Brief version of the research "Cooperation Within Belarusian Civil Society: Will You (N)ever Walk Alone?" have been published

This study is a continuation of the monitoring of the state and needs of Belarusian civil society, which BIPART has been conducting since 2020. The text analyzes the cooperation between civil society organizations (CSOs) and initiatives in the second half of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. However, this timeframe is rather provisional, as the research questions generally pertain to a longer period – post-2020.

Belarusian civil society, which operates in various geographical and substantive modalities, is, on the one hand, a fairly “close-knit circle” where many are well-acquainted and interact with each other on a personal level. On the other hand, there are not many examples of both intra-sectoral and inter-sectoral institutional cooperation. According to a survey conducted by Lawtrend at the end of 2022, 43% of organizations reported affiliation with both Belarusian and international umbrella structures, 21% indicated affiliation solely with Belarusian structures, and 5% indicated affiliation only with international associations.

Overall, we can say that there are examples and practices of institutional cooperation within Belarusian civil society on various bases. For instance, some associations have formed horizontally, based on internal demand, while others have formed vertically, under external influence. However, how functional are these associations? Why are they created? Do the reasons for their creation affect the outcomes of cooperation within the sector? Are there currently opportunities for such cooperation not only outside but also within Belarus?

In this study, we aim to answer these and other questions, with the broader goal of analyzing the opinions of representatives of Belarusian civil society and the expert community on what cooperation in civil society is, its existing forms and practices, and the prospects for such cooperation.

Research is available in our library in short versions in English and Russian.