Eurasia Foundation – Center for Ethnic Communities 1997 – 1998
Objectives: The aim of the project was to provide organizational, informational and technical support to the ethnic
minorities through their associations and all of the organizations working in interethnic affairs.
Activities: In the context of this project the Center carried out four conferences on the following subjects: “The Minority
Policy of the Russian Federation” (April 4, at the “Federation of Peace and Consensus”), “Ethnic Communities: Interaction
With Each Other and With Authorities” (April 7, same place), “Interethnic Relations and the Mass Media” (July 30, at the
National Press Institute), “The Rights of Ethnic Minorities and the Press” (October 9, same place). Furthermore the Center
organized 7 seminars and round tables devoted to interethnic problems and to the activities of ethnic communities in this
field. The Center has helped minority groups to prepare documents that are required to establish their
national-cultural autonomy. The Bashkir, Belarus, Armenian, Mordvian, Udmurt, Karaim communities have held and still hold
their meetings in the Center’s premises.
Duration of the project: 12 months
Total cost of the project: $ 25,000
TASIS Micro Project Competition – Protection of Ethnic Minorities 1998
Activities: In the context of the given project two conferences and three seminars were carried out.
The first conference took place on April 22 at the Moscow Town Assembly. The conference’s topic was “The Framework Convention
on the Protection of Ethnic Minorities and the Legal Regulation of Interethnic Relations in Moscow”. The leaders of ethnic
communities and the Moscow Town Assembly’s deputies and employees attended the conference.
The second conference was carried out in the same place on October 5 on the topic of “The Problems of Solving Interethnic
Conflicts”. The leaders of ethnic communities as well as representatives of the City’s Department of the Interior, the Public
Prosecutor’s Office, the Passport Office, the Migration Service and the Department of the Federal Security Service attended
this conference.
Duration of the project: 12 months
Total costs of the project: 7,000 ECU
Know-How Foundation, Democratic Institutions Small Projects Scheme (DISPS) – Preventing Ethnic Conflicts in Russian Cities 2000
Partner organization: Responding to Conflict (lead partner)
Objectives: To enhance the skills in conflict transformation of key members of ethnic communities from 6
selected cities; to increase the awareness of local administrations in these cities for the needs of ethnic minority groups
and discuss ways to address them; to establish a partnership between the ethnic communities and the local administration in
each city.
Activities: In the context of the project two trainings were carried out in Moscow, in which the leaders of NGOs from
Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhni Novgorod and Krasnodar participated. The trainings were conducted by
Paul Clifford (Responding to Conflict). Representatives of Russian local authorities visited Great Britain and familiarized
themselves with the experience of their British counterparts in this field.
Duration of the project: 12 months
Total costs of the project: ?50,000
Date of award: May 23, 2002
European Union Micro Project Competition: European Initiative in the Field of Democracy and Human Rights – Interethnic Consent 2001-2002
Objectives: To provide assistance for successful cooperation between ethnic organizations and local authorities in
solving the following problems: how to protect the rights of ethnic minority members, how to prevent and eliminate racism
and xenophobia in the below listed regions, how to find legal solutions to interethnic conflicts and how to protect the legal
equality of all people regardless of their racial, ethnic and religious background.
Activities: Trainings in Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Nizhni Novgorod and Samara; the establishment of a local system to
forecast ethnic conflicts and to help representatives of ethnic minorities to gain knowledge in the field of human rights
(The system was created with the help of the Internet and is based on cooperation with authorities on federal and regional
level: when receiving information from the regions on discrimination against people because of their ethnic background or on
the propagation of ethnic conflicts or intolerance, this information will be revised by the Center’s staff and sent to the
appropriate federal bodies or to the mass media. Afterwards the Center’s staffs inform the regional organizations about the
measures that have been taken).
Duration of the project: 12 months
Total costs of the project: ˆ 31,600
Date of award: August 14, 2001
Council of Europe – Seminar on the Results of the Application of the Framework Convention on the Protection of Ethnic Minorities in Russia 2002
Activity: Organization of the one-day seminar on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities,
held in Moscow on February 11.
Total costs of the project: ˆ 7,620
Date of award: February 5, 2002
MacArthur Foundation – Network of Ethnic Communities 2002
Objectives: To protect the rights and freedom of people belonging to ethnic minorities; render informational support to
Russian ethnic NGOs that focus on the protection of ethnic groups, combating the increase of racism and xenophobia in society
and protecting the legal equality of all people regardless of their racial, ethnic and religious background; coordinate the
activities of ethnic communities; carry out trainings for the leaders of ethnic NGOs to enable them to successfully negotiate
with authorities; cooperate with international organizations.
