Civil G8 2006

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Nongovernmental Organizations are making up recommendations for the governments


Pamfilova wants to use Russian presidency in the G8 as a stimuli for the Civil Society development.

Yesterday a two day International NGO Conference, “CivilG8” opened up in Moscow. The event is participated by than 300 organizations from more than 30 countries. The aim of the Forum is to prepare recommendations for the G8 Summit.

The chairman of the President Counsel on the Civil Society Institutions Development, Ella Pamfilova, gave an opening speech, mentioning that “the rumors about the end of the Civil Society is too exaggerated”. The forum is attended by various political views adherents (today even Russian anti-globalists will take part in it, so the task of the conference is to give everyone an opportunity to speak. Though the participants did not get together on the first day but were working in the sections.

Forum participants divided into several working groups according to their interests, each groups was discussing one of the following topics: energy security, education, terrorism counteraction, business and international trade, public health, mass annihilation weapons, regional conflicts. At the working group meetings all of the participants take a word in turns, each one is given 3 minutes to tell about his ideas. Today the final appeal to the G8 countries’ leaders will be made, based on the results of the working group work.

Among other tasks “CivilG8-2006” also sets a practical one – to get an access to the accreditation of the Civil Society representatives and experts at the St Petersburg G8 Summit.

When talking to the Independent Newspaper correspondent, Ella Pamfilova opened the contents of some of the recommendations: “At the meeting with the leaders, the energy problem will be discussed. There are lots of ecological organizations in the world that are concerned with the problem as well. And they want to protect ecology from another damage”. The other two directions are infectious diseases and education standards elevation.


Answering the question whether the “CivilG8” discussed the NGO law, adopted by the State Duma and signed by the president at the beginning of the year, Pamfilova stressed that this Forum is not Russian, it deals with international problems first of all. “Though if any section will express their wish to discuss the notorious law, nobody will stop them from it”. The most important thing is to use the Russian presidency in the G8 as a stimuli for the Civil Society development. “Establishing contacts with foreign NGOs we can change the situation and make it more favorable for the Russian NGOs”, Pamfilova explained. She summarized: “We have to use any opportunity to help public organizations, no matter whether officials like it or not”.

Expert opinion

Halter Marek

02.12.06

Halter Marek
Le College de France
Olivier Giscard d’Estaing

02.12.06

Olivier Giscard d’Estaing
COPAM, France
Mika Ohbayashi

02.12.06

Mika Ohbayashi
Institute for Sustainable Energy Poliñy
Bill Pace

02.12.06

Bill Pace
World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy
Peter I. Hajnal

01.12.06

Peter I. Hajnal
Toronto University, G8 Research Group


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