25-30 June 2008 - From Polotsk to Brest: initiative "Re-Enact" keeps Belarusian regions informed about possibilities for implementing European projects

Source: IURI Belarus

Polotsk-Minsk-Gomel-Grodno-Brest

Even though recently some new European programmes were opened that cover the territory of Belarus, project activity in Belarus is still far from being ideal. Indeed, Belarusian organisations that individually develop, initiate and implement European projects are more of an exception rather than a general rule. Why are Belarusian actors so reluctant to participate in European programmes? What problems do they experience when trying to implement international projects? How to overcome these difficulties and activate project activity in Belarus? These were the questions that the German-Belarusian House was facing in 2006 when it launched its initiative Re-Enact.

Re-Enact is an attempt to accumulate the long-standing experience of GBH in project management and pass it over to Belarusian organisations. For two years GBH and its Minsk-based institution “Interaction” have been working on a professional support platform for project developers. The result of this intense work is a website www.eu-belarus.net with detailed information on successful development and implementation of international projects in Belarus. Here you can learn about open support programmes and announced Calls for Proposals, find European partners, get acquainted with the basics of project management, follow the steps of project registration, share your experience and ask questions.

Naturally, such an activity could not remain unnoticed. In early June 2008 Mr. Ivan Shchadranok, Director of institution “Interaction”, presented GBH projects to Mr. Jean-Eric Holzapfel, Chargé d’affaires of the Delegation of the European Commission to Belarus, and Mr. Janis Aizsalnieks, Attaché. The Delegation representatives were especially interested in the Re-Enact initiative. Having pointed out that such important information should be distributed among as big audience as possible, they delegated GBH to organise a series of working meetings for local authorities and NGOs in the regions of Belarus. Mr. Holzapfel and Mr. Aizsalnieks were quite confident that “Interaction” staff would succeed in informing the audience in a professional and captivating way about how to develop a project idea, find European partners, write a project proposal and implement international projects in Belarus. Following this proposal, in the end of June working meetings under the common title “Establishment of mechanisms for experience exchange between Belarusian organisations and institutions in the sphere of development and implementation of international projects”.

Although the working meetings had been initially planned as information seminars, their results exceeded expectations of both participants and organisers. To begin with, “Interaction” managed to reach the audience of more than 120 persons from Belarusian regions of Vitebsk, Minsk, Gomel, Grodno, and Brest. Most importantly, the participants expressed great interest towards the possibilities for participation in the programmes of international technical assistance that have been presented in the working meetings. Their interest resulted in lively discussions that covered not only different aspects of project management, but also allowed to single out quite tangible project ideas.

Another method of identifying attractive project ideas and prospects for future cooperation was a questionnaire. According to its results, most project ideas proposed by the participants lie in the spheres of energy, environment, culture, tourism, and business development. More than that, several participants of the working meetings have already addressed “Interaction” with a request to support them in developing their project ideas and maybe even join them in implementing their projects.

Results of the working meetings indicate great interest of local authorities and organisations of Belarus towards project management. There is one more fact that speaks in favour of this conclusion – every single participant expressed his or her eagerness to become member of the Belarusian partnership network for exchange of experience in the sphere of project initiation and implementation. In their turn, staff of the German-Belarusian House and “Interaction” will always be glad to provide support on any issues related to development, coordination and implementation of new international projects.

Working meeting in Gomel, 27 June 2008. In the photo: (in the centre) Mr. Boleslav Pirshtuk, vice-chairman of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee, (left) Mr. Ivan Shchadranok, Director of the Institution “Interaction”, (right) Ms. Irina Koritskaya, Manager for Marketing and PR of the Institution “Interaction”

Working meeting in Grodno, 28 June 2008. In the photo: Mr. Ivan Shchadranok, Director of the Institution “Interaction”, tells the participants about the peculiarities of project management in Belarus

Working meeting in Polotsk, 25 June 2008. In the photo: Mr. Vladimir Tochilo, chairman of the Polotsk City Executive Committee, awards Mr. Ivan Shchadranok, Director of the Institution “Interaction”, with a certificate stating that the receiver has visited the geographical centre of Europe in Polotsk

Working meeting in Brest, 30 June 2008. In the photo: participants of the working meeting learn about the possibilities for participation in the programmes of international technical assistance