Dear delegate,

You are welcome to the  Baltic Sea NGO Forum held on 16-17 April 2010 in Vilnius.

The event is organised under the Lithuanian Presidency at the Council of the Baltic Sea States. The Forum will address the issues essential for the performance of non-governmental organisations and the civil society in a democratic state in the period of economic recession. Thus, the main focus of discussions will revolve around the empowerment of civil society organisations with a view to strengthen their capacities in policy development and public representation.

The NGO Forum of the Baltic Sea Region is organised in Lithuania for the first time. It is one of the biggest events taking place this spring for non-governmental organisations to address topical issues of the sector, in particulars the building of civil society, the strengthening of democracy and future developments of CSOs

The priority areas of the Forum address the core areas of the Lithuanian presidency, in particular NGO participation in cross-border cooperation in the Baltic Sea region, innovations in the NGO sector, public benefit and defense of public interests, active participation in decision-making processes.

A resolution will be drafted at the Forum to draw the attention of the governments of the Baltic Sea States to the situation of the NGO sector and proposals for its improvement. The resolution will be officially presented at the 8th Summit of the Baltic Sea States due on 1-2 June 2010.

The NGO Forum will host around 300 hundred participants from all countries belonging to the Council of the Baltic Sea States: Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Sweden.

The event will be attended by the representative of the Office of the President, Ms Asta Skaisgiryte Liauskiene, Viceminister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Ms Ingrid Schulerud, Coordinator of the MoU-negotiations for the Financial Mechanisms 2009-2014, Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway.

The NGO forums were initiated by the Baltic Sea NGO Platform in 2001 and are held annually in the presiding countries of the Council. In 2008 the forum was organised in Riga, Latvia, and in 2009 in Elsinore, Denmark. Next year it will be hosted by Norway which takes over from Lithuania the Presidency at the Council of the Baltic Sea States.

We hope that this Forum will help enforce the NGO community and will give a new impetus for the civil society of the Baltic Sea region. Your participation and sharing of experiences and successful practices would contribute to the success of the event.

Also, you will be offered the facilities to present the achievements of your organisation at the NGO market.

We are looking forward to meeting you in Vilnius. Please complete the online registration form before 12 April 2010.

Sincerely,
Organisers of the Forum
Non-Governmental Organisations Information and Support Centre
Odminiu str. 12, LT-01122 Vilnius, Lithuania
Phone./fax +370 5 2126045; tel. +370 5 2618782
E-mail: cbss@nisc.lt