Expert opinion

	03.12.06 Victoria Panova G8 research group, University of Toronto, Director for Russia
	03.12.06 Mona Bricke German NGO Forum Environment and Development
	03.12.06 Nigel Martin Montreal International Rorum (FIM)
	02.12.06 John Kirton Head of G8 Research Group, University of Toronto
	02.12.06 Regina Gunter Head of the WWF Germany

International "roundtable" of the NGO's experts, February 16, 2006

Opening of the meeting. Report from the spot.

Moscow, 16th February. Representatives of the Russian and foreign nongovernmental organizations gathered in Moscow to work out recommendations for the coming G8 Summit in St Petersburg this summer.

These consultations usually take the form of a round table to clarify the civil society opinions on the key subjects of the Summit agenda. This time the topic are the following education, infectious disease control and energy security. The coordinator of the project is Ella Pamfilova, the chairman of the President Counsel on the Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights Development.

Opening today’s meeting she pointed out that “participation of the foreign NGOs will help the Russian community which has no experience in the organization of such consultations and find their place in such an important process”.

Pamfilova invited the participants to take part in the International Forum that will take place on the 9-10th March. “G8 countries’ Sherpas have already agreed to meet with the representatives of the Russian NGOs and hopefully, we’ll have something to say to them by then”, she pointed out.


Pamfilova assured that Russian NGOs will do everything possible to provide for the ground to discuss different opinions on the key matters to be discussed by the G8 leaders during Russian presidency.

Expert opinion

	02.12.06 Halter Marek Le College de France
	02.12.06 Olivier Giscard d’Estaing COPAM, France
	02.12.06 Mika Ohbayashi Institute for Sustainable Energy Poliсy
	02.12.06 Bill Pace World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy
	01.12.06 Peter I. Hajnal Toronto University, G8 Research Group