Activities: Creation of a small Internet center with five modern computers and permanent Internet-connection; a
training in Moscow for the leaders of ethnic communities from Ekaterinburg, Astrakhan’, Volgograd and Perm’; a training in
Ekaterinburg, Astrakhan’, Volgograd and Perm’ respectively; a training in Moscow for the leaders of voluntary ethnic
organizations on the topic of “Principles of Creating Web-Pages”; creation of the web-site “Russian Ethnic Communities”.
Duration of the project: 12 months
Total costs of the project: $ 53,000
Date of award: February 26, 2002
Council of Europe (sub grant) – International Protection System of Ethnic Minorities 2003
Objectives: Sharing knowledge on the International System of Human Rights Protection, on International Human Rights
Organizations and International Human Rights Standards.
Activities: A two-day seminar near Moscow for ethnic minority leaders with experts invited from abroad.
Duration of the project: 1 month
Total costs of the project: $1,500
Date of award: March 14, 2003
European Union – European Initiative in the Field of Democracy and Human Rights – Ethnic Minorities and Their Access to
Justice in the Russian Federation 2003
Partner Organizations: European Dialogue (lead partner) Roma Ural
Project summary:
The overall aim of the project is to improve access to justice amongst ethnic minorities in Russia.
The project aims to increase legal knowledge and third sector skills of ethnic minority associations as well as the level of
professionalism amongst the police and local authorities. Bridge building activities will be used to promote mutual
understanding of problems and to facilitate cooperation in their solutions. Target Groups are the ‘visible’ ethnic minority
representatives in the Russian Federation.
Activities:
Training for ethnic minority associations
Training for police and local authorities
Study visits to UK by police, local authorities and ethnic minority representatives
Supervised detailed follow-up work with both parties
Micro grants for pilot projects that aim at cooperation between the police and ethnic minority associations
Duration: 30 months
Total costs: ˆ 570,000
Date of award: May 13, 2003
Mott Foundation – Coordination of Actions of Ethnic Minorities for the Improvement of Interethnic Relations 2003
Objectives:
The project aims at training leaders of ethnic communities from 25 Russian towns on how to carry out negotiations with the
authorities in order to solve conflict situations and at training representatives of authorities from 9 Russian towns how to
carry on negotiations with ethnic minorities for an effective protection of their rights. In addition it aims at coordinating
the activities of ethnic communities for an effective protection of their rights.
Activities:
Realization of two-day training seminars in Perm, Ekaterinburg and Krasnodar on the subject “Negotiations for the protection
of ethnic minority rights”.
A two-and-a-half-day seminar in Moscow that will deal with the subject “Teamwork for the protection of its own rights”.
The participants will evaluate the realization of the project so far.
Two-day training seminars in Samara, Nobosibirsk and Rostov-on-Don on the theme “Minority rights and interaction with the
authorities”.
A two-day conclusion seminar in Moscow where the participants will evaluate the results of the whole project.
Duration: 24 months
Total costs: $ 600,000
Date of award: April 1, 2003
British Embassy – Resisting the Spread of Racism and Xenophobia in Russia 2003
Objectives:
To further develop a network of NGOs representing ethnic minorities and immigrant groups, to improve the capacity of these
vulnerable groups to protect and promote their rights, to encourage and facilitate coordination in the efforts of leaders of
different ethnic communities, and hence to counter the spread of racism and xenophobia in Russia.
Activities:
A two-day all-Russia conference with 50 leaders of ethnic communities (from regional cities and Moscow) on “Ethnic
Communities’ Mission to Combat the Spread of Racism and Xenophobia in Russia”.
Three two-day training courses on “Teamwork for the Effective Protection of Ethnic Minorities” in the cities of Krasnodar,
Ekaterinburg and Samara.
Publication and distribution via the Network of Ethnic Associations of a weekly Information Bulletin about the interethnic
situation in 20 Russian regions.
Enlargement of the Network of Ethnic Associations to cover more Russian regions.
Updating the website “Russian Ethnic Communities” with the outcomes of the project, texts of the Information Bulletin, and
normative acts concerning national minorities and immigrants.
Two press conferences on interethnic relations in Russia
Closing conference on “Coordination of Efforts to combat Racism and Xenophobia in Russia”.
Duration: 12 months
Total costs: $ 60,000
Date of award: April 16, 2003
Internews – Mass Media and Ethnic Minorities 2003
Objectives: Educate leaders of ethnic minority organizations, in particular leaders of Chechen ethnic minorities, on
ways to employ the mass media in their future work, (e.g. preparing press conferences and press releases).
Activities: A training was held in Moscow where the objectives were realized. It was then followed by press
conference.
Duration: 3 months
Total costs: $ 5,000
Date of award: March 4, 2003
Global Opportunities Fund “Emerging Market” – Ethnic Minorities and Their Access to Justice in the Russian Federation 2003
Partner Organizations: European Dialogue (lead partner) Roma Ural
Sum awarded: 20% of ˆ 570.000
Date of award: August 22, 2003
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