Independent Assistant and Consulting Center “For the Sake of Civil Society” (FSCS) was founded on March 17, 1997 and registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan on July 10, 1998. FSCS’s main goal is to assist the formation of civil society and the strengthening of democratic institutions in Azerbaijan. For the passed period Center “FSCS” has paid more attention to the election related issues (municipal, parliamentary, presidential). FSCS has conducted monitoring of 1998, 2003 presidential, 1999 municipal, 2000, 2005 parliamentary elections. With this purpose Center “FSCS” conducted more than 500 seminars in Baku and different regions of Azerbaijan, published the special bulletins, prepared the recommendations for the improvement of legislation. FSCS’s Final Reports on the results of 1998 presidential and 1999 municipal elections were highly praised both local and international organizations.

The other priority direction in FSCS activity is the work with institutions of local self-government. For the passed period FSCS has implemented different projects directed on acquaintance of the population with duties and activity of municipalities, preparation of curriculums and the publication of manuals for municipal members and employees. FSCS experts participated in preparation and acceptance of recommendations for the law regulating activity of the municipalities of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Also analytical researches directed on finding-out of the main problems complicating municipalities’ effective activity have been conducted.

The researches have been published in the following brochures and bulletins:

1. Participation of citizens in government (1998)
2. Municipalities of Azerbaijan: the first year experience (2001)
3. The local self-government of Azerbaijan on the ways of development (2003)
4. Municipal news: legislation and practice (2002-2005, 9 issues)

For the passed period FSCS has conducted the hundreds of trainings for NGOs, representatives of municipalities and communicates. Center published and distributed several books, including the “The forms of participation of the citizens in government”, “Elections in Azerbaijan and Role of the observers in the elections”, “Municipal self-government”, “Legal bases of elections in Azerbaijan”, great number of brochures, booklets and other publications.  FSCS employees participated as international observers at elections in Norway, Ukraine, Belarus, the USA and also in different international programs in the USA, Germany, Poland, Romania, Norway, Russia and etc. Also FSCS employees are the experts in different TV programs.

At present FSCS is the partner organization for implementing of Counterpart Int. Civil Society Project.