We are looking forward to welcoming more than 425 participants for many exciting Annual Assembly sessions from 30 November to 2 December. Three high-level panels will take place, focusing on policies ahead of the EaP Summit, economic recovery as well as democratic governance. The thematic panels and certain other sessions are streamed live on our Facebook page. Have a look at the agenda here.

The EaP Index 2021 charts the performance of the six Eastern Partnership countries and their progress towards sustainable democratic development and European integration. For the first time, the EaP Index generates sectoral recommendations to help civil society, EaP policymakers, independent researchers, think-tanks and the European Union make evidence-based decisions and practical reforms to enhance the EaP’s implementation. Find the Index here and a short briefer here.

The EaP CSF has launched a call for delegates for the new cycle of 2022-2024, to which organisations from the six EaP countries and European member states are invited to apply. Throughout their mandate, selected delegates attend yearly working-group meetings and two annual assemblies, jointly advocate, expand their network, and a lot more. Find more information and apply here.

The EaP CSF Secretariat welcomes Calum Thomson in his new role as Administrative and Statutory Affairs Manager as of 1 November. Calum is no new face to our secretariat, as he has previously gained experience at the EaP CSF as Index and Membership trainee. He has an academic background in International Relations at Leiden University and his professional interests lie in democracy support, politics and strategic studies. Calum can be contacted at calum.thomson@eap-csf.eu.

The EaP CSF Secretariat continues with the new Re-granting to Members (FSTP) programme, which is distributed via three lots. Lot 1 is aimed at monitoring of the new EaP deliverables and targets as defined in the Joint Staff Working Document, while Lot 2 supports projects addressing the Forum’s strategic advocacy priorities. Lot 3 aims to support the work of EaP CSF member organisations to develop and deliver on the strategic policy and capacity building priorities of the Forum within the regional dimension and strengthen mutual learning between the members.

Within the project “Promotion of modern international standards of children’s rights: deinstitutionalization and humanization of closed institutions in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine”, ADC Memorial has released an animation dedicated to migrant children for World Children's Day. The ADC Memorial's #CrossborderChildhood campaign is dedicated to the problem of humane repatriation of foreign children. Legislation and repatriation practices must comply with modern human rights standards - the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the recommendations of the UN CRC and CMW. Watch the video here.

The EaP CSF Steering Committee calls on the international community, the governments of democratic countries and the EU to take all necessary measures towards the dictatorial regime in Belarus and to continue to demand the unconditional release of political prisoners, the safeguarding of fundamental rights and freedoms, and the holding of free democratic elections in Belarus. Access the statement here. 

After the second round of self-government elections in Georgia, and the resulting tense situation, the EaP CSF Georgian National Platform calls on the election commissions, notably the Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC), not to ignore any complaints and to make impartial decisions, to identify all violations and not to repeat predecessors’ mistakes on the recounting of votes in precincts. Find the full statement here.

The Georgian National Platform expresses dissatisfaction with the fact that their strategic partners, Members of the European Parliament Anna Fotyga, Chair of the Group of Friends of Georgia, Raimundas Lopata and Villija Targamadze, have been denied approval to visit jailed former president Mikheil Saakashvili in prison. The organisation believes that such actions taken by Georgian state agencies hinder Georgia's path to European integration. Access the statement here.