A New Two-Year Program of Cooperation with Russia Signed

On March 31, a new two-year Program of Cooperation between the International Labor Organization and the Russian Federation for the period 2000-2001 was signed in Geneva by Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO, Sergei Kalashnikov, Minister of Labor and Social Development, Arkady Volsky, President of Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (Employers), and Mikhail Shmakov, President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia.

In speeches made after the signature, all of the above emphasized the excellent working relations between the ILO and its Russian constituents, the successful implementation of the previous Program of Cooperation between Russia and the ILO for the period 1998-1999 and also expressed their commitment to continue this close partnership.

The new program is based on the results of recent important joint work between the ILO and Russia, including the results of the International Conference on ways of overcoming adverse social and labor consequences of the transition period last October. It covers the four strategic objectives of the ILO–to promote and realize international labor standards and fundamental principles and rights at work; to create greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent employment and income; to enhance the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all; to strengthen tripartism and social dialogue–and on related operational goals, as well as key cross-sectoral concerns of overall economic and social development and of gender equality.

New Edition of the ILO Encyclopedia

The last year of the departing millennium was a truly memorable one for the ILO Moscow Office. In October 1999, the Russian ILO Office celebrated its 40th anniversary during the international conference, Social Work Sphere: Overcoming the Consequences of the Transition Period in the Russian Federation. It is very symbolical that this was the year the enormous efforts began and continued to translate the new, fourth edition of the ILO Encyclopedia of Occupational Safety and Health into Russian.

Less than a year has passed since the ILO came forward with the initiative, within the framework of a global program on occupational safety and health, to put out an electronic version of the Russian edition of the Encyclopedia published by the ILO in 1998. After this decision was approved by ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, the ILO Moscow Office, in close collaboration with the Russian Ministry of Labor and Social Development, became the coordinator of this project.

Within a very short time, a mere five months, four volumes of the Encyclopedia, containing more than a thousand articles, about 900 tables, and some 1,200 diagrams, were translated into Russian. The science editors were faced with an even more difficult task. As well as editing the Russian translations, they had to adapt them to scientific and technical terminology accepted in Russia and other Russian-speaking countries. In addition, qualified specialists in occupational safety and health from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine participated in the scientific editing of the Encyclopedia, so we can say that the new Russian edition is the product of the assiduous efforts of a multi-national team.

This meticulous work resulted in a complete electronic version of the Encyclopedia in the Internet and on CD-ROM, which makes it available to a multi-million Russian-speaking readership. This project is of special significance for Russia during the transition period in its economy. The new Russian edition of the Encyclopedia of Occupational Safety and Health will help economic and trade union agencies, as well as industrial managers, engineers and technicians to efficiently use the experience of other countries in this area, and to resolve a multitude of problems relating to occupational safety and employee health improvement.

The Russian version of the ILO Encyclopedia of Occupational Safety and Health can be found at the following address in the Internet: http://oshnet.me.tut.fi:1888/iloenc

For more information on how to purchase the compact disc "ILO Encyclopedia of Occupational Safety and Health, 4th edition", please contact the ILO Moscow Office.

The Bolshoi Needs Funds

The Day of Solidarity with the Bolshoi Theater, held on March 28, attracted attention of the world community to the disastrous condition of Russia’s oldest opera and ballet theater stage. The core problem, which the Theater’s administration is facing today, is lack of funding to provide for the Theater’s renovation and development project supported by UNESCO.

Those present at the ordinary Session of the Project’s Steering Committee testified the significance of the problem. Alexandra Vovolini-Lascaridis, Chairperson of the Committee, headed the meeting. Along with the Bolshoi Theater Direction headed by Vladimir Vasiliev, and Wolfgang Reuther, Director of the UNESCO Moscow Office, the meeting was also joined by Yuri Luzhkov, Moscow City Mayor.

Vladimir Ressin, First Deputy Mayor of the Moscow City Government, noted that financing the Theater’s construction works remains the key problem, owing to which construction works on the sister theater have been suspended. This, in turn, hinders the renovation of the main building that is in vital need of renovation.

One of the main issues of discussion was the organization of fund-raising activities for financing the Theater’s renovation. The Agreement on special conditions of the implementation of the UNESCO-assisted projects in the Russian Federation, adopted in January, will significantly reduce the costs of Bolshoi’s renovation. The Agreement provides legal guarantees of the appropriate use of materials and equipment, received by the Theater, as well as provides various tax exemptions for the Theater. A number of fund-raising activities, particularly, a series of charity events in the frames of the Theater’s coming tour in the US, and Bolshoi’s traveling fund-raising exhibition project, aimed at attracting worldwide attention to the Theater’s problems and helping raise the funds for its renovation. The concept of the exhibition, worked out by UNESCO, and its technical execution option proposed by the Moscow Photography House received a most high appraisal of the Committee as very original. It is planned to involve world-famous designers and photographers to work on the exhibition.

UNESCO for the Federal Program on Tolerance

The newly elected president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, symbolically signed on the first day after his election a new federal program: Program on Tolerance and Elimination of Extremism in Russian Society (POTPEX). Since the initiation of POTPEX in December 1999, UNESCO has been actively cooperating with the Inter-Agency Working Group established to head the strategic management of the program. As recognition of UNESCO’s activities in the field of tolerance, the Federal Ministry of Education proposed to the Director of the UNESCO Moscow Office, Wolfgang Reuther, to be the Co-chairman of the International Advisory Board on POTPEX.

