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During the conference of the Belarusian National Platform organised on 25 June in Minsk the members elected the new Coordination Committee and Sviatlana Karaliova (Belarusian Organization of Working Women) as its new chair. The meeting was held under the title “Civil Society in Belarus: Challenges of Stagnation and Governmentalization of the Third Sector”. The aim of the event was to discuss how to prevent the governmentalization of the Belarusian National Platform (BNP).

The report of the BNP Coordination Committee for 2014-2015 was presented by its members Andrei Yahorau (Chair and National Coordinator), Uladzimir Valodzin, Aksana Shelest, Vasili Valasyuk, Natallia Vasilevich, Tatsyana Pashevalava and Ihar Rynkevich.

In her address Natalia Yerashevich, Director of the EaP CSF Secretariat, underlined the importance of the active involvement of the Belarusian National Platform in the EaP process. "Despite the fact that the Belarusian National Platform does not have the best conditions for its work, potentially it has a very good chance of success. Even under these conditions the European Union is interested in working with the civil society. As soon as the conditions change for the better, the platform can be fully involved in the trilateral dialogue between the civil society, government and the EU. It is necessary to improve the motivation of the National Platform members, its image. After the first success, it will come back to life attracting new participants," commented Natalia.

The new Coordination Committee of the EaP CSF Belarusian National Platform comprises:

• Chair - Sviatlana Karaliova, Belarusian Organization of Working Women
• Ales Bialiatski, Human Rights Center “Viasna”
• Siarhei Matskievich, Assembly of NGOs of Belarus
• Piotr Kuzniatsou, Gomel Democratic Forum
• Uladzimir Dunaiau, Institute of Development and Social Trends for Belarus and Eastern Europe
• Maryna Khomich, Belarusian Union of Youth and Children's Public Associations “RADA”
• Ihar Rynkevich, Public institution “Civil Verdict League”
• Andrei Yahorau, EaP CSF Belarus National Coordinator (until the next meeting of the Civil Society Forum in Kyiv)

The members also nominated the organizations for the participation in the next Civil Society Forum to be held in Kyiv on November 19-22. In the final resolution of the conference the participants of the EaP CSF Belarusian National Platform welcomed the overall process of the dialogue between Belarus and the European Union.

Final Resolution of the Conference (in Belarusian)

Radio France Internationale report on the meeting (in Russian)