Photo by EuroBelarus Information Service

The main challenge for the Belarusan National Platform (BNP) of Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum is the impossibility to influence any decision-making processes in the country.

“Civil society is excluded from the preparation process of decision-making, transferred to the marginal level and by no means can influence how-ever significant decisions in Belarus,” noted Andrei Yahorau, a newly elected Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the Belarusan National Platform in the commentary to EuroBelarus Information Service. “And this is the problem we have to overcome; it is the main challenge for the National Platform. All the rest is designed to help in resolving this issue.”

According to Yahorau, in order to overcome this challenge, civil society should get strengthened, better coordinated and occupy firm position on such key issues as reforms in the country, change of situation, cooperation with the EU and other countries-members of the Eastern Partnership. “Those with more firm and better coordinated position — Belarusan government or the EU — can easily ignore the interests of the Belarusan civil society which is stuck in contradictions,” emphasized Andrei Yahorau.

Uladzimir Matskevich, the head of the Board of the International Consortium “EuroBelarus”, also spoke about the need to strengthen BNP’s position in one of his speeches:

“Civil society is as discordant and unconsolidated as ever. So when we complain that by efforts of modern European politicians civil society is driven out to ghetto, it only means that we ourselves are not working hard enough. It is we who translate grassroots at higher level, and it is normal that it is not to the taste of many. And instead of complaining we should decide what to do with that; we should become strong.”

According to Uladzimir Matskevich, all flaws in the Belarusan National Platform consist in the fact that “civil society masses are separated from the Coordinating Committee or those people who act on the part of the National Platform without having plenary powers; their actions hardly interest common people.” “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel; we just should enhance the possibilities that we already have. National Platform is to be strong. And to become strong, we should understand each other on all levels. For now it is not so,” summed up Uladzimir Matskevich.

You can get acquainted with the resolution of the Belarusan National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum here.

You can watch the video from the Conference opening this link (in Russian).