bobinski, Unia & Polska Foundation, Co-Chair of EaP CSF
Speakers:
Mikayel Hovhannisyan, Eurasia Partnership Foundation, Armenian
NP, EaP CSF
Lasha Tugushi, European Initiative Liberal Academy, Georgian NP,
EaP CSF
Christian Danielsson, Director General for Enlargement, DG NEAR
(TBC)
Gunnar Wiegand, Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central
Asia, Regional Cooperation and OSCE, EEAS
Petru Macovei, Independent Press Association, Moldovan NP
Boris Navasardian, Media Freedom and role of regulators in EaP
Countries, Yerevan Press Club, Armenian NP
Rasto Kuzel – Messages of Russian TV, results of the monitoring
project, Memo98
Andris Kesteris, Principal Advisor Media and Civil Society, DG NEAR
Messages from CSOs to EU Decision-Makers and exchange with the panel
Conclusions of the conference
14:00-15:00
Lunch for Working Group members only
Session 7
Working Group activities for 2015
15:00-16:30
This will be time dedicated to work in subgroups and to planning joint initiatives
Subgroup coordinators together with WG Council should plan their respective agenda.
Possible topics could be:
- Following up on the Conference panels and Riga Summit
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-
Projects supported by Working Group 1 Regranting and other cooperation
initiatives
Joint actions in 2015
16:30-16:45
Coffee Break
Session 8
Closing the meeting and next steps
16:45 –17:30
Facilitated by: Volodymyr Kuprii, CCC Creative Centre, Coordinator of WG 1, Ukraine
NP
Plans for main areas identified (feedback from discussions in Subgroups and National
Platform representatives)
Evaluation and closing of the meeting
Departure of participants in the evening of 9 June or on 10 June
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