1.3 million euros for neighbouring area cooperation of non-governmental organisations
Press release 70/2006
22 March, 2006
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted 1.3 million euros of support for neighbouring area cooperation projects of Finnish non-governmental organisations in the year 2006. The grants allocated last year for a two-year period tie up 534,464 euros of this year's funding, and thus the sum allocated for new projects was 765,536 euros. In the year 2006, the total of 45 projects will receive ministry support.
By the deadline, 37 organisations had filed applications seeking support for 44 projects. The total value of the applications amounted to approximately 1.5 million euros.
The projects are primarily targeted to the social and health care sector, as well as to the strengthening of the civil society. Through them the organisations strive for, among other things, the promotion of equality, as well as the improvement of the status of women, children, the disabled, and the youth. In addition, the projects promote environmental education, develop trade organisation activity, and provide training to NGO activists.
The NGO projects are carried out mainly in the Republic of Karelia, the Leningrad region, the Murmansk region, and St. Petersburg. Some projects are carried out also in the regions of Archangel, Kaliningrad and Pihkova. Support was also granted for projects to the carried among Finno-Ugric peoples in the area of the Russian Federation.
One of the supported projects is targeted to Belarus. In one of the projects, the recipient areas include, besides Russia, also Belarus and Ukraine. As of the year 2007 NGO projects directed to Ukraine and Belarus will be funded from the Ministry for Foreign Affair's development cooperation appropriations, which can be currently applied for. The application form can be downloaded from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' website at global.finland.fi/english/projects/ngo/forms.htm(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window).
The grants the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has allocated range from about 2,000 to 75,000 euros per organisation. The share of self-financing required from the organisations was lowered from 20 to 15 percents, and in projects concerning the disabled from 10 to 7.5 percent.
All organisations that applied for assistance will receive a letter informing them about the decision during the weeks 12 and 13.
The application period for assistance to be granted for neighbouring area assistance of NGOs for the years 2007 and 2008 will start in the summer 2006.
Additional information: Director Petri Salo, tel. +358 9 1605 5625, and Kirsi Aarniva, Departmental Secretary, tel. +358 9 1605 6015, Unit of Cooperation with Neighbouring Areas