May 6, 2005	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, May 5: The European Commission (EC) in Islamabad will provide 435,000 Euros to local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to carry out projects for the promotion of human rights and democratization in the country, a press release said. Under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) micro-projects programme, the EC awards annually small grants to NGOs for the projects designed to promote and protect human rights and support the democratic processes.

EIDHR is an essential instrument for the European Union to support its political commitment towards the promotion of human rights, democratic values and institutions, the statement said.

EIDHR is also a mean to build and strengthen the capacity of the civil society, which the European Union believes has a crucial role to play in a a democratic society, the statement said.

The EC delegation has realised the potential of the civil society in Pakistan and heard its demands for assistance to build its capacity, it said.

In this context, the EC in April this year launched a series of orientation seminars across the country to present the EIDHR micro-projects programme and train NGOs on the conditions and procedures to apply for the grant.

The EC delegation is hoping that these seminars will result in not only maintaining enthusiasm for this programme, which triggered over 100 applications every year, but also in increasing the technical quality with a better understanding of the expectations and conditions set by the European standards.