Description
We observe lack of citizens' watchdog activities in our city - 90% of coalition members notice that such activities are a must in Białystok. The project offers to mobilise leaders of organisations affiliated to FOPMB and local people in Białystok to engage in the monitoring of local government, mainly the local policy to prevent acts of aggression against minorities. Participants will have gained practical knowledge on the matter at hand and will conduct monitoring of the Białystok for Tolerance Program adopted by the local council in 2013. The aim of the Program is to prevent race discrimination, xenophobia and the related intolerance. This project will develop and implement dedicated monitoring tools and this is likely to help improve take-up and achieve the Program's goals and objectives.
Summary of project results
For years, Białystok has been struggling with xenophobia-related acts. In 2012-2013, their incidence greatly increased - from racist contents dissemination, through vandalism acts, to violence and aggression towards minorities. The city inhabitants, including representatives of minorities, started to talk about the growing sense of endangerment. At the same time, civil monitoring was practically non-existent in Białystok - organisations had no leaders and experts in this field, and local authorities seemed unprepared to this kind of cooperation. Social consultations showed that the Program "Białystok for Tolerance" (the Program) was not properly implemented, and the unit responsible for monitoring failed to realise its tasks. The aim of the project was to enhance implementation of the city policies in Białystok in the field of counteracting discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance described in the Program. Representatives of non-governmental organisations gathered in the Federation and inhabitants of Białystok were prepared to watchdog activities. The group preparing to monitoring took part in two open seminars, a study visit and two trainings. The project was promoted by a video advertisement, a fan page and posters that were supposed to prepare the local community, including city authorities, to civil control. Monitoring was led of the social policies of the city focused on counteracting acts of aggression against minorities - legal analysis was prepared, as well as analysis of the report from implementation of the Program in 2014, analysis of Internet pages of the City Hall and data obtained in response to applications for public information. Under the monitoring, 11 good practices for tolerance were also described that were introduced by different public and non-governmental institutions under the Program. The results of the monitoring and the recommendations were published in a report and presented during an open press conference with participation of 42 representatives of non-governmental organisations, city inhabitants and authorities, including the City President and the city plenipotentiary for non-governmental organisations, who assured that the next report will include presented recommendations.
Summary of bilateral results