Georgia's NGO Sector News #58 14.09.1998 Issued by Horizonti Foundation Information Program Horizonti Foundation Information Program can provide contact information on all of the following topics upon request Contact Address: Horizonti, The Foundation for the Third Sector 33 Gogebashvili, 380079, Tbilisi, Georgia Tel/Fax: (995 32) 29 29 55 E-mail: presscenter@horizonti.org Table of Contents NGO NEWS * Inner Kartli Young Lawyers' Regional Association Contributes to Dissemination of Legal Knowledge * NGO Issues a New Bulletin 'Women for Law' * NGO Issues a Manual for Human Rights Education ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM HORIZONTI FOUNDATION * Horizonti Organizes a Training Session in Akhaltsike * The Horizonti Foundation Prepares Regulations on Non-Governmental and Governmental Sector Relations NEWS FROM HORIZONTI FOUNDATION * Horizonti Hosts Meeting of NGOs Working in the Field of Education and Journalists ANNOUNCEMENT * Join the Petition to Save 143 Chimpanzees NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR NGOS * Rothchild Scholarship is Available at Oxford University * Wilson Center Offers Fellowships in Humanities and Social Sciences * Grants for Cultural Heritage Program Are Available **** NGO NEWS * Inner Kartli Young Lawyers' Regional Association Contributes to Dissemination of Legal Knowledge* Inner Kartli Young Lawyers' Regional Association aims to aid young lawyers in their professional mastering, to contribute to raising legal awareness in society and fostering respect towards law, to disseminate legal knowledge among school students, to offer legal services to socially vulnerable layers of the population, and to assist in NGO development. Currently, the organization works on implementing a project financially supported by the Open Society -Georgia. The project will last one year and aims to provide free of charge legal services to NGOs and socially vulnerable people (retired, disabled, and refugees), and to organize trainings for the development of the Third Sector. Inthe framework of the project the NGO organized a seminar for Gori region NGOs Led by NGO Business Law Center on the topics of registration and re-registration procedures, taxation and other legal issues. To better inform its clients the organization plans to issue a monthly informational bulletin covering explanations of the new legislation and answering questions of the citizens. A Local TV channel will broadcast programs dealing with legal issues. Telephone consultations will also be available. The organization has representatives in Kareli, Kaspi, and Khashuri regions of Georgia. Contact address of Inner Kartli Young Lawyers' Regional Association is: 1 Moscow Street, Gori. Telephone : (8270) 2 60 26. *NGO Issues a New Bulletin 'Women for Law'" From July 1998 a new bulletin entitled Women for Law has been available in Zugdidi. The bulletin is issued by the local NGO Association for Disabled and Children, with financial assistance of the British Humanitarian organization OXFAM. Established in 1996 the organization aims to familiarize population with the rights of women, children and disabled, study human rights protection methods, facilitate integration of disabled into society, and study public opinion regarding the issues of disabled. In June-July 1998 the Association implemented its first project. As a part of the project the Association gave legal and informational advice to the disabled. The bulletin is published twice a month. The first issue of the bulletin was entirely based on the phone calls and question received from the disabled. (Source of Information: PIPL Bulletin "Rights to Speech" # 27). * NGO Issues a Manual for Human Rights Education* Georgia's NGO Tbilisi International Human Rights School, with financial support of OSCF Mission in Georgia and ODIHR, published a Manual entitled "The First Step: Introductory Manual for Human Rights Educators." The Manual highlights European experience in Human Rights education and gives particular methodologies for Human Rights education. The Manual contains texts of most important international documents about Human Rights, such as Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Convention on Children's Rights. Two thousand copies of the manual [WERE] distributed free-of-charge among secondary school teachers in Tbilisi and in Georgia's regions. The manual is intended mostly for teachers[] who would like to incorporate human rights education in their disciplines. For more detailed information contact Tbilisi International Human Rights School at: 95.07.30; 37.20.94. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM HORIZONTI FOUNDATION *Horizonti Organizes a Training Session in Akhaltsike* On September 15 - 18, the Horizonti Foundation will conduct a training session in Akhaltsike for the representatives of local NGOs and initiative groups. The training will cover the topics of NGO structure and proposal writing techniques. The Horizonti Foundation Prepares Regulations on Non-Governmental and Governmental Sector Relations In response to a proposal by the Chair of the Parliament of Georgia the Horizonti Foundation will prepare regulations that in future will create the basis for Non-Governmental and Governmental sector relations strategy in Georgia. The Chair of the Parliament of Georgia Mr. Zhvania in his opening speech at the parliamentary session noted that Georgian Parliament will consider working out the policy for Government -NGO relations as one of its priorities this year. NEWS FROM HORIZONTI FOUNDATION *Horizonti Hosts Meeting of NGOs Working in the Field of Education and Journalists* On September 11, the Horizonti information Program organized a meeting-dialogue for NGOs working in the field of education and mass media representatives. Representatives of fourteen NGOs (Amirani, Science and Education for Life, Association of Journalists for Harmony in the Earth, Teachers' Dignity Defense Association, Free Professional Union of Teachers, Varketili, Tbilisi International School for Human Rights, Committee Against Torturing, Association of Humanistic Psychology and Pedagogy, Association of Family Caring, International Association for Artists, Association Khuligana, Liberta, Studio Re) and nine mass media representatives (Resonance, Everyone, Women's Newspaper, Droni, Republic of Georgia, New Georgian Newspaper, Georgia's Newspaper, Meridian 44, Morning Newspaper) participated at the meeting. NGO representatives and journalists discussed the problems in Georgia's educational system and the ways of effective cooperation of NGOs and Mass media to solve these problems. ANNOUNCEMENT * Join the Petition to Save 143 Chimpanzees* This