PROGRAM OF ACTIVITIES OF NGOs AND TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION "NEZAVISNOST", 1999 – 2000

1. ESTABLISHING COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION

   • establishing and coordinating cooperation with relevant organizations and foundations in the country and abroad, in order to inform them on our viewpoints, activities and situation in Yugoslavia

   • publishing a Gazette

   • hosting a web site

   • public relations

   • support in Project outline (or a series of relatively independent projects) and monitoring and coordinating the implementation of activities of NGOs and UGS "Nezavisnost"; taking necessary steps to secure financial support for the realization of these projects

   • setting up coordination and creating necessary organizational, personnel, material and financial conditions (establishing a Secretariat).

   Project Team: Coordinator and assistant coordinator with participation of all other members Coordinators: Branislav Canak, UGS "Nezavisnost"; Biljana Kovacevic-Vuco, Yugoslav Lawyers Committee for Human Rights; Miljenko Dereta, Civic Initiatives; Dušan Janjic, Forum for Ethnic Relations; Miloš Nikolic, ToD

2. ESTABLISHING A NETWORK FOR SERBIAN-ALBANIAN DIALOGUE AND CONFIDENCE BUILDING

   • exchange of opinion, organizing joint activities for which there is mutual consent

   Project Team: Committee for Kosovo Coordinator: Dušan Janjic, Forum for Ethnic Relations

3. IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF NATO INTERVENTION AND STATE OF WAR IN FRY; FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

   • human casualties
   • health and ecological consequences
   • structural damage
   • social relations
   • international consequences

   Project Team: Committee for the Development of Political and Social Alternative

   Coordinator: Milan Nikolic, Center for Policy Studies

4. FILE ON THE ACTIVITIES OF NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND UGS "NEZAVISNOST"

   • period until NATO intervention
   • period since NATO intervention

   The file would include conferences, meetings and public manifestations, as well as cooperation with nongovernmental organizations and trade unions from Kosovo, and in the former Yugoslavia, especially all aspects of communication, cooperation and activities since the start of NATO intervention.

   Project Team: Committee for the Development of Civil Society Coordinators: Miljenko Dereta, Civic Initiatives and Darko Marinkovic, director of the Center for Education and Research UGS "Nezavisnost"

5. PERMANENT INTERNATIONAL NGO CONFERENCE

   Drafting a proposal on the participation of NGOs and UGS "Nezavisnost" in reconstruction, i.e. implementation of the peace process, and especially drafting a proposal on the international NGO conference for support to the peace process, development and security in the Balkans, as well as activities set out by these proposals.

   Project Team: NGO Coordination

   Coordinators: Dušan Janjic, Forum on Ethnic Relations; Jelica Minic or Desimir Tošic, European Movement in Serbia; Rade Veljanovski, Foundation for Peace and Conflict Resolution

6. (6) NGO AND UGS "NEZAVISNOST" STRATEGY IN THE POSTWAR PERIOD

   Project Team: Committee for the Development of Civil Society Coordinators: Milan Nikolic Center for Policy Studies; Miloš Nikolic, ToD; Zoran Stojiljkovic, UGS "Nezavisnost"

7. RETURN OF REFUGEES, RECONCILIATION AND INTEGRATION

   Project Team: Committee for Legal Protection and Human Rights

   Coordinators: Yugoslav Committee for Human Rights, European Movement in Serbia and Group 484

8. PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

   • Legal support and education
   • Database on the violation of human rights in Serbia and FR Yugoslavia
   • 'White Book ' on Human Rights in Serbia and FR Yugoslavia
   • Rights of Trade Unions and Employees
   • Legal Regulation

   Project Team: Committee for Legal Protection and Human Rights

   Coordinators: Stevan Lilic, Yugoslav Committee for Human Rights; Darko Marinkovic and Cedanka Andric, UGS "Nezavisnost"

9. HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES

   Project Team: Committee for Humanitarian Activities

   Coordinator: Jelena Šantic, Group 484; Cedomir Ljubiša, UGS "Nezavisnost"; Ljubo Babic, Children Humanitarian Fund

10. ANTIWAR ACTIVITIES AND EDUCATION FOR PEACE

    • Establishing a Center for Friendship among Nations

    Project Team: Committee for Antiwar Activities and Peace Movements

    Coordinators: Staša Zajovic, Women in Black; Jelena Šantic, Group 484

11. ANTOLOGY OF ARTICLES AS REACTIONS TO OUR STATEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

    Project Team: Committee for the Development of Political and Social Alternative

    Coordinator: Obrad Savic, Belgrade Circle

12. EXPANDING THE ASSOCIATION OF NGOs AND UGS "NEZAVISNOST" WITH NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND TRADE UNIONS IN MONTENEGRO AND KOSOVO

    Project Team: Committee for the Development of Civil Society

    Coordinators: Miljenko Dereta, Civic Initiatives and Jelica Minic, European Movement in Serbia; Branislav Canak, UGS "Nezavisnost"

