US-Russia Civil Society Partnership Program
The US-Russia Civil Society Partnership Program (CSPP) was launched in May of 2011. The program is implemented by Eurasia Foundation and will run through May of 2013.
CSPP is the follow-on to the two US-Russia Civil Society Summits held in 2009 and 2010, during which Russian and US civil society organizations recognized the need for greater collaboration across a broad array of thematic topics. The ultimate goal is to create sustainable mechanisms for the development and delivery of recommendations from citizens to policymakers, leading to greater cooperation and meaningful improvement in the lives of the citizens of both countries. Through dynamic and unfettered dialog, the program participants will design concrete and innovative policy recommendations to accelerate progress in such areas as anti-corruption, local community development, environmental protection, education, migration, child protection, youth, gender equity, independent mass media and freedom of information, public health, and human rights.
The program will include a series of activities, including three conferences of the civil society leaders from the two countries (two of which will be held in Moscow and one – in Washington), a small grants competition designed to support the implementation of collaborative projects, and online meetings of the 11 working groups. CSPP also features an Internet resource platform that enables participants to exchange information about their activities, update work plans in a timely fashion, and publish news and event announcements.
The first US-Russia Civil Society Partnership Program conference took place place on November 14 – 15, 2011 in Moscow. NGO leaders from the USA and Russia presented plans of their working groups and explored possibilities for cross-thematic collaborative projects.
Also participating in the conference were dozens of Russian and US organizations that registered and plugged in virtually through the CSPP website. For more information on the conference, please see: www.usrussiacivilsociety.org
