Open Estonia Foundation's Selected Highlights in Fall 2009
All Children Smile in the Same Language
Estonian and Georgian specialists joined forces to exchange experience in improving the quality of life of disabled children in the two countries. A joint initiative “All Children Smile in the Same Language” brought Georgian officials and civil society experts to Estonia in September to learn about the Estonian welfare system for disabled children and discuss ideas for future cooperation. In December, Estonian partners arranged a return visit to Georgia to share practical advice for increasing the quality of services for children with disabilities. Participants from both sides have highly appreciated the opportunity to learn from each other since both countries started from a similar situation at the beginning of the 1990s.
Contact: Kelly Grossthal, kelly@oef.org.ee
Estonian Journalists Visited Serbia
In September a group of Estonian journalists visited the autonomous province of Vojvodina in Serbia to meet local journalists, policy-makers and representatives of ethnic minorities. Participants reported that although being home for tens of ethnic groups, Vojvodina has managed to avoid conflicts and sustain relative stability in the region. Earlier this year, journalists from Vojvodina visited Estonia in the framework of the same project. As a result of the exchange visits, numerous articles and video clips on Estonia and Serbia have been published in the media in the two countries, raising public awareness of the situation in Estonia among Serbians and vice versa.
Contact: Kelly Grossthal, kelly@oef.org.ee
Young Debaters Challenged Political Candidates
During the campaign for local elections held in Estonia this October, young debaters from Debate Estonia initiated a series of trainings of critical thinking in cooperation with the Open Estonia Foundation, complemented by innovative web debates in one of the most popular online news portals. Grass-roots activists in different parts of Estonia were trained on critical thinking to develop their skill to analyze political debates and distinguish solid arguments from empty rhetoric. At the same time, an online debate was held on the news portal where candidates presented their positions and arguments on important public issues. Their reasoning was then evaluated by a group of young debaters who gave candidates credit for sound arguments and pointed out any signs of demagogy. The aim of the civic education project was to increase voters’ political awareness and bring more substance into political debates.
Contact: Katrin Enno, katrin@oef.org.ee
Estonian Parliament Endorsed the Code of Ethics for Electronic Voting
Prior to this year’s local elections, the Open Estonia Foundation and the Estonian e-Governance Academy initiated an awareness-raising campaign to ensure honest and secure electronic elections. A code of ethics for electronic voting was amended and promoted among candidates and voters. As a result, the code, urging people to vote securely and in privacy and prohibiting parties to influence voters by offering computers for e-voting, was unanimously endorsed by the Parliament’s Constitutional Committee. To spread information among voters, a video animation of the code was disseminated via the internet and TV. Estonian voters can vote on the internet using their ID cards since 2005. In this year’s local elections 9.5 per cent of all votes were cast electronically, a significant raise compared to previous years. The video clip for voters is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66a25mjK5MI
Contact: Kelly Grossthal, kelly@oef.org.ee
The Humanitarian Trend of Russian Foreign Policy
In November, the International Centre for Defence Studies (Estonia) together with their partners from Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine presented a new study titled “The ‘Humanitarian Dimension’ of Russian Foreign Policy Toward Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and the Baltic States”. The book is a first-of-its-kind collection of research results carried out by partners in the six countries analyzing the ‘humanitarian trend’ in Russian foreign policy, that is Russia’s systematic policy of using its diaspora in other countries as a tool for its geopolitical ambitions. Research revealed that this policy is often exercised through non-governmental foundations in the six countries funded by the Russian government to work against the integration of the Russian minority into their host societies. The project was implemented with the support of National Endowment for Democracy (USA), Open Estonian Foundation and Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Latvia). The study can be downloaded athttp://www.icds.ee/fileadmin/failid/Research_2009.pdf.
Contact: Kelly Grossthal, kelly@oef.org.ee
15 years – 100 books
In 2009, Estonian readers celebrated the 15th anniversary and the publication of the 100th book in the Open Estonia Book series, comprising translations of philosophical masterpieces from antiquity to the present day. Open Estonia Foundation initiated the book series in 1994 and was its main financer until the Ministry of Culture took over in 2000. The series includes translations from 12 languages, most of them from English, French and German, and works of numerous thinkers, including Kierkegaard, Bergson, Wittgenstein, Bourdieu, Foucault, Heidegger, and many more. Throughout 15 years, the Open Estonia Book has served as an importer of the world’s philosophical and political thought to a society where liberty of thought had been denied for 50 years.
Contact: Maarja Toots, maarja@oef.org.ee
Freedom to Be Free
As a tradition, the Open Estonia Foundation together with its new partner Human Rights Centre organized a human rights seminar and film program as part of the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn. In the first week of December public discussions on human rights were held, followed by movie sessions about people all over the world struggling daily for their freedom to be free. The human rights week’s special guest was the well-known Uzbek human rights activist Umida Niyazova, now working in exile in Germany after years of persecution by the Uzbek authorities.
Contact: Kelly Grossthal, kelly@oef.org.ee
Emergency Fund Has Helped 23 Important Initiatives
Since September this year, the new Emergency Fund has awarded 23 grants in a total amount of 6 million Estonian kroons (383 000 EUR) to initiatives that help vulnerable groups cope with the effects of the economic crisis. The biggest single amount of money (64 000 EUR) has been allocated to the Estonian Women’s Shelters’ Union, securing the survival of seven shelters in different parts of Estonia that offer help to women suffering from domestic violence. Studies have revealed an alarming rise in family violence as a result of the economic and social insecurity. Other supported activities include rehabilitation service for drug addicts, training for unemployed adults, care for families with social problems, counseling for people with HIV/AIDS, preparation of specialists working with disabled children, free legal advice for people having economic difficulties, etc. All of the initiatives propose practical and timely solutions to acute social problems.
Contact: Katrin Enno, katrin@oef.org.ee
Eyes on Burma on Human Rights Day
On December 10, the international Human Rights Day the Open Estonia Foundation had the honor to welcome guests from the Burma Campaign UK – the campaign’s director Mark Farmaner and its charismatic activist Zoya Phan – in Tallinn. The aim of their visit was to discuss the situation in Burma and the steps Estonia could take to urge the military regime to respect human rights. The guests had fruitful meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Estonian Parliament discussing the European Union’s common position on Burma, to be adopted in April next year. In the afternoon, a public seminar on Burma was held at the European Commission Representation in Estonia where Phan and Farmaner stressed the importance of targeted economic sanctions in motivating the Burmese regime to carry out changes.
Contact: Kadri Ollino, kadri@oef.org.ee