1. NGO departments (which are entitled to generate profit) registered by the Justice Department of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee

 NGO departments entitled to generate income are legally more independent than those which are not. After the NGO department acquires this legal status, it is subject to the regulations imposed by public laws. Many of these laws are designed to regulate economical activity. However, regardless of its status, an NGO department undertakes work that is within the framework of a charter which stipulates the department’s basic goals and duties.

Over the registration period of 1999 (from 15.07.1999), 50 NGO departments were registered in the Justice Department of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee. As previously mentioned, from 1st February to 1st August, 1999, there was a general re-registration of all NGOs. 50 of the registered organisations, for various reasons (e.g. a change in the organisation’s legal structure–changes to the charter etc.) underwent a secondary re-registration. In 2003, 2 NGOs underwent such a procedure and in 2004, 3 of them did so.

In 2000, 15 organisations were registered. 6 were registered in 2002, 6 in 2002, 3 in 2003 and 4 NGO departments entitled to generate income have been registered in 2004 (according to data from March, 2004).

In 2004, the Gomel Oblast-wide organisation for the Belarusian Defense of Sport-Technical Society was reorganized as the Gomel Oblast-wide organisation of the National Governmental-Non Governmental Organisation: “The Voluntary Society for the Promotion of the Belarusian Army, Air-force and Navy (VSPBAAN)”. The Gomel Oblast-wide NGO “The Belarusian Society for the Deaf” was re-registered. The Gomel Oblast-wide NGO: “The Belarusian Society for People with disabilities” was also re-registered as a result of changes being brought into the charter. In 2002, as a result of its decision to close itself, the work of the Gomel Oblast-wide NGO: “The Scientific-Educational Association: “Orion” ended. 3 of the NGO departments which were registered/re-registered in 2004 were oriented towards people with disabilities.

2. NGO departments (not entitled to generate income)

In 1999, 2000 and 2001, 1 such organisation was registered, in 2002, 2 such organisations were registered, in 2003, 14 such organisations were registered, i.e. practically three times as many as in the period of 1999-2002. All NGO departments not entitled to generate income, which were registered in the Justice Department of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee in 2003 were sports-oriented.