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DECISIONS OF THE CO-ORDINATION COUNCIL OF THE CAUCASUS NGO FORUM
TSAKHKADZOR, MAY 29-31, 2001
CAUCASUS NGO FORUM STRATEGY FOR YEARS 2001-2002
On formal establishment of the CF
To improve the efficiency of the Forum, its Co-ordination Council believes it necessary:
- to establish representative offices of the CF in Tbilisi and Nalchik, based, respectively, at the International Centre for Conflicts and Negotiations (Georghy Khutsishvili) and the Centre for Humanitarian Programmes (Zarina Kanukova), using the resources of former CF offices there,
- to create an archive of the CF and a database of its members, copies of which should be stored at CF representative offices,
- to cancel the position of ‘secretary-representative’; in its stead, to create a position of ‘technical secretary’ plus an internship for young people from all over the Caucasus,
- within one year, to draft a Constitution of the CF (using documents and statements drawn up throughout these three years) and to register the CF, preferably somewhere outside the CIS,
- to draft project statuses of CF membership and CF Council of Elders (appoint someone responsible for this).
On information strategy
The CF information strategy is based on the following principles:
- the office keeps constantly in touch with CF members,
- all CC decisions and information on any meetings between CF members are disseminated in the CF,
- CF members share experience and any proposals that concern the interests of the CF,
- information on CF activities is disseminated amongst donors, colleagues, authorities, diplomats.
To this end, the CF office does the following:
- keeps up a stable connection between Forum members by e-mail, fax and telephone,
- promotes those information projects by NGO from various parts of the Caucasus that provide for electronic communication,
- creates a Web page of the Forum and keeps it going,
- holds presentations, press-conferences, organises media coverage.
On financial strategy
To enable the stable work and progress of the CF, its Co-ordinating Council believes it necessary to do the following:
- to seek other sources of financing besides IA grants; the sources could be local ones as long as they are independent from political, government and business agencies (someone should be appointed responsible for fundraising),
- to give a priority to projects that cover the entire Forum or ones that involve at least two member NGO from different parts of the Caucasus,
- to prepare packages of projects to be discussed at CF meetings and submitted to donors after approval by the CC,
- to set a regular interval for financial reports of the CF office (quarterly and yearly).
On the office of the Forum
- For the next year, the CF office moves to Vladikavkaz, Larissa Sotieva is appointed its executive director.
- In one month’s time, Alan Parastaev must finish all work in Tbilisi, prepare a final report on the work of the CF office for the previous year, and co-ordinate efforts with Larissa Sotieva to transfer all necessary resources, archives and remaining finances to Vladikavkaz.
- In one month’s time, Larissa prepares a detailed budget of office expenses for the next year, and submits it to the CC.
- Larissa is responsible for signing a contract with IA and hiring a technical secretary locally. The secretary should be someone who understands the way the CF works and has necessary skills for the job.
- The CF must find and invite new members who will represent Adygeya, Karachaevo-Circassia, Stavropol Krai and Daghestan.
The duties of the executive secretary include:
- Organising office work in accordance with Forum aims and goals, and with its information and financial strategies.
- Co-operating actively with local NGO, travelling to other parts of the Caucasus to become acquainted with the activities and needs of NGO and to disseminate CF ideas.
- Organising internship (current work, training, workshops) at the CF office for CF members, journalists, active youth (interns) from all over the Caucasus.
- Collecting and storing reports and publications by CF members relating to their peacemaking activities in the Caucasus; compiling a library of publications on this topic.
- Publishing and circulating a newsletter using information on the activities of the Forum and of its members.
On major CF projects in 2001-02
While working actively to make true the CF aims set down in the Elbruss Declaration, the CF CC makes an emphasis on the progress of the following dimensions: women, youth, journalists, ex-combatants etc., work based on professional and creative ambitions, capacity building of those NGO in the Caucasus which are engaged in peacemaking activities.
The CF plans to conduct the following events and activities:
- CF participation in those events within the Georgian-Abkhazian project that are held in an all-Caucasus format (International Alert)
- CF newsletter (Manana Gurgulia)
- CF office and resource centre in Vladikavkaz (Larissa Sotieva)
- training on information technologies and NGO activities for the NGO of Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia (Alan Parastaev, Irina Grigorian)
- meeting of young artists from all over the Caucasus (Alan Pliev)
- peace-building move by ex-combatants (Zaur Borov, Alan Parastaev)
- Web page and Internet forum (Eldar Zeinalov)