Terms of Reference s13

Freedom Reporting and Accreditation Consultants (FRAC)

Terms of Reference

1. Background and justification

The Council of Europe suspended the Special Guest Status of Belarus in 1997. In order to gain good standing with the Council of Europe, the Belarusian government must recognize freedom of expression and media rights. This can only be achieved through proper, safeguarded accreditation processes for all journalists in Belarus, whether foreign or domestic.

The Freedom Reporting and Accreditation Consultants believe that Belarusian participation in pan- European organizations is beneficial to the citizens and government of Belarus as well as Europe. Other countries that have gone through the process of joining these organizations have experienced democratization as well as better economic conditions. FRAC will thus focus specifically on the accreditation regulations on Belarusian and foreign journalists and correspondents, as accreditation is a significant indicator of the country's readiness to truly support freedom of expression in media outlets.

FRAC recommends that the Belarusian government recognize and correct past violations of accreditation. We will study and scrutinize the most recent transgressions to assess current trends in the practices of the Belarusian government. Specifically, we will address accreditation violations committed during 2008. The New Mass Media Law is in place, as of 8 February 2009, yet it is not being enforced. Simply enforcing this law would be a major step towards compliance with Council of Europe laws.

We will examine this New Mass Media Law in light of Council of Europe provisions on freedom of speech/expression in media outlets. From there, we will make recommendations to bridge any gaps that may exist. These recommendations must be applied to new as well as traditional media forms, including but not limited to SMS, Internet, and social networking services.

The Belarusian government, under the consent of President Aleksander Lukashenka, has contracted with The Freedom Reporting and Accreditation Consultants (FRAC) of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, to make recommendations and implement campaigns based on its findings. 2. Activities and outputs

 To offer substantive solutions to bring Belarusian domestic law on accreditation of correspondents in independent media in accordance with Council of Europe provisions

 To facilitate the development of a functioning system to oversee and account for a fair accreditation process for Belarusian and foreign correspondents

 To encourage Belarusian bureaucrats to work together to reassess the financial forecast they produced for the New Mass Media Law to realistically apply it to actual enforcement

 To offer a framework, in which Non-Governmental Organizations can constructively contribute to the accreditation oversight process

 To develop a supporting network of Non-Governmental Organizations that helps Belarusian and foreign correspondents prepare for the accreditation application process

The presentation of findings will be implemented through an informational campaign to inform government officials across ministries and constituents of the Council of Europe. They will be submitted to the Belarusian government; upon receipt, they will share the report with member states of the Council of Europe and observer states, as well as the UNHRC .

The Freedom Reporting and Accreditation Consultants at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University, New York will complete the work under this contract.

3. Intended Beneficiaries

The government, journalists, and citizens of Belarus will benefit from these findings. The campaign is intended to improve the standing of Belarus in the eyes of the Council of Europe, with the intention of further paving the road towards reinstatement of Belarusian Special Guest Status.

4. Timeline and deliverables The contract will commence on 1 September 2009 and will finish on 8 December 2009.

Task Deadline a. To complete an outline of the study showing research methods and sources of 16 October 2009 information. b. To present our recommendations and launch the informational campaign 8 December 2009