By Miljenko Dereta, Executive Director of Civic Initiatives

On September 3 to 5, Civic Initiatives, a Belgrade-based NGO, held a conference for non-governmental organizations in Yugoslavia, called “Looking at the Future.” The conference, held as part of  “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges” program in cooperation with the Institute for democracy in East Europe (IDEE) in Washington, gathered  206 participants from 144 non-governmental organizations from 38 towns of FRY, and 20 international and CEE non-governmental organizations. This was the first opportunity for representatives of Citizens’ Parliaments to attend such a gathering.

The conference looked at the conditions under which NGOs have worked during the post-war period and discussed topics that should take priority in future work.  Participants concluded that relations between the state and non-governmental organizations were poor, and partnership relations, characteristic for developed democracy, should be established through changes in legal regulations, which will be feasible only if there is political change.

NGOs play a decisive role in the process of change and are crucial for preparing citizens for active participation in this process.  The OK ‘98 Campaign in Slovakia was an extremely useful example presented at the conference.

The tragic humanitarian situation of both refugees and the local population requires an urgent and efficient resolution.  Non-governmental organizations are ready and capable to provide and distribute needed humanitarian aid, but the state monopoly has prevented them from doing so. The conference resulted in the establishment of a coordinating body of NGOs for humanitarian issues and in the launching of an initiative for urgent change in the current law.

NGOs noted that inter-ethnic conflict is one of the main causes of crisis in society.  Apart from resolving crisis situations, participants pointed out that future conflicts should be prevented through education for tolerance and inter-ethnic dialogue.  The discussion initiated the question of responsibility for the beginning of the war, ethnic cleansing and the complete exclusion of Yugoslavia from the international community.

NGOs believe that intensive local and regional networking is the only way to function efficiently.  The first move in that direction was made at the conference itself: women’s organizations from Subotica, Ulcinj (an Albanian organization), Novi Pazar, Nis and Kraljevo agreed to intensified cooperation with the final goal to establish a forum of women’s organizations. The Vrsac-based NGO Urban Workshop and Society for Education of Malopolska in Poland agreed on a joint project on alternative education.

Conference participants also discussed the current financial and staff situation in the Yugoslav NGO sector, and noted that significant changes would take time and that the strategy of patient work in small steps was the only way to bring stable results.