Belarus crisis initiative

This project promotes equality and the enjoyment of fundamental human rights including the right to participate in democratic processes for marginalized communities in Belarus with a focus on diverse groups of women/girls. The project responds to the unfolding crisis in Belarus by engaging the international policy community in regular discussions in order to build policymakers’ knowledge maintain pressure and facilitate informed and timely recommendations. Project activities include: (1) undertaking and communicating summaries of public opinion polls in English and Russian; (2) producing research on gender and human rights; (3) convening policy roundtables including with embassy representatives; (4) briefing representatives of international governments organizations and donors and briefing Belarusian media/ NGOs/ political actors; (5) producing Chatham House ‘expert comments’ and multimedia and social media products.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) Increased efforts by international policymakers to develop policy and best practices that effectively address the marginalization and exclusion of civil society actors including women in political processes and decision-making in Belarus; and (2) Enhanced collaboration and coordination among diverse groups of key stakeholders in Belarus in democratic processes with a focus on participation of minority and marginalised groups including women and those with limited access to/ knowledge of communicating online.