The Contact Group on Belarus was established within the Council of Europe by the resolution of the CoE Committee of Ministers on September 7, 2022. The Group comprises representatives of the democratic forces and civil society of Belarus, as well as representatives of the Council of Europe. The Contact Group held its meetings on November 7 and January 25 in Strasbourg.
On February 1, at the meeting of the CoE Committee of Ministers, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and CoE Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić presented a plan of 15 specific activities to support civil society and democratic forces, which have been developed in cooperation with representatives of the Contact Group.
All these activities are aimed at building democratic institutions and supporting society in Belarus and include:
– support for independent journalists,
– assistance to victims of repression,
– efforts to increase the involvement of youth in democratic processes,
– work on the non-discrimination and gender equality agenda.
The full list is available at this link. The Contact Group will hold its third meeting in June 2023.
