The following people were instrumental in the development and execution of the grant program: Cerasela Stancu as project manager (my predecessor) and Robert Atkinson, Erzsebet Aszalos, Todd Schenk and Entela Pinguli in support roles from REC's NGO Support Program . Once one has overcome the difficulty of understanding - or explaining - the concept of sustainable development, one is faced with the even more pressing problem of actually trying to put sustainable development into practice.
Why Support NGOs?
From Transition to Sustainability
European Policy Framework for Sustainable Development and Balkan Civil Society
This program helps the countries of the Western Balkans with their aspirations for EU membership and supports the objectives and mechanisms of the Stabilization-Association Process, which is the EU's policy framework for the region. Another aspect of the program is the promotion of regional cooperation between the countries of the Western Balkans, as well as between the region and EU member states and candidate countries.
It has become evident that
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia recognizes the need to create a national sustainable development strategy as one of its priorities, while Croatia implements sustainable principles in sectoral policies. Considering the need to support citizens' initiatives on sustainable development, the REC, with the support of the European Commission (EuropeAid), designed and launched an NGO grant program for the Western Balkans in October 2003.
What Was Undertaken
Grant Programme Overview
National Grants
Regional Grants
Serbia and Montenegro Sustainable development of the This project has contributed to the efforts to promote and put into practice the sustainable development of the Cijevna/Cemni river area public cross-border areas. Serbia and Montenegro Local Agenda for the Sustainable This project aimed at raising awareness of networks for sustainable development of Serbia and of the sustainability of organic development.
Lessons and Outcomes
This program helped activate local civil society groups, supported ideas to promote sustainability, established real activities to address environmental and social threats in the region and assisted in the development of NGOs by promoting networking and capacity development. The second part focuses on the overall results of the programme, summarizing the main ways in which the program has contributed to promoting sustainable development and civil society development in the region.
Lessons Learned through Project Implementation
There are lessons to be learned from project implementation, and the outcomes of the projects themselves. The first section of this chapter focuses on the lessons learned, summarizing the challenges and opportunities that NGOs faced during implementation, as stated by the NGOs and their partners during the NGO's monitoring process.
Programme Outcomes
Seventy-one projects were
One of the objectives of the program was to stimulate public debate and put the challenge of sustainable development on the agenda at the local and regional level. The program helped non-governmental organizations and society in general to identify sustainable development priorities at the local and regional level.
NGOs had an opportunity to
As a result of the program, 87 NGOs from the Western Balkans were able to implement projects of their own design, addressing priority development issues at local and regional levels. An example of this is the broad campaign for NGOs in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where the project mobilized a broad coalition of stakeholders at national and local levels.
NGO Suggestions for the Future
This meeting brought together approximately 30 grantees from the regional and national elements of the program to discuss lessons learned within the projects and develop recommendations for future work opportunities. The conclusions constitute the future opportunities for sustainable development in the Western Balkans and the activities that NGOs can undertake to support them.
Sustainable Futures: Defining the NGO Input
The meeting was also designed to enable an exchange of experiences between the NGOs and to further increase their contact; to illustrate good practice in the form of NGO actions for sustainable development; and to demonstrate the differences between actions at regional and national level. People educated and aware of Society recognize the need for Lack of clarity about who will educate the NGOs can put together sustainable development changes to the current system publicly and what the core of the coherent messages and.
Actions Suggested by NGOs for a Sustainable Balkans
Behavioral change is central to more sustainable communities, as many decisions that affect the environment, society and economy are made by individuals. One approach to behavior change that has emerged is social marketing, which encompasses a set of tools that can help NGOs design their behavior change campaigns and make them successful.
NGOs felt that they can play
NGOs have identified that they can exploit this time by providing teachers with materials that spread sustainable development messages among students. While lobbying and cooperation can be useful, NGOs reported that they are sometimes required to act as whistleblowers.
Facilitating Local Agenda 21
Active involvement in the development of social, economic or environmental plans and policies is a way of influencing development at the local, national and regional level. Relations between NGOs and other stakeholders - governmental or private - are not always positive.
The poor often suffer the
Public awareness campaigns, the use of the media and other tools, and the promotion of sustainable development principles;. Development of educational materials, including school curricula, on sustainable development, and the incorporation of sustainable development into current educational programs, especially environmental education;.
The seminar on Sustainable Development in the Western Balkans concluded with papers distributed to participants, who were asked to write down the project ideas they had that would require funding from donors. Support for the implementation of tangible solutions, such as solar collectors and infrastructure for disabled individuals;.
