Dennis Sammut OBE promotes the work of the Trust in Chechnya and Novosibirsk
Chechnya
During late September 2009, Dennis Sammut OBE travelled to Chechnya to promote the work of the John Smith Memorial Trust and to encourage talented young leaders to apply for the 2010 John Smith Fellowship Programme. Dennis, who has worked in the region for many years, is Executive Director of LINKS a British NGO working for the peaceful resolution of conflicts and in support of democracy and sustainable development in societies in transition.
Dennis was welcomed to Chechnya by 2008 Fellow John Smith Fellow Ibragim Arsanov, Head of Committee on 'Cooperation with Community and International NGOs' of the Public Chamber of the Chechen Republic. With Ibragim, Dennis travelled to the village of Valerik and the town of Shalangi in south western Chechnya where Ibragim is standing as a candidate in the October 2009 municipal election, campaigning to win the position of Mayor of Shalangi.
Dennis (second from left) with Ibragim (second from right) with members of the government youth committee
During his visit to the Chechen capital Grozny, Dennis met Nurdi Nukhazhiev the Ombudsman of Chechnya. They held a wide-ranging discussion on the human rights situation in the republic, the work of NGOs and international organisations in Chechnya, and the broader situation in the region. Mr. Nukhazhiev welcomed the work of the Trust to the region and offered support for Trust initiatives.
Dennis meets the Ombudsman, Mr. Nukhazhiev
In addition, Dennis met with officials of the Youth Committee of the Government of Chechnya who were pleased to learn about the John Smith Fellowship Programme. Dennis delivered a presentation about the work of the Trust, hosted by the Youth Committee, and attended by representatives from Grozny State University, the NGO sector, and the media who aired the presentation on the evening news.
Talking to the Chechen Youth Committee
Dennis also held meetings with the Chechen NGO Laman Az including discussions with the President of the organisation Adlan Dinaev. Dennis praised the work that Laman Az had done over the last twelve years in the most difficult of circumstances, particularly work on de-mining and mine awareness, stating that it was of significant importance to the Chechen people and their work an example for other NGOs working in conflict and post conflict regions. He earlier joined around twenty members of the Laman Az organisation for a Bayram celebration.
With Laman Az NGO in Grozny
Novosibirsk
In Siberia, Dennis represented the John Smith Memorial Trust at the First International Youth Innovation Forum (INTERA) 2009 in the city of Novosibirsk from 11-13 September. 2007 Fellow Maxim Chereshnev was one of the key organisers of the Forum in his capacity as Head of the Youth Department of the Novosibirsk Region. The event, which coincided with the Russian Year of Youth, consisted of a number of different activities including an “innovation symposium”, a meeting of the G8 Youth Forum, and an innovative idea/invention contest. Dennis was a judging panel member along with senior academics from across Russia, members of the Duma and other well known Russian personalities. The judging panel met at the Head Office of Sberbank in Novosibirsk. Themes of the contest included recycling and energy conservation.
Dennis (left) listens to Viktor Leonov, Senator of the Novosibirsk region
Whilst at the conference, Dennis was able to talk to potential applicants and circulate information about the Fellowship Programme. The John Smith Memorial Trust would like to thank Dennis Sammut, and their Fellows Maxim Chereshnev and Ibragim Arsanov, for their successful promotion of the Trust’s work. For more information about how to apply for our 2010 Fellowship Programme please follow this link:
http://www.johnsmithmemorialtrust.org/web/site/Programme/how_to_apply.asp