“I am sure the newly opened Resource Center in Goychay district will serve as a contribution to enhance the respect for human rights in the region in general and the development of civil society specifically and the promotion of democracy. Hopefully, the local NGOs in Goychay could benefit from establishment of the Resource Center” says Novella Jafaroglu Appelbaum, Marshall Prize winner and the director of the Association for the Protection of Women’s Rights after D. Aliyeva (APWR). The APWR, which has the largest network throughout the country and great experience in setting up resource centers, targets to open several new Resource Centers on human rights in remote parts of Azerbaijan during the year. (10-FEB-2005)
Need for Resource Centers
In many parts of the country the local NGOs suffer from shortage of offices, conference halls, computers and some other important equipment in their daily work. So far, on the own initiative of Mrs. Appelbaum some ten such resource centers were opened in various parts of the country. Such centers attach a great importance in the establishment and development of civil society, democracy in the regions.
New Resource Center
Under the financial support of the Eurasia Foundation, the APWR
inaugurated a Resource Center in Goychay district on February 01, 2005. The Resource Center, entitled Shirvan Resource Center on Human Rights and NGOs Development, maintains human rights protection activities in all Shirvan region, which includes Goychay, Ujar, Aghdash, Ismayilli, Aghsu and other neighboring regions.
The lawyer, hired by the Resource Center, will render the free legal aid to the people and will document the types of grievances.
The library at the Resource Center includes books and other publications of leading NGOs and other organizations and is open for the regional NGOs and other readers.
The conference hall for 50 persons of the Resource Center equipped with all the necessary supplies is also opened for regional NGOs and other organizations for holding different meetings, seminars and other arrangements.
The offices of the Resource Center are equipped with modern computers and all the important technical equipments. The free computer courses are opened at the Center.
The Resource Center can be reached: Tel: (+99450) 387-32-42; E-mail: mirgasimov@yahoo.com
Background info on APRW
Mrs. Apelbaum is a founder of APRW, the first NGO established in Azerbaijan in 1989, when the country was still under the Soviet rule. The APRW coordinates and researches the women´s rights in all the regions through its regional representative branches located in 33 regions of Azerbaijan. The main objective of the organization is to defend the women´s social, political and economical rights in all spheres. The number of members of the Society is 20 thousand people. Mrs. Appelbaum has also founded a cross-Caucasian network on women’s organizations with participating organizations in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Mrs. Appelbaum has attended the international conference “Activists under attack”, organized by the HRH in Oslo on 0ctober 2004.
