Joint Baltic American National Committee
Encyclopedia
History
The Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) is a non-profit organizationNonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that monitors issues affecting Baltic-American communities in the United States and the nations of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. JBANC functions as the public affairs bureau for its three parent organizations, the Estonian American National Council (EANC), the American Latvian Association, Inc.
American Latvian Association
The American Latvian Association was founded on February 24, 1951. The ALA organization and its members lead and support global efforts to facilitate the peaceful and democratic development of Latvia by promoting understanding and support for Latvia through informational efforts in the USA...
(ALA), and the Lithuanian American Council, Inc. (LAC) http://altcenter.org/?page_id=10. The organization was founded on April 27, 1961 through a joint proclamation by Estonian National Committee in the U.S.A. Chairman Julius Kangur; American Latvian Association, Inc., in the United States President Peter P. Lejins; and Lithuanian American Council, Inc., President Leonard Simutis.
Since its inception, JBANC has worked with members of Congress, the White House, the State Department, and other federal agencies to promote the Baltic-American agenda. The group focuses heavily on fostering democratic principles, promoting human rights worldwide, supporting the establishment of peaceful relations among nations, and seeking the restoration and maintenance of security throughout Central and Eastern Europe. During the late twentieth century, JBANC worked to secure admission for the Baltic countries into NATO and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. When Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all became full members of both organizations in 2004, JBANC turned its efforts to a host of issues that continue to demand attention today. These include bearing witness to the legacy of communism; defending the Baltic nations against unjust accusations and historical revisionism; promoting democracy beyond the Baltics; strengthening transatlantic integration and American engagement in the Baltics; and expanding relations with other ethnic organizations and NGOs in the U.S. and abroad. http://www.jbanc.org/?m=1&p=3
JBANC regularly brings policy makers, analysts, and constituents together to discuss critical topics facing the Baltics and their neighbors at Baltic conferences every two years. The organization's most recent conference, held in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, focused on human rights and security issues affecting Europe and the United States. Speakers at the event included President of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
Valdis Zatlers
Valdis Zatlers
Valdis Zatlers is a Latvian politician and former physician who served as the seventh president of Latvia from 2007 to 2011. He won the Latvian presidential election of 31 May 2007...
http://www.president.lv/pk/content/?cat_id=605&art_id=17209, Lithuanian parliamentarian Emanuelis Zingeris
Emanuelis Zingeris
Emanuelis Zingeris is a Lithuanian philologist, museum director, politician, signatory of the 1990 Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, currently serving as a Member of the Seimas , chairman of its foreign affairs committee , and Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of...
, former Belarusian presidential candidate Alaksandar Kazulin
Alaksandar Kazulin
Alaksandr Kazulin , is the former leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party and one of the candidates who ran for the office of President of Belarus on March 19, 2006....
, Paul A. Goble
Paul A. Goble
Paul A. Goble is an American analyst, writer and columnist with expertise on Russia, Eurasia, public diplomacy and international broadcasting...
, Edward Lucas
Edward Lucas (journalist)
Edward Lucas is a British journalist.Lucas is International Editor of The Economist, the London-based global newsweekly and also oversees the paper’s political coverage of Central and Eastern Europe. He has been covering eastern Europe since 1986, and was the Moscow bureau chief from 1998-2002,...
, Anders Åslund
Anders Åslund
Anders Åslund is a Swedish economist with a particular interest in economic transition from centrally planned to market economies. Åslund served as an economic adviser to the governments of Russia and Ukraine and from 2003 was director of the Russian and Eurasian Program at the Carnegie...
, former Congressman Don Ritter
Donald L. Ritter
Donald Lawrence "Don" Ritter was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He represented Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district from 1979 to 1993.-Early life and education:...
, and Damon Wilson
Damon Wilson
Damon Wilson is an American foreign policy advisorand the current director of the International Security program at the Atlantic Council of the United States, a foreign and public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Wilson served as Senior Director for...
.