EAST EAST PROGRAM: PARTNERSHIP BEYOND BORDERS
2002-2003

Program Coordinator: Gulnura Mehdi

Mission

To bring together people and ideas from the countries in transition as well as western countries to share best practices and learn new models of development; to coordinate the efforts for the development of open society through cross-border partnership; to stimulate cooperation among countries for strengthening conditions of open society.

Process/Implementation

• To identify organizations for implementing projects in Azerbaijan
• To provide participation of the specialists from Azerbaijan in various events within the network

In December of 2001 we announced the competition that included the following areas:

• Sustainable Development
• Human rights
• NGO development in the regions of Azerbaijan
• Involvement of youth in the democratization processes
• Free and fair election practice and Azerbaijan

Why are these areas?

• We started in 2000 a project of Sustainable Development (SD) and it has become a part of our East East program strategy for the next two years and thus, we're are focused on ecological problems as one of main areas of SD. Jointly with information program we continued 2000 year's workshop on SD by creating a web-site on SD in Caspian sea countries and organizing an e-forum. The forum was resulted in recommendations to the governmental structures like Cabinet of Ministers, Ministries of Ecology, Education and SD Commission of Ministry of Economical Development recently created for preparing a program on SD concept implementation in Azerbaijan.
• Human rights. We started with a project on 'Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Association' in 2001 and are continuing the development of this field focused on its various aspects as one of main factors of open society.
• We're expanding OSI-AF activities into the regions of Azerbaijan and East East program can make a great contribution in development of regional NGOs
• In 2000 we implemented a project on experience exchange among journalists and local government authorities of Azerbaijan and Ukraine and the articles showed that the municipalities are weak here. But since that time the situation with municipalities leaves much to be desired. So the East East program can make a contribution in the development of this field by using of experiences of Eastern European countries
• The areas related with religion and geopolitical situation is as a response to events recently occurred.

It is important for Azerbaijan to strengthen cooperation between the newly independent countries of Black and Caspian basin. They have many features in common: they want to develop independent societies with integration in European structures. The countries understand well that for approaching to those structures they need to develop civil societies, and to conduct a number of reforms according to the European standards in the political, economic and social lives of their countries. We need to facilitate horizontal relationships within the region in order to promote formation of public opinion in the countries in favor of necessity of reforms.

Generally in 2002, 20 projects in the above listed fields were supported within the East East Program: Partnership Beyond Borders and 75 specialists and NGO representatives got the opportunity to participate in international events abroad for learning new experiences.

2002 Program expenses: $163,628