Networking
The creation of cross-sectoral
It is clear that the NGO community in the region has both the awareness and the capacity to begin to address serious issues of sustainable development. 1 Governance: formal/informal institutions that establish a system of responsibility and accountability in decision-making to build trust and capacity to collaborate.
Conclusions
Experience with the Development of Regional Activities of Non-Governmental Organizations for Sustainable Development in the Western Balkans grant program and the related seminar show that many non-governmental organizations in the region are striving for progress in the area of sustainability. This document presents the experiences that the non-governmental organizations financed under the Development of Regional Activities of Non-Governmental Organizations for Sustainable Development in the Western Balkans grant program, together with the project group, had in the implementation of the projects, and the results of the final seminar.
Integrated Approach to Solving
Traffic-Related Problems from a Sustainable Aspect
Created bicycle maps and distributed them through a weekly magazine (Skopje) and as independent publications (5,000) in Belgrade. The pilot project was presented to representatives of different institutions and local municipalities in Belgrade and Skopje and received very positive feedback.
Raising public awareness about
Media campaign Drive your Neighbors Your Neighbours, Drive Your Colleagues — created comic art which was published in four magazines (Skopje); Park & Ride — created and distributed flyers in newspapers (Belgrade). The document can serve as a basis for the further development of the sustainable strategy for the relief of traffic and transport problems in cities.
Balkan Environmental Network
The main objective of this strategy was the presentation of BEN to stakeholders and the public. The main target groups of this project were organizations working on sustainable development, including environmental NGOs, youth organizations, farmer cooperatives,.
The project allowed the
To conduct analyzes of existing legislation in the area of designing sustainable human settlements and prepare policy recommendations;. With educational methods, the project enabled the spread of practical knowledge and skills for sustainable living in the region;.
SuDNet Sustainable Development Network
Second SuDNet Workshop follow-up activities consisting of: assistance to project-selected beneficiaries in preparation of "green enterprises" plan; and formulation of the local Agenda 21 processes in all selected pilot municipalities (May-July 2005); Second project evaluation consisting of: completion of all project supported business plans; and preparation of the third SuDNet Workshop (August 2005);
Twenty-eight potential ‘green
Sustainable Development of the Cijevna/Cemni River Area
Supporting and promoting cross-border and domestic networking and capacity building of all stakeholders concerned with sustainable development issues, as well as communities affected by related problems, through training, collection and joint analysis of information, development of information services for sharing of services, organization of multi-stakeholder workshops and bilateral meetings; developing basic principles for cooperation among NGOs and between NGOs and other stakeholders, multi-stakeholder working groups and joint advocacy campaigns, creating a solid foundation for the development of Local Agenda 21; All the above-mentioned individuals were beneficiaries of the project as the project developed capabilities and supported collaboration among all stakeholders.
A model for cross-border
To develop a model of cross-border cooperation of stakeholder groups on issues related to sustainable development, through continuous cooperation with all stakeholders from different regions of Montenegro and Albania, promoting best practices and sharing experiences. The implementation was based on a participatory approach and tried to involve all stakeholders in both countries — including the community, state and non-state organizations — in the decision-making process in favor of the Cijevna/Cemni River.
Communities living near the Cijevna/Cemni valley; governmental and non-governmental institutions related to environmental, social and economic matters related to sustainable development and capable of influencing the decision-making process.
Local Agenda 21 for Sustainable Development of Subotica and Tuzla
Data collection — Using various methods (e.g. internet, other organizations), data were collected about the notion of the sustainable development process LA 21. Local workshops for LA 21 in Subotica and Tuzla — In local seminars were organized in both cities, with the participation of NGO representatives, experts from various fields, local authorities, etc.
The project enabled the
The most important result of the project was that it initiated the preparation of documents related to sustainable development in Subotica and Tuzla. The project also enabled the participation of citizens in the formulation of plans and policies and provided better access to decision-making processes, thereby contributing to awareness of the importance of sustainable development and LA 21, which was one of the project's stated goals.
South East Europe — Paving the Way to a GM-free Zone
- Public awareness
- Lobbying for effective legislation
- Monitoring the implementation of legislation
- Promoting GMO-free zones
Green Action formed an informal NGO alliance to campaign on GMO-free zones and organized a training session in September 2005 to communicate about GMOs. In Croatia, Green Action made a valuable contribution to achieving each of the goals outlined in the project proposal.