"Russian society can only be proud that Russia heads into the International Year for the Culture of Peace with a national federal program promoting tolerance and non-violence", says Alexander Kondakov, Deputy Minister of Education. On the initiative of UNESCO, the United Nations has declared the year 2000, the beginning of the new millennium, a year to "learn to live together" without conflicts and violence. Furthermore, beginning in 2001 is the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World. In this context, POTPEX was initiated as a larger national strategy for civil society development. It targets the restoration and reinforcement of Russia’s major cultural, historic and moral values, as well as the remedy of such negative trends as ethnic, religious, and political intolerance. Its long-term objective is to contribute to the formation and assimilation of norms, values and practices based on the principles of tolerance and non-violence in a democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-religious Russian society.

UNESCO has provided multifaceted support to the program at its launching phase through upstream advisory services, establishment of contacts and partnerships, assistance in project development, and moderate financing. UNESCO has also financed a brochure, developed jointly with the Ministry of Education. The project has been publicized widely abroad and intends to stir closer interaction with the CIS community. POTPEX was also discussed in a meeting between Vladimir Filippov, Minister of Education, and Koichiro Matsuura, Director General of UNESCO, at the G-8 meeting of Ministers of Education, on April 1-3, in Japan.

A major upcoming event under POTPEX is a Donors’ Forum planned for May 24, 2000. It is expected that the meeting will draw current and future partner organizations, which are interested in the implementation of specific projects under the umbrella of POTPEX.

e-mail: moscow@unesco.org

Roundtable at MGIMO

Representatives of the Russian NGOs, which have a consultative status in UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), held a roundtable meeting at the MGIMO on March 23. Professor A. Melvil, vice-chairman of UNA of Russia presided over the meeting. Members of UNAR and A. Orlov Deputy Head of the International Organizations Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, took part in the discussion.

The MFA representative expressed his regret at the lack of direct contacts between NGOs and the MFA, while, he said, the state considers NGOs to be the reserve of its foreign policy. That is why it is necessary to make more active the cooperation among Russian NGOs and their participation in international forums. In their turn, the NGOs representatives reassured the MFA that they are open for cooperation and count on the active informational support of the state. Many participants were disappointed at the informational vacuum on many important issues of the Russian foreign policy.

Cooperation between the MFA and NGOs was not the only issue discussed at the meeting. A great problem was the lack of coordination of the NGOs. Regular exchange of views, joint efforts in projects and cooperation in similar fields are not yet common among the NGOs that have a consultative status in UN ECOSOC. Many participants noted that unfortunately there were some technical and financial obstacles for such cooperation. The participants agreed upon creating the a Coordinating Council of the Russian NGOs. The coordination of cooperation between NGOs and the MFA will be further supervised by UNAR. Because of the information and fund shortage the sides agreed on sending collective delegates to international forums and taking consultations between the MFA and NGOs for working out a joint position. More regular meetings will probably be held at NGO headquarters.

Conference at the Diplomatic Academy

The International Scientific and Practical Conference devoted to International Sanctions and the World Order for the 21st Century was held at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry on April 4. It was organized on the initiative of the International Association of Peace Foundations, the Diplomatic Academy and the Center for Research into Problems of Peace of the Institute of the World Economy and International Relations, the Russian Academy of Sciences. Representatives of more than 100 international and national NGOs from different countries, members of the State Duma, MFA officials, the Defense Ministry and other government offices and diplomatic missions, accredited in Moscow took part in the event.

Opening the meeting, Anatoly Karpov, President of the International Association of Peace Foundations, world chess champion, drew attention to the importance of a major improvement of the present system of applying sanctions, that is, forced measures applied some against countries by a resolution of the UN Security Council. He stressed that there should be no biased approach to some nations and their leaders because the existing practice of sanctions does not bring expected results and affects mostly the population.

WFUNA Assembly in Calcutta

The delegation of UNA of Russia took part in the 36th Plenary Assembly of World Federation of UNA’s (WFUNA) which was held in Calcutta, India, on April 16-18. There are more than 80 countries in WFUNA.

The following questions were discussed at the Assembly: UNO and the role of non-governmental organizations in the new millennium; the lessons of the 1990s for UNO: the Great Lakes, Kosovo, and Chechnya; human rights; liberalization of trade and globalization. National UNA have also exchanged the experience in preparing the Millennium Peoples’ Summit and the Millennium Forum.

Human Rights for Everyone

The latest conference of the International Coordination Committee of Nongovernmental International Organizations of the CIS, which was established under the guidance of the International Humanitarian Academy and UNAR, took place in Moscow on April 3. In coordination with the State Duma, the committee approved a program of social rehabilitation and legal assistance to the most vulnerable groups of the population in Russia. The program is coordinated by 15 international NGOs and by several federal executive agencies. Owing to their participation, disabled persons, refugees, single mother and other vulnerable population groups will be able to get free legal assistance of lawyers and notaries. There are plans to create a body legislation for governing legal assistance to vulnerable groups of Russia’s population. The program will make it possible for Russia to meet international humanitarian standards in guaranteeing legal protection for its population.