Having regard that relevant free legal aid systems are not implemented in the whole region, while those in place are often not effective, we hereby agree on this Bečići Declaration, as follows:

DECLARATION

We, signatories of the Ohrid Free Legal Aid Initiative, participating at the regional conference “Free Legal Aid – Experiences of North-eastern Europe”, supported by UNDP Montenegro, are aware that regional co-operation is one of the key prerequisites for solving existing open issues in the area of human rights, fulfilling the obligations relating to the process of EU integration and establishing strong mechanisms for human rights protection.

We particularly emphasise our commitment to the Ohrid Free Legal Aid Initiative, where we have established a regional forum of NGO legal aid organisations.

We adopt the following conclusions that we shall follow as directions in our future work at the regional level with a view of establishing sustainable and efficient free legal aid systems in order to ensure access to justice for the most vulnerable social groups:

  1. We shall co-operate, exchange experiences, undertake joint projects and co-ordinate implementation of our activities;
  2. We believe that free legal aid is a very important aspect of human rights protection and that every individual has the right to access to justice;
  3. We call on governments in the region to ensure efficient free legal aid system in order to serve the best needs of individuals;
  4. We propose governments in the region to embrace the experiences and competences of civil society organisations and recognize them as valuable partners in providing free legal aid;
  5. We urge our governments to promote and support cross-border co-operation in the field of free legal aid.

Made in Bečići, Montenegro, in October 2010 in eight identical copies.