Phytoremediation —
Cleaning of Heavy Metals from the Soil
During the implementation of the project, sustainable development was promoted in the local community through the organization of workshops, seminars and a training course for students and industrial workers. The main focus group included the general public, and especially students and industrial workers from the project area.
Education was also central to
In addition, the Rakovica municipality and the business and industry sector provided a further EUR 10,000. The project successfully involved the local community and attracted great interest from local residents.
This was undertaken in collaboration with the municipality's services and industry sector, scientific institutes, the university and project experts. Education was also central to the project and included environmental education and local employment initiatives.
Conservation of Traditional
Cheese Production in the Tuzla Area
During the implementation
Promotion of Sustainable Tourism in Kozara National Park
At the end of October 2005, a seminar on Good practices in the management of protected areas was held in Mrakovica. The project group believes that the existing legal framework in Republika Srpska regarding national parks and protected areas is insufficient, therefore a new initiative was proposed — the Association of Protected Areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The aim of the Kozara Ethno
The purpose of the seminar was to inform interested parties about the future activities of the project, good practices in the management of protected areas and international trends in tourism that support sustainable management. At the end of the seminar, 15 representatives dealing with the development of tourism in the Kozara National Park made some conclusions and formulated an action plan for the future.
More than 1,000 people visited
Brochures and postcards were published containing information about the principles of sustainable development, and the natural and cultural assets of the Kozara area. This material has been distributed to all interested parties, and can also be found at the information desk of the Banja Luka Tourist Organization at the Kozara National Park, and at tourism fairs across Republika Srpska, in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad.
Transition from Conventional to Organic Agriculture
Beneficiaries learned the basic requirements of organic farming and became participants in the certification process. Much interest was shown in both organic farming and the seminars, and the latter were considered very useful by the beneficiaries.
The project encouraged an
This enabled double the number of beneficiaries and equal national representation of beneficiaries in the project. The beneficiaries of the project now have a clear concept of organic agriculture, including the methods and activities that define organic agriculture.
These results were achieved through the efforts of the organizer and through the distribution of the seminars over two locations: Gorazde and Srebrenica. Some seminars had more than 50 beneficiaries present, and considering the 30 present at two or more seminars, the number of beneficiaries was higher than the number originally proposed by the project.
Education, Public Participation and Promotion of
Sustainable Development Principles in Neretva Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina
It included media coverage in the form of interviews with recognized experts and members of the Bura association. The separate collection and recycling of solid waste was recognized as one of the activities that could contribute to sustainable development in the field of waste management.
Kick-starting organic food
Media coverage (TV, radio, internet, print media) continued each roundtable session and each of the specific topics was discussed with the interested parties. A water management study is essential in the HNC as this would demonstrate the impact of the "upper horizons" water project on the environment.
The key indicators of the project's success are the specific initiatives emerged from project activities aimed at activating sustainable development mechanisms in HNC. There are also initiatives for the construction of additional dams on the Neretva River, which should also be reconsidered in terms of the overall consequences of such projects.
Solving ecological problems caused by the open dump at the Vihovici coal mine, in the vicinity of Mostar, is just one of the initiatives that followed the first topic of discussion - waste management. Before installing waste incineration facilities, some experts in the field should be consulted.
The result of the experience gained was the publication of a guide, which was distributed to all relevant institutions, individuals and interested parties with the aim of expanding cooperation and education. In addition, this publication will result in concrete activities, some of which were proposed during the round tables and can be found in the guide.
Local Agenda 21 for the Municipality of Veles
The citizens' committee made an estimate of the current situation for the elements of sustainable development in society. The citizens' committee reached a consensus decision to select the priorities that formed the basis of the action plan.
Developing Small Economy Through Farming in Kosovo
Once the project's coordinating committee was satisfied with the introduction and information provided at the above-mentioned seminars, the location for the milk collection facility was selected. When the project was implemented, it was well known that the surroundings of Kruše e Vogel did not offer many employment opportunities.
The project offers a long-term
After this event, a big anti-GMO campaign started on all the national television channels. At the Second NGO meeting, the legal expert and all the partners involved in the project made proposals for changes in the next national CMO legislation.
Initiatives for Legislation and Raising Public Awareness of Genetically Modified Organisms in the Republic of
Macedonia
National activities were extended to four different municipalities in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Today, REC is legally based on a charter signed by the governments of 28 countries and the European Commission and on an international agreement with the government of Hungary.
Sustainability in Action
