Center for Civil Society International ([email protected])
Fri, 2 Aug 1996 09:37:23 -0700 (PDT)
CCSI presents excerpts from the Agency for Social
Information (ASI) e-mail information bulletin in Russian.
For more information on how to receive ASI's bulletin
regularly, contact:
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AGENSTVO SOTSIALNOI INFORMATSII
Kutuzovskyi pr.22 pod. 14a,
Moscow, 121151
Tel./fax: (095) 249-3989
E-mail: [email protected]
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Women NGO Consortium Continues Work of
NIS-US Women's Consortium
The first meeting of the newly registered independent
Women NGO Consortium, successor of the NIS-US Women's
Consortium, was held July 17 at the US-Canada Institute.
At the moment, 48 Russian organizations are members of the
Consortium. Elena Ershova, president of the international
association "Gaia" and new coordinator of the Consortium,
pointed out that "thanks to the cooperation with the
American colleagues, particularly Martina Vandenberg,
coordinator of U.S.-NIS Consortium, the Consortium has
developed into a large umbrella organization, which does
not violate rights, proxies, and initiatives of its
members, and successfully works as a network." Meeting
participants discussed the future of cooperation and
information exchange with American partners, the internal
structure of the Consortium, membership conditions for new
organizations, and distribution and amounts of grants.
The Consortium does not have an official administration
and all administrative, financial, and other decisions are
made by member-organizations' consensus. The Consortium
will start operating upon receiving funding in October
1996.
Contact information of Women's NGO Consortium:
Olympiiskiy prospect d.16, apt. 2383
Moscow
Tel.: (095) 288-9633
* * * * *
Russian Greenpeace Organization Takes Steps
Toward a Cleaner Environment
Greenpeace has been active in Russia for several years and
last winter helped to explore the environmental damage
done by a faulty oil pipeline in the Russian Far North.
Recently, representatives of the Russian Greenpeace
section spoke about dioxin pollution on the territory of
Russia at a press-conference held July 13 in Moscow. Data
on the level of dioxin pollution in Moscow, St.Petersburg,
Ufa, Arkhangelsk and Novodvinsk were presented at the
press conference.
According to Greenpeace dioxins and dioxide substances are
chemicals which cause cell poisoning in all animals and
most plants. Accumulation of such poisons leads to a
higher rate of cancer in living organisms. These poisons
are particularly dangerous because they exist virtually
everywhere and are highly resistant to chemical and
biological decomposition.
Greenpeace representatives emphasized that after the
explosion of a chemical plant in Italy in 1976, most
developed countries took measures to prevent such
accidents. However, in Russia people realized the serious
problem only after the catastrophe in Ufa in 1989, which
led to mass poisoning. Greenpeace activists pointed out
that nothing has been done yet to prevent a possibility of
such accidents at other chemical enterprises in Russia,
which continue working with old and outdated equipment in
the majority of regions.
On July 17-18 Russian Greenpeace organized a conference
"From the Test Ban To a Nuclear-Free Future" with the
participation of national and international non-
governmental organizations, government officials,
independent experts, and victims of nuclear tests. The
main focus of the conference was the situation with the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which has not yet been
signed, despite the agreement reached at the last Big
Eight Summit.
Speakers indicated that ratification of the Treaty is only
a first step towards many ecological and social problems
related to nuclear weapons. Closing test sites will lead
to termination of a huge infrastructure of nuclear weapons
production and laying off of employees. Greenpeace
activists spoke of issues of medical and biological
consequences, rehabilitation of victims of nuclear tests,
and the costs of conversion. Conference participants
agreed that these issues need thorough governmental and
public examination and cooperation to cure the wounds.
Contact information for Russian Greenpeace Section:
ul. Dolgorukovskaya 21, Moscow
Tel.: (095) 978-3950, 251-9073
Fax: (095) 251-9088
Contact names: Ivan Blokov, Roman Dolgov
* * * * *
Ronald McDonald Children Center
in Moscow Gets $40,000
The Ronald McDonald Charity Foundation was established in
1984 in the U.S. to support individuals and organizations
working to help children. The Foundation has 102 offices
in the U.S. and 13 branches overseas. In the last six
years the "McDonald-Moscow" company has donated $3,000,000
to the Children Charity Foundation in Russia and other
NIS. In July, the Children Charity Foundation organized a
golf tournament for 80 representatives of foreign and
domestic companies and firms, and collected over $40,000
for development of the Disabled Children Center.
Children Charity Foundation phone: (095) 755-6622
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Youth Exchange
July 28-August 18 a group of 17 schoolchildren will travel
to the U.S. The exchange program organizers are Russian
Association of Young Leaders and the California
Association of School Governments. Two leadership
conferences on school self-government will be conducted
during their stay in the U.S.
Contact phone: (095) 135-4247
Chechnya Veterans and Invalids Foundation
Is Asking for Help
The Foundation was established in July 1996 by veterans
and invalids who have recently returned from Chechnya.
The Foundation is asking for any kind of medical, legal,
and financial help.
Contact phone: (095) 450-3075
Moscow Center of Gender Research
Published a Brochure
The Moscow Center of Gender Research has published a
brochure with materials of its January 1996 conference on
"Gender Research in Russia: Problems of Cooperation and
Perspectives of Development." The publication of the
brochure was financially supported by the John and
Catherine McArthur Foundation. The brochure contains
scientific reports, papers, discussion shorthand reports,
news of the women's movement in Russia, and a list of the
conference participants. The brochure is available at the
Moscow Center of Gender Research.
ul. Krasikova d.27, k.1025
Contact phone: (095) 332-4532
E-mail: [email protected]
A Book on Journalism Ethics
Has Been Published in Russia
The Russian-American Press and Information Center (RAPIC)
and Freedom Forum have published a book titled
"Journalism Ethics in Russia: Problems and Perspectives of
Development," which is based on materials presented at a
conference of the same name held in April 1995 in Moscow.
RAPIC and Freedom Forum published the book as part of
their Journalism Ethics program in Russia. The book talks
about the "journalist crisis" in the 90s and its reasons,
the history of ethics for Russian journalists, and mass
media development in the last ten years. To purchase a
book, contact:
Russian-American Information Press-Center
Khlebnyi per., d.2/3, West wing
Tel.: (095) 203-4403
E-mail: [email protected]
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| in Seattle, in association with Friends & Partners. |
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| the former USSR visit CCSI's web site at: |
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