13. SUPPORT TO INDEPENDENT MEDIA

    Project Team: Media Committee

    Coordinators: Gordana Suša, VIN News Weekly; Bojan Stanojlovic, Student Union of Yugoslavia; representative of the journal "Nezavisnost"(Independence)

14. COORDINATION OF WOMEN CIVIC INITIATIVES

    Project Team: Committee for Activities of Women Groups

    Coordinators: Zarana Papic, Center for Gender Studies; Nadezda Cetkovic and Lepa Mladjenovic, Belgrade Women Lobby

PROTOCOL ON
COOPERATION OF NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND UGS "NEZAVISNOST" ON FINDING A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE CRISIS IN YUGOSLAVIA

Faced with the tragedy that escalated following NATO intervention in Yugoslavia, and in the name of peace, democracy and human values we have persistently promoted since the start of the Balkan crisis, and at the same time determined to continue our activities and contribute to efforts to build democratic institutions inherent in any modern society and ensure their efficient functioning, and in accordance with our past activities, we the nongovernmental organizations adopt this Protocol as a basis of future cooperation and joint activities, aimed at the following objectives:

• immediate halt of the bombing campaign and all armed operations
• resuming of the peace process with international mediation at the regional Balkan and European level, as well as under the auspices of the United Nations
• burden sharing among the European Union, the UN, OSCE and Russia, which will contribute to the peaceful solving of the crisis
• immediate end to ethnic cleansing and all other forms of ethnic or religious discrimination and providing conditions for the return of refugees with full respect to minority and human rights
• support to democratic forces in Yugoslavia and their efforts to sustain peace and stability, ease and remove serious consequences of the refugee catastrophe and resume with the processes of democratization
• professional media reporting in Serbia and elsewhere instead of war mongering and spreading of ethnic hatred, misinforming public opinion and glorifying the use of force as a means of solving political problems
• preservation and improvement of basic conditions for the development of a civil society and democracy in Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo
• drawing public attention to growing environmental hazards

By believing that the abovementioned objectives cannot be reached without firm cooperation, UGS "Nezavisnost" and nongovernmental organizations sign this Protocol which stipulates their internal relations and the framework of their joint activities.

Article 1

The Protocol on cooperation is signed by nongovernmental organizations that accept the abovementioned objectives, i.e. by the representative, authorized by the Statute to represent the organization.

Article 2

As of the day of signing the Protocol, each nongovernmental organization and UGS "Nezavisnost" is represented by the person authorized to make binding decisions.

Article 3

The Coordinating body meets at least once a week and decisions are made by majority voting of the attending representatives. The decisions made are binding for all signatories of the Protocol. Exceptionally, when programmatic documents are concerned, the representative of the signatory may, with written justification, exclude his or her opinion on the concrete decision or position. Only in that case the organization may not sign the document.

Article 4

The Coordinating body approves statements, proposals, initiatives, appoints representatives to participate in meetings and conferences in the country and abroad. The Chairman of the Coordinating body is the representative of UGS "Nezavisnost". Deputy Chairman is appointed by the Coordinating body. The Coordinating body shall form separate committees (of 3 to 5 members) that will deal with separate fields defined within the objectives of this Protocol, such as: environmental committee, legal assistance and human rights protection committee, Kosovo committee, antiwar activity and peace movements committee, development of the political and social alternative committee, international cooperation committee, cooperation with local organizations committee, public relations committee, humanitarian activities committee, etc. The work of the committees is coordinated by the Chairman and Deputy Chairman. Within the framework of the Protocol objectives and decisions by the Coordinating body, the committees may undertake individual and autonomous initiatives and make decisions concerning the fields of their expertise.

Article 5

The signatories of the Protocol are obliged to take an active part in joint activities, to support and inform each other and in their capacities contribute to the implementation of agreed activities.

Article 6

The collection, processing, translation, drafting of statements and other documents shall be conducted by the technical personnel based in "Nezavisnost" premises. The technical personnel are managed by the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Coordinating body.

Article 7

A separate Annex shall be drafted on financial issues.

• Trade Union Confederation - Nezavisnost
• Alternative Academic Educational Network
• Association of Citizens for Democracy, Social Justice and Support for Trade Unions
• Belgrade Circle
• Belgrade Women Lobby
• Belgrade Women Studies Center
• Center for Policy Studies
• Center for Transition to Democracy
• Civic Initiatives
• Civil Forum – Novi Pazar
• Committee for Human Rights - Leskovac
• Humanitarian Fund For Children
• Society For Truth On Antifascist War 1941-1945
• Society for Cooperation With Neighbouring Countries
• ECO Center
• European Movement in Serbia
• Foundation for Peace and Crisis Management
• FOSCODE – NGO Glasnik
• Forum for Ethnic Relations
• Group 484
• Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia
• Safe Houses for Women
• WIN - Weekly Video News
• Women in Black

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