After the collapse of the Soviet Union the union countries obtained the possibility to get independent and choose another way of living: democracy. Unfortunately both in theory and in practice the change in regimes is not smooth and easy especially in the face of the rise of authoritarianism, which does not intend to give up its power on society. And Belarus is one of the examples.
On April 28 our WEASA alumnus Alexander Malyarenko from Belarus presented his research on the role of the NGOs in Belarus before and after 2020, because the date marks the drastic change in the life of civil society in Belarus in terms of their freedoms to act.
Since 2020 the development of civil society organizations in Belarus has been taking place in the context of a growing political, economic and social crisis. The change in attitudes towards the non-governmental sector resulted in the closure of a large number of NGOs, which led to a total reformatting of the working conditions of the non-governmental sector in the country. As the reasons for this transformation lie deep behind the events of 2020, changes in the work of civil society organizations will also have long-term consequences.
The research presentation recording is available for our alumni members on our communication platform. And here it is the brief presentation of the research: The role of NGOs in Belarus before and after 2020.