Civil Society Forum calls for free and fair elections across the Eastern Partnership
Published in
Politics
Friday, 14 October 2016 17:33
The Steering Committee of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum has released a statement on the Constitutional referendum in Azerbaijan, the parliamentary elections in Belarus and Georgia, as well as the upcoming presidential election in Moldova and the legislative elections in Armenia, saying “it is imperative for these elections to be free and fair”.
The statement highlights several irregularities, which occurred during voting in Azerbaijan and Belarus. With regards to the Georgian elections, the Steering Committee appreciates that the ongoing parliamentary election was judged positively by the International Election Observation Mission which included OSCE/ODIHR.
Furthermore, the statement outlined the lack of trust of the Moldovan and Armenian people in their governments, mainly due to the high level of corruption.
The Steering Committee calls on the member organisations of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum to do their utmost to implement the principle of free and fair elections and appeals to political parties in the European Union to support free and fair political system in the Eastern Partnership.
The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) is a unique multi-layered regional civil society platform aimed at promoting European integration, facilitating reforms and democratic transformations in the six Eastern Partnership countries - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Launched in 2009 at the Prague Summit of the Eastern Partnership, the EaP CSF serves as a civil society and people-to-people dimension of this initiative aiming to bring European integration closer to citizens of the Eastern Neighbourhood.
Civil Society Forum hosts human rights conference in Moldova
Published in
Society
Thursday, 22 September 2016 13:25
Around 50 experts and civil society community representatives from Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova were brought together this week for a human rights conference hosted by the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) and its Moldovan National Platform. Experts were joined by major international NGOs, EU institutions and the Council of Europe for the conference, which took place on 19-20 September in the Moldovan capital Chisinau to discuss human rights challenges in Eastern Partnership countries and international mechanisms for the defence of human rights.
Participants took part in practical workshops on best practices in campaigning about human rights, networking and fundraising, and learned about European Court of Human Rights activities with EaP countries. They also discussed the current situation and heard about methods of monitoring human rights and protection in conflict zones. A second workshop highlighted ways of preventing human rights abuses through special educational programmes and ensuring media freedom and access to information.
The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) is a unique multi-layered regional civil society platform aimed at promoting European integration, facilitating reforms and democratic transformations in the six Eastern Partnership countries - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Launched in 2009 at the Prague Summit of the Eastern Partnership, the EaP CSF serves as a civil society and people-to-people dimension of this initiative aiming to bring European integration closer to citizens of the Eastern Neighbourhood.
