The Belarus Research Network on the Neighbourhood Policy

Project idea

Since the hybrid occupation of Belarus in February 2022, which coincided with onset of the war in neighboring Ukraine, the question of how to support the civil society of Belarus and ensure the return of the country to a sovereign, democratic status is ever-more pertinent.

The Belarus Research Network on Neighborhood Policy aims to:
• Produce facts-based debate on relevant topics for the development and understanding of Belarus;
• Inform local and regional policymakers on key policy issues of importance to Belarus;
• Inform a wider audience about the developments in Belarus and ensure that a democratic Belarus remains one of the priorities on the regional agenda;
• Establish a network of experts on Belarus across the Nordic and Baltic countries.
• This project has been set up for researchers from Belarus to be brought into the regional context, and to ensure equal partnership between Belarusian, Nordic and Baltic research communities.

This project has been organized by a consortium of five partners from Latvia (the Latvian Institute of International Affairs), Denmark (the Danish Foreign Policy Society, the Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and Beladania Culture Society), and Lithuania (the Center for Belarus and Regional Studies at the European Humanities University).

Vilnius University has been contracted to co-organize a public discussion and networking event in Vilnius, aimed at introducing the Network and the Expert database, presenting research results, and debating the situation in Belarus. The researchers of Vilnius University will also produce a number of bimonthly reviews, engaging project experts alongside external researchers, including early-career scholars, policymakers, and field experts.

More information is available on the project’s website .