petition is being passed around the Internet. Please add your name at the bottom and forward to others to sign to it so that 143 chimpanzees can be placed in retirement sanctuaries. Please don't kill the message and keep the petition rolling. The Air Force owns 143 chimpanzees who are members or descendents of the original colony of chimpanzees used in space exploration. The chimpanzees are currently leased to The Coulston Foundation, a biomedical research facility where many questionable chimpanzee deaths have occurred. Coulston Foundation is currently under investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The Air Force is planning to relinquish ownership of the chimpanzees and is now considering bids from interested parties. Among the bidders are several groups who want to place the chimpanzees in retirement sanctuaries where they can live out the rest of their lives in peace. One such group is the Institute for Captive Chimpanzee Care which has Dr. Jane Goodall on its Board of Directors. The Coulston Foundation has also bid on the chimpanzees, despite their negligent management record. We, the undersigned, ask the Air Force to give' all 143 chimpanzees to groups who will place them in retirement, resocialize them, and provide them with enriched environments. Please add your name to this list and forward it to friends if you believe in what we stand for. This list will be forwarded to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, Senate and House leaders, and the Pentagon. If you happen to be the 150th, 200th, 250th, etc. signer of this petition, please forward a copy to valeriec@scs.unr.edu This way we can keep track of the lists and organize them. Forward this to everyone you know, and help us to save the Air Force chimpanzees. Thank you 1. Valerie J. Chalcraft Ellensburg, WA 2. Carol Rosenthal - lios Angeles, CA 3. Arlene Brahm Milton, Ma 4. Michael A. Huffman, Inuyama JAPAH 5. Robin Dunbar, University of Liverpool, England 6. Richard Byrne, University of St Andrews, Scotland 7. Barbara Fruth, Max-Planck-lnstitut Seewiesen, Germany 8. Ronald Noe, Max-Planck-lnstitut Seewiesen, Germany 9. Adrian Treves, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA 10. Lisa Haughton, University of Wisconsin-Madison 11. Richard Wrangham, Harvard University, USA 12. Martha Tappen, University of Minnesota, USA 13. Zaal Kikodze, University of Tbilisi, Georgia NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR NGOS * Rothchild Scholarship is Available at Oxford University* Nationals of the countries of the former Soviet Union are invited to apply for a scholarship that will enable a postgraduate student to take a two year M. Phil degree in economics at St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford. The scholarship is provided by N.M Rothschild & Sons and covers the student's university and college fees plus a grant of 6, 700 Pounds towards living costs. Applicants should have a first degree, preferably in Economics, and will be required to provide test certificates and marks gained from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) in economics which will be held in December 1998. Candidates must make their own arrangements for taking the examination and must also provide proof of proficiency in the English language. For the application form and further information, please contact the College Secretary, ST. Anthony's College, Oxford, OX2 6JF, United Kingdom, no later than September 30, 1998. * Woodrow Wilson International Center Offers Fellowships in Humanities and Social Sciences* The Fellowship is created by the Congress of the United States. The Woodrow Wilson Center awards approximately 20 fellowships annually in an international competition to individuals with outstanding project proposals in the humanities and social sciences on national and international issues. The Woodrow Wilson Center prefers its fellows to be in residence for the entire US academic year, (September through May), although a few fellowships are available for shorter periods with a minimum of four months. Application forms from any country are welcome. For academic participants eligibility is limited to the post-graduate level, and normally it is expected that academic candidates will have demonstrated their scholarly development by publication beyond the PHD dissertation. The Center's limited funds make it desirable for most applicants to seek supplementary sources of funding. The average support is approximately $41,600, inclusive of travel expenses and 75 % of health insurance premiums for fellows, their spouses, and their dependent children. The deadline for receipt of applications is October 1, 1998. Decisions will be made by March 15, 1999. Further information and application forms may be obtained from The Fellowship Office, The Woodrow Wilson Center, 1000 Jefferson Drove SW, SI MRC 022, Washington DC 20560, Tel: (202) 357-28 42, Fax: (202) 357-4439, e-,mail: wcfellow@sivm.si.edu, World Wide Web http://wwics.si.edu * Grants for Cultural Heritage Program Are Available* According to Georgia - World Bank Agreement, the World Bank will give Georgia a loan of 4, 490, 000 US dollars for preservation of Georgian cultural heritage. Activities will be implemented by the Foundation for Preservation of Cultural Heritage of Georgia established in June 1998. The Foundation will work on this project for three years. One million US dollars allocated in the first phase of the project will be granted out to non-governmental organizations working on emergency rehabilitation programs. Grants will only be awarded for saving cultural values on the verge of destruction. Maximum amount of each grant is 75,000 US dollars. The presidential Council for Revival of Cultural Heritage of Georgia will consider and select proposals on the basis of competition. (Source of Information: PIPL Bulletin "Right to Speech: # 27) ********************************************************************* Editorial policy: The Horizonti Foundation both solicits and accepts submissions for announcements to the NGO News Bulletin. Allsuch submissions must in one way or another be related to the development of the NGO sector in Georgia. Although the Horizonti Foundation retains the right to edit all materials both for content and length, the information provided in the Bulletin do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Horizonti Foundation or its partners and funders. _____________________________________________________ Georgia's NGO Sector News # 58 (14.09.1998); Lia Chakhunashvili (Editor), Maya Bitsadze, (Press Center Officer), Regine Spector (Horizonti Intern) Horizonti Foundation Information Program.