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< 10 Jahre Förderprogramm Belarus: Partner auf Augenhöhe
12.02.2012 10:14 Age: 1 Jahre
Support programme Belarus enables partnership at eye level  On the 10. February the conference “Perspectives of social partnership” was opened in the International Education and Exchange site ”Johannes Rau“ Minsk (IBB Minsk). The event presents the results of German- Belorussian partnership projects within the scope of the fifth stage of the support programme Belarus “Overcoming boundaries” by the German federal government, which is going to be completed in March 2012. Another focus of the event is the strategic development of a partnership between Belorussian civil society, governmental structures and the economy. In the ten years of existence the support programme Belarus has realised 180 projects. Solely in the last phase 42 projects took part in the support programme. These centred on topics of energy efficiency & renewable energy, adult education, sustainable regional development and social affairs. “Central for these projects is the partnership between German and Belorussian initiatives”, explains Peter Junge-Wentrup, executive of the IBB non-profit close corporation Dortmund (IBB Dortmund). „These partnerships between Belorussian and German organisations live from the initiative of its supporters. It is important for us that they develop on their own outside of the support programme. The agents of civil society have reached a very high competence level and by now the process is highly networked, in which asides from initiatives also representatives of public authorities , churches and economy are involved. This fact makes the cooperation process even more successful.” Junge-Wentrup expressed his gratitude to all German and Belorussian politicians, who have promoted the support programme Belarus: ”Irrespective of all political conflicts of opinion and intermission of the dialogue, representatives of politics have understood that a National Diplomacy, like it exists in our projects, has to be retained.” His hope for a continuation of the constructive dialogue was also addressed by Sergej Malinovskij, deputy chief of the department Europe, and department chief for bilateral collaboration of the Belorussian foreign ministry. ”The manifold contacts between different Belorussian and German structures and the reliable human relationships are the basis of a global community and true amicable relationships between states.” Christof Weil, ambassador of the German Federal Republic in Belarus, praised the recipe for success of the support programme: “Building up trust – across boundaries - that is the most important aspect, way more important than cash resources, a sustainable progress in the issue is going to be reached when it is institutionalised, collaboration that transcends sectors and across boundaries and the use of the principle of subsidiarity, how they do it – which means, to choose the partner, who is closest to the problem – all of this constitutes the recipe for success of their work. Viktor Balakirev, the Belorussian director of the IBB Minsk, emphasises that in the support programme Belarus, in contrast to traditional humanitarian help, sharing know-how and innovative approaches is the main focus: “Hundreds of German initiatives tend their contacts to their Belorussian partners since the 1990s. In the past they brought us, metaphorically speaking, fish, thanks to the support programme we now have attained a fishing rod with which we can realise our own projects by ourselves and exert influence on different domains. The value of the partnership within the support programme lies in the possibilities, which are brought about by the exchange of experience, knowledge and experts.” Astrid Sahm, former German director of the IBB Minsk and chief of the fifth stage of the support programme Belarus, elucidated the developmental dynamic in the support programme: “On the one hand the main aims of the support programme stay the same – cross-border and intersectoral collaboration as well as principals of sustainable development. On the other hand we can see a dynamic development within the progress of the single phases of the programme: Today we do not talk about launching the dialogue between governmental and non governmental institutions in single projects any more. Rather, we have encouraged and accompanied a regular dialogue, which warrants that there is not only a spontaneous, but a systematic partnership in those areas, with which the support programme deals with. To name a concrete example: in all Belorussian regions act civil councils for agri-tourism now.” Igor Karpenko, deputy chairman of the executive committee of Minsk, assured the listeners of the partnership of the city council: “The city's executive committee is ready to support the support programme, take part in collaborative projects and carry out financial contributions.” “In the centre of the work of the support programme”, closed Junge-Wentrup the discussion, “are the human being and his dignity. The goal of the German-Belorussian partnership consists of the aim that children, old and disabled people can take part in the life of society. When realising projects of the support programme the German and Belorussian partners work hand in hand at eye level and can learn from each other.”
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