Regional systems 141 United Nations on behalf of and with minority communities. Another example is the EU–Council of Europe Joint Programme, Minorities in Russia: Developing Languages, Culture, Media and Civil Society, which aims at facilitating ratification by the Russian Federation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. European Instrument projects are managed either from EU headquarters in Brussels or by one of over 130 EU delegations and offices around the world. While the projects’ beneficiaries vary according to the objectives, calls for project proposals are generally open to civil society organizations based anywhere in the world. The thematic programme “Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development” (NSA-LA) helps civil society organizations and local authorities build capacity in order to facilitate their involvement in the policymaking process and enhance their capacity to deliver basic services to the poorest people in developing countries.184 Civil society organizations representing (or working on behalf of) minorities are eligible for funding, depending on the priorities established in calls for proposals. In Bangladesh, for instance, NSA-LA has funded Caritas France in partnership with Caritas Bangladesh for a project aimed at improving the living conditions of outcast and minority groups, with particular attention given to women’s status. In Colombia, funding was provided to the international NGO Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe for a programme aimed at developing and applying a model of integrated and sustainable development to overcome poverty, promote human rights, and strengthen access to services in the Chocó Department, an area inhabited by a large Afro-Colombian population. EU policies increasingly recognize the need to ensure the maximum involvement of all segments of civil society in the development cooperation process, including the participation of organizations promoting the rights of minorities in the formulation and implementation of development strategies and programmes. This happens mainly on the formulation and review of EU country strategy papers, national indicative programmes and European Neighbourhood Policy action plans; on the identification of priority areas for local calls for proposals under the European Instrument and NSA-LA programmes; and on the identification and formulation of Commissionfunded Government programmes in social and human development, governance, environment and other relevant sectors. The EuropeAid Cooperation Office of the European Commission is responsible for implementing external aid programmes and projects across the world.185 Contacts and further information European Commission B-1049 Brussels Belgium Website: http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm European Commission services particularly relevant to minority issues are: Directorate-General Justice Website: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/index_en.htm Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Website: http://ec.europa.eu/social/home.jsp?langId=en Directorate-General for Enlargement E-mail: elarg-info@ec.europa.eu Website: http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/index_en.htm Directorate-General Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid Website: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm See http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/how/finance/dci/non_state_actors_en.htm (accessed 4 December 2012). 184 Further information about EuropeAid’s initiatives to improve dialogue with civil society is available from http:// ec.europa.eu/europeaid/who/partners/civil-society/dialogue_en.htm (accessed 4 December 2012). 185