BEARR events

BEARR holds various regular or occasional professional and fund-raising events.  New ideas are always welcome, and should be sent to events@bearr.org

The BEARR Trust Annual Conference

This one-day event is usually held in November in London.  It is attended by people working for NGOs or with a professional or general interest in health and welfare in Russian and the rest of the CIS.  The conference is open to anyone interested, and participants come from the UK, Russia and Eurasia and elsewhere.  The programme contains a mix of individual speakers, case studies, panel session and discussions.  Topics are chosen to cover a broad range of issues, sectors and countries.

The 2009 Annual Conference took place on 20 November on "Twenty Years On:  Children and NGOs in Russia and the Region".  For details click here.

The 2008 Annual Conference took place on 21 November on "Changing Attitudes to Disabilty in Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia".  For details click here. 

For details of the 2007 and earlier conferences click here.

BEARR/CEELBAS NGO Development Programme 

This joint venture between BEARR and CEELBAS (a partnership of UCL, the University of Oxford and the University of Birmingham, with the Universities of Bath, Cambridge, Kent, Manchester, Sheffield, Warwick and SOAS ) aims to bring together academics and NGOs with common interests for a fruitful exchange of information, experience and ideas. 

The inaugural conference took place on 9 May 2008, entitled "Russia under a New President: Opportunities and Challenges for NGOs in the Health Field".  For details click here.

The second conference was held on 15 June 2009, on "Backwards or Forwards?  Challenges facing NGOs in Russia".  For details click here.

BEARR Trust seminars

The Trust is planning to organise or promote smaller-scale seminars on specific topics.  At BEARR's initiative, the FCO  hosted a seminar on the recent legislation on NGOs in Russia on 2 October 2006.  Click here for details.

The BEARR Trust Annual Lecture

BEARR holds an annual lecture with a distinguished speaker, at an interesting venue, and on a topic of general interest to those who follow developments in Russia and Eurasia.  Sometimes the lecture marks the publication of a book by the speaker.

The 2010 Annual Lecture will be given by Prof Anatol Lieven on 24 May 2010 and will be on the subject of "Russia and islam.  For details click here.

The Annual Lecture 2009 took place on 27 April, given by Quentin Peel of the Financial Times, on "Russia and the EU:  Muddle and Missed Opportunities". For a report click here.

The annual lecture 2008 "Culture and Society in Post-Communist Russia" by Dr Ekaterina Genieva OBE was held on 23 October at Pushkin House in London. For a report click here.

The 2007 Annual Lecture was held on September 19.  It was given by Dr Alex Pravda of St Antony's College, Oxford, and the topic was "Russia: towards a new isolationism?"  Click here for details.

The 2006 Annual Lecture was given by the journalist Kate Adie at The Foundling Museum in London on 26 June.  Her topic was "Foundlings in Russia".  For a report click here. 

For details of earlier lectures click here.

Cultural Events

BEARR organises occasional cultural events on an ad hoc basis.  Recent examples include:

• Concerts by the Konovets Quartet at Pembroke College Oxford in 2004 (Newsletter No 44) and in Exeter in 2003 (Newsletter No 41) 

• BEARR benefit performance of "Russian National Mail" at the Red Lion Theatre in 2005 (Newsletter No 45)

Reception for the 300^th anniversary of St Petersburg at the Hermitage Rooms gallery in Somerset House in 2003, with book-launch and photographic exhibition (Newsletter No 40)