The LOOKING AT FUTURE conference of
non-governmental organizations of Yugoslavia, took place in Belgrade from 3 to 5
September. The conference was organized by the Belgrade based NGO Civic Initiatives in the
framework of the project "Breaking barriers, building bridges" which was being
realised in cooperation with the Institute for democracy in East Europe from Washington.
The conference gathered 206 participants from 144 non-governmental
organizations from 38 towns of FRY and 20 international and CEE non-governmental
organizations. It was also the first time for the representatives of Citizens' Parliaments
to attend such a gathering. The conference viewed the conditions under which the NGOs have
worked in post war period and discussed the topics which should have priority in future
work. It was concluded that relations between the state and non governmental organizations
were very bad. Partnership relations, characteristic for developed democracy, should be
established through a change of the legal regulation which will be feasible only upon the
general political change.
In regard to that, NGOs have a decisive role in the process of changes
and preparations of citizens for active participation in that process. In that context,
the example of Slovakian OK campaign 98 that was presented to the participants, was
extremely useful.
The tragic humanitarian situation, of both refugess and local
population, requires the urgent and efficient resolution. Non-governmental organizations
are ready and capable to provide and distribute needed humanitarian aid, but a monopoly
that the state established has been preventing them from doing so. The conference resulted
in the establishment of a coordinating body of NGOs for humanitarian issues and in the
launching of an initiative for the urgent change of the current law.
Inter-ethnic relations were marked as one of generators of a crisis in
society. Apart from resolving of crisis situations, it was pointed out that future
conflicts should be prevented through education for tolerancy and an inter-ethnic
dialogue. The discussion initiated the question of responsibility for the beginning of a
war, ethnic cleansing and complete exclusion of Yugoslavia from the international
community.
NGOs estimate intensive local and regional networkings as the only way
of the efficient functioning. The first moves in that direction have been made at the very
conference: intensified cooperation, with a final goal to establish a Forum of women's
organizations, was agreed about between women's organizations from Subotica, Ulcinj (an
Albanian organization), Novi Pazar, Nis and Kraljevo. The Vrsac based NGO Urban Workshop
and Society for Education of Malopolska from Poland agreed on a joint project on
alternative education.
The conference also discussed the current financial and staff situation
in the Yugoslav NGO sector. It was underlined that significant changes would take time and
that the strategy of patient functioning through small steps was the only way to bring
stable results.
In Belgrade
Miljenko Dereta
Executive Director of Civic
Initiatives