Moscow School of Political Studies Annual Report for 2006 was published in Moscow. The full coverage of the School’s activities in the last year is available here.

A series of round tables “The politics of minorities and self-administration in the North Caucasus” was facilitated by the School. The initiative is to cover several Southern regions of the country: Krasnodar, Stavropol, Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Kalmykia and Dagestan. Initiating the series the School was aimed to create a uniting discussion platform and workshop for training that would allow to gather all human, intellectual and organizational resources within regions to start productive dialogue and to develop further joint projects. The first stage of the project included round tables in Pjatigorsk (May 18), Elista (June 27), and Stavropol (June 29). In total ten round tables have to be held in the North Caucasus in 2006.
 

As usual, the first annual Federal Seminar of the Moscow School of Political Studies has had wide regional representation — more than 50 regions of Russian Federation and several countries of CIS and the Eastern Europe. The seminar provided the participants with knowledge of key political values and principles that define domestic and foreign policy of a modern democratic country.  Western speakers had shown the essentials of contemporary politics — respect for human rights and the rule of law, fundamentals of private property, freedom of speech and civil society and the cornerstones for building of a modern democracy. Russian experts provided domestic expertise in law, modern governmental development, business and politics relations and other matters. Finally, the evening round tables being done in a training form had stimulated the participants to acquire practical skills of political analysis and planning, public presentation and project development.

More than 30 MSPS alumni participated in the seminar which took place in Washington, DC and St-Louis, Missouri. The first component of the seminar introduced participants to American federalism and democracy at the federal level. It included the work of Congress, US Department of State, other federal government agencies. Special emphasis was placed on the US–Russia relations and concerns of US corporations in doing business in Russia. In Missouri, participants were introduced to the work of the local and state government with particular emphases on their relationship and interface with the programs and policies of the federal government. This included local and state government, the state legislative process and the criminal and civic judicial system. In addition, participants learnt about non-government sector, including the mass-media.

The purpose of the Edita & Ira Morrris’ Hiroshima Foundation is to promote peace by supporting efforts in the cultural field in favour of peace and reconciliation. The Foundation was created in 1989 on the basis of a bequest by the Swedish-American author Edita Morris.
 
The Foundation presents awards to women and men who, in a cultural field, contribute to further dialogue, understanding and peace in conflict areas. The aim of the Foundation is not only to reward past contributions but first and foremost to encourage and support continued efforts.
 
The Foundation resides officially in Paris and in New York but according to the will of Edita Morris, most members of the board are Swedes. The present Board consists of Daniel Tarschys, chairman, Thomas Ouchterlony, secretary, Gertrud Gidlund, Etienne Glaser, Suzanne Osten and Russell M. Porter, treasurer.
 
The Hiroshima Foundation is named after Edita Morris’ most famous novel The Flowers of Hiroshima which deals with the suffering caused by the atomic bomb. Edita and Ira Morris’ son Ivan Morris was professor in Japanology and one of the first interpreters sent to Hiroshima, where he was exposed to and injured by the radiation.
 
Edita and Ira Morris founded a rest house in Hiroshima for the victims of the bomb. Both became honorary citizens of Hiroshima.
 
Edita Morris was born in Örebro in 1902 and died in Paris in 1988.
 
In earlier years, Foundation awards were given at irregular intervals and frequently to several recipients. All in all there have been 23 former Laureates.
 
The 2004 Prize was awarded to Borka Pavićević, Serbian play-writer, publisher and activist, in recognition of her outstanding cultural activities in favour of tolerance, reconciliation and the respect for human rights.  

The seminar brought together about 10 of the School’s most prominent alumni and lasted for one week. It was hosted by the Regional Government of Navarra, City Mayor office of Pamplona, and the Institute of Public Administration of Navarra. Spanish seminar provided the opportunity to introduce contemporary Spanish experience in municipal and regional policy to young Russian politicians from the various regions of the country. According to the feedback from the participants of the School’s seminar, intensive training in the field of the state administration conducted on the basis of prestigious educational institution was extremely useful from practical point of view. This joint seminar provided executive level certification for MSPS alumni; it acknowledged their accomplishments in regional and municipal administration and certified 30 hours of professional training.

Moscow School of Political Studies Annual Report for 2005 was published in Moscow. The full coverage of the School’s activities in the last year is available here.

Regional Seminar entitled “Law, Politics, Economy, and Mass Media” was held by the School in Leningrad oblast, Northwest Russia (February, 15th-20th). The forum gathered over 120 participants from 32 regions of Russian Federation and 1 foreign country (Latvia). The seminar introduced the participants to the main trends of world development at the beginning of 21st  century. The globalization topic was discussed from geopolitical, economical, cultural angles of view. In-depth analysis of the self-governance experience of Western countries stimulated the participants to acquire practical skills of modern democracy.

The seminar entitled “Local Self-Government and Civil Society in Europe” was conducted by the School jointly with French partners and continued from January 30 till February 5. The sessions of the seminar were held in Paris, Lyon and Brussels. French seminar provided the unique opportunity to introduce European and French experience in political, economic, civil life to Russian participants from the various regions of the country. Moscow School of Political Studies students were able to obtain the “first hand” information on social habits and ways which are typical for the contemporary European society.
 

The School held in Golitsyno (Moscow region) the Issue-Based Seminar entitled “Mass Media and Society”. The seminar had wide regional representation — about 50 regions of the Russian Federation. It significantly contributed in strengthening the network of journalists who share democratic values and ideas from all around Russia. The seminar introduced regional journalists, press secretaries, media managers, representatives of NGO and business community to the modern methods, instruments and approaches to operate media projects in accordance with international standards. It also made foreign ideas and theories accessible in Russian regions and offered comparative experiences of reforms in the Western countries and how it can be implemented in the current context in the Russian Federation.