Improving legal acts which regulate activities of non-governmental organizations
At present, establishment of favorable conditions for the civic society development involves the following:
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Abolition of the Article # 193/1 of the Criminal Code and withdrawing the prohibition of activities by non-registered non-governmental organizations.
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Approaching the declaratory principle of the registration for civic organizations, as it was already done for commercial legal entities.
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Implementing resolutions of the United Nations Human Rights Committee and other international bodies regarding groundless human rights restrictions and violations in Belarus, including the resolution on the violation of freedom of association.
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Abolition of the ban to use private flats of organization’s founders as legal addresses of non-governmental organizations (civic associations, political parties, as well as their organizational structures, funds and foundations.) At present, this ban is based on Article 272 of the Civil Code and Article 8 of the Housing Code. Ban abolition can be accomplished through adoption of a specific legal act analogical to the President Decree #29 from December 17th, 2002, stating legitimacy of setting up legal addresses of unitary enterprises at places of residence of their founders.
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Legislative granting of rights for a discount rent rate to civil organizations, political parties and trade union organizations, when they set up their legal addresses in rented property that belongs to state or communal assets.
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Legislative liberalization regarding the receipt of donations, considering actual needs of the Belarusian society, including improvement of legislation on the receipt of foreign non-financial aid.
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Development of open and transparent system of financing non-governmental organizations from the state budget; informing citizens about such financing.
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Developing the procedure of authorization and implementation of cooperation agreements between public authorities and non-governmental organizations, including by the legal implementation of the state social services commissioning mechanism.