Between Survival and Standby: A Review of Civil Society in the Regions of Belarus has been published

In this study of BIPART, which continues to monitor the state of Belarusian civil society organizations, we have chosen to primarily focus on organizations that currently exist and, in most cases, continue to operate at the local level within Belarus. We have opted for this research focus because such organizations have not been the primary subject of separate studies in recent years; they have been discussed primarily as a part of the broader civil society landscape. 

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the situation and analyze the state of civil society organizations and initiatives in Belarus at the local level during the first half of 2023, with a retrospective examination of the development of the situation over the past three years since the onset of the political crisis. To achieve this goal, we have established several tasks, including a review of various aspects of local organizations and initiatives, which include:

• General characteristics of the organizations: including their legal status, location (inside or outside Belarus, mixed format) of both the organizations themselves and their activists, and the directions of their activities.

• Overview of repressions and their impact on civil society.

• Analysis of potential actions by regional CSOs within Belarus in the context of

  repressions.

• Assessment of the state of local civil society organizations and initiatives: encompassing general characteristics of the sector, features of organization development, their access to target audiences, internal processes, and the challenges they encounter.

• Sectoral and intersectoral cooperation.

• The situation concerning donor support, satisfaction with existing programs, and the

  needs of organizations/initiatives.

• Impact of the war in Ukraine on civil society in Belarus at the local level.

The research is available in our library in full version in Russian and in English. Short version in English is here.