Non-governmental organizations supporting independence of Belarus, democratic values, human rights and integration of our country with Europe, held their Second Congress in Miensk on November the 14th, 1998. These organizations-participants operate in various fields, from protection of human rights to ecological and social issues. In February 1997 two hundred and fifty organizations got united into the Assembly of democratic NGOs to combine their efforts in protecting their independence from the authorities, establishing informational exchange and other ways of mutual cooperation. By now, the number of members in the Assembly grew twice and consists 520 NGOs. This broadest informal union of Belarusan NGOs has also expanded into the regional and local levels of development.