Cooperation with civil society organisations
Civil society organisations play an important roll for the Nordic Council of Ministers Cooperation with the Baltic countries and northwest Russia. In particular as partners to build capacity within a number of areas of priority for the Nordic Council of Ministers, but also as partners towards building networks and develop the Councils cooperation in the Baltic Sea region. The Nordic Council of Ministers intends to broaden and intensify its cooperation with NGOs and work towards the strengthening of civil society.
The Nordic Ministers for Co-operation adopted during the autumn of 2008 new guidelines for co-operation with North-West Russia and the Baltic States the Council of Ministers for the period of 2009-2013. These guidelines conclude that civil society organizations play a key role in the cooperation with northwest Russia and the Baltic States.
To this end, the Nordic Council of Ministers launched a special NGO Programme for the Baltic Sea Region in October 2006, which funds co-operation between Nordic, Baltic, Polish, Belarusian and Russian NGOs.
The NGO Programme support so called tripartite co-operation with at least one partner from the Nordic countries, one partner from the Baltic States or Poland, and at least one partner from North-West Russia or Belarus. It will provide funding for activities related to projects designed to boost civic society and cross-border co-operation in the countries around the Baltic Sea.
A separate programme has also been set up to fund co-operation between Nordic and Baltic NGOs. It is also a tripartite programme but does not require the participation of partners in either North-West Russia or Belarus. The Nordic-Baltic programme is designed to promote a strong civic society and will be run by the Nordic Council of Ministers' offices in the Baltic States.
Apply for funding from the NGO programme
Nordic Council of Ministers' Information Offices in Russia
The Nordic Council of Ministers' Offices in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
