On Oct. 28, Baku office of the Council of Europe presented book “Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers on “Legal status of NGOs in Europe.” Recommendations suggest minimum standards to support the activities of NGOs, said the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in Azerbaijan Veronika Kotek.

The Special Representative said the recommendations should be taken into account not only by state agencies, but also by NGOs, as they reflect the principles of ethics and responsibility of non-governmental organizations. The recommendations envisage accountability in the membership and general legal issues.

Head of the Council for State Support for NGOs under Azerbaijan President Azay Guliyev said that these recommendations can be considered by working groups of Parliament. He raised the issue of transparency of funding and activities of NGOs and said that in this issue the donor organizations should provide more transparent information on provision of grants. The European Commission has provided 3.25 million manats to 12 NGOs, but extensive information on the use and destination of these funds are not provided, Guliyev said.

The recommendations were prepared with the assistance of the U.S. Agency for International Development and Counterpart International.