Future Search: Pact releases strategic report on Belarus’ civil society

Despite the post-2010 crackdown and ensuing repressions, Belarusian civil society has seen positive developments due to emergence of new civic actors, initiatives, increased CSO visibility and better engagement with target groups.

At the same time, the issue of trust remains the core challenge of Belarus’ civil society development, as low level of trust toward CSOs among the citizenry results in weak civic activeness and participation in CSO initiatives.

These are a few of the key findings of the newly released 2015 Future Search Report by Pact based on a working meeting of 39 representatives of Belarus’ civil society, which took place June 4 – 6, 2015, in Vilnius, Lithuania. The 2015 Future Search Report is part of Pact’s strategic planning process and continues the tradition of participatory planning of the future of civil society in Belarus. Reports from Future Search workshops in 2006 and 2011 are also available.

The Future Search Report is intended for wide dissemination both in Belarus and among international implementers as a way to engage the maximum number of stakeholders in the discussion. The information is meant for consideration and use by any agents interested in the development of civil society in Belarus in the course of elaborating their own programs, approaches and/or plans.

This report is based on the analysis of discussions among the meeting’s participants representing think tanks, advocacy, civic education, youth, community development, culture, environment, capacity building, business associations, human rights and social service provision sectors. The report contains analysis of key trends in Belarus’ civil society over the last five years, summarizes main findings and offers recommendations to CSOs and the international development community.

Read the full text of the report in English.

Русскоязычная версия отчета доступна по ссылке.