REVIEW OF BUILDING BLOCKS SUBMITTED BY
CITIZENS’ ORGANISATIONS
draft 20.02.2004
The Review is developed by Eco-Accord Center in the
framework of activities under the EAP Issue Group of European ECO-Forum. Contact: accord@leadnet.ru, URL: http://www.ecoaccord.org/wi/intro.htm
I. OBJECTIVES
The Review aims to assess the
level of participation of citizens’ organisations in the building blocks of EU Water
Initiative, the component on Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA). It also
aims to identify common features of building blocks submitted by citizens’
organisations. The objectives of the Review do not include the assessment of participation
of citizens’ organisations in the drafting, development and implementation of the Water
Initiative.
II. NUMBER OF BUILDING BLOCKS
For this Review, we used two databases: the
database of building blocks hosted by the DHI/DEPA at ftp-site as of mid-December 2003,
and the database of the Russian Regional Environmental Center as of January 2004.
During the research of building blocks it was extremely
difficult to clearly define a building block as “a block of citizens’
organisations”. There were a number of reasons to cause such difficulties. First of all,
there have been difficulties with identifying certain organisations as citizens’
organisations1. The second reason was the existence of a significant number of
“mixed” blocks with participation of other sectors, where it was extremely difficult
to assess the level of participation of citizens’ organisations2. Finally,
the difficulties were caused by a great number of blocks where citizens’ organisations
are included as a formality, i.e. they are mentioned as partners or implementing agencies
but no name of a citizens’ organisation is provided or the name is provided without
consent of a citizens’ organisation. In addition, the Review covers only blocks
submitted by EECCA citizens’ organisations or international citizens’ organisations.
It does not cover building blocks submitted by national organisations outside EECCA
region.
For these reasons, the Review does not name the exact
number of building blocks submitted by citizens’ organisations. The number of blocks
that can be called without any doubt as “blocks of citizens’ organisations” or
“blocks initiated by citizens’ organisations” is 23. However, using other
calculation methodologies one could characterize some additional 20-25 blocks as blocks of
citizens’ organisations.
1 In this case, we considered as
“citizens’ organisations” those entities which were founded by natural persons
and/or legal entities-citizens’ organisations. The Review does not aim at researching
the blocks submitted by other forms of non-commercial organisations (such as
non-commercial partnerships; institutions; autonomous non-commercial organisations; social
foundations, charities and other foundations), although the description and significance
of their building blocks are briefly outlined in Chapter IV.
III. MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF BUILDING BLOCKS OF CITIZENS’ ORGANISATIONS
Participation at country level
Building blocks are submitted by citizens’
organisations from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan, and
Ukraine. Many blocks are submitted by organisations which implement their activities in
several countries, for instance, the “Network of Experts on Sustainable Development in
Central Asia”. No building blocks were submitted by citizens’ organisations from
Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Only one block each was submitted by
Armenian (“Young Educators Union”) and Georgian (“Aquamedia”) citizens’
organisations.
The following organisations submitted quite many building blocks:
MAMA-86 (Ukraine), “Ecoline” (Belarus), Agency for Environmental Assessment
"Ecoterra” (Russia).
Cooperation
In the majority of cases, citizens’ organisations
submitted building blocks where partners and co-implementing agencies are other
citizens’ organisations. At the same time, a significant number of blocks provide for
cooperation with specific governmental authorities and research institutions.
For example, the following building blocks were jointly
submitted by citizens’ organisations and governmental authorities:
-“Reinstatement of monitoring points in small rivers
in the Fergana Region” (Implementing agencies: Association “For Environmentally Clean
Fergana”, Fergana Regional Administration on Hydrometeorology, Fergana Regional
Committee of Nature Protection)
-“Transboundary cooperation for small watercourses of
Ukraine and Russia: research and development of measures for protection and integrated
management of water resources” (Implementing agencies: Severo-Donetskoe Basin
Administration of Water Resources under Ukrainian State Committee on Water Management,
Agency for Environmental Assessment "Ecoterra”)
-“Construction of an integrated water supply,
sanitation and wastewater treatment complex in the town of Neya, Kostroma Oblast”
(Implementing Agencies: Public Movement “In name of life”, Neya Regional
Administration)
-“Research of rehabilitation potential for
river-related ecosystems of Amudarya River through the establishment of sustainable use of
water resources for cotton production” (Implementing agencies: World Wide Fund, Central
Asian ministries, NGOs, under coordination of the Executive Committee of the International
Fund for Aral Sea)
For example, the following building blocks were jointly
submitted by citizens’ organisations and scientific institutions:
-“Minor transboundary rivers in Central Asia:
research and development of measures for protection and management of water resources”
(Implementing agencies: National Institute of Desserts, Flora and Fauna under the Ministry
of Nature of Turkmenistan, Agency for Environmental Assessment "Ecoterra”)
-“Provision of free access to information on water
resources and water quality” (Implementing agencies: Central Scientific Research
Institute of Integrated Water Resource Management (Minsk), NGO “Ecoline”)
-“Supply of drinking water to the population in rural
areas” (Implementing agencies: Central Scientific Research Institute of Integrated Water
Resource Management (Minsk), Belarus Scientific Geological Research Institute, TsRK (under
the Ministry of Nature), NIISiG (under the Ministry of Health), NGO “Ecoline”
(Belarus))
-“Development of legal and methodological framework
for implementation of Strategic Environmental Assessment of the inter-basin water
transfer…” (Implementing agencies: Agency for Environmental Assessment
"Ecoterra”, Institute of Water Problems under the Russian Academy of Sciences)
Only one block provides for cooperation with business:
-“Integral quality assessment of water resources”
(Implementing agencies: JSC "AQUAEK", NGO "Young Educators Union"
(Armenia))
Coalition building
Compared to building blocks submitted by governments,
intergovernmental structures, international organisations and scientific institutions, the
building blocks of citizens’ organisations are typically characterized by multiplicity
of implementing agencies among citizens’ organisations.
For instance, the following blocks are submitted by
several citizens’ organisations:
-“Strengthening capacity of NGOs in EECCA countries
to address the problems of citizens’ access to safe drinking water” (Implementing
agencies: Ecoline (Belarus), Greenwomen (Kazakhstan), Eco-Accord Center (Russia), MAMA-86
(Ukraine))
-“Strengthening capacity of NGOs for the settlement
of problems in small, medium and transboundary rivers” (Implementing agencies:
ÌÀÌÀ-86, International Association of River Keepers “Eco-TIRAS”, Network of
Experts on Sustainable Development in Central Asia)
-“Strengthening capacity of river basin networks
for sustainable basin management” (Implementing agencies: Eco-TIRAS, ÌÀÌÀ-86,
Russian Rivers Network)
-"Strengthening of the role of local communities
and participation of NGOs of Belarus in implementation of EU-EECCA Water Initiative:
solution of problems of access of the population in rural areas to water resources of good
quality and safe drinking water” (Implementing agencies: Ecoline (Belarus), ÌÀÌÀ-86
(Ukraine))
-“ Water for Peace: Prevention of Conflicts & Promotion of
Co-operation over Water Resources in the Volga Basin” (Implementing agencies:
International Green Cross, Russian Green Cross, autonomous non-commercial organisation
“Institute for Environmental Projects Consulting”)
-“Development and activities of the system of
public environmental monitoring in the Dnieper Basin” (Implementing agencies: NGO
“Belaya Rusi” (Minsk, Belarus), NGO "Sustainable Development" (Bryansk,
Russia), Ecology Institute (non-governmental scientific organisation, Kiev, Ukraine))
-“Coordination and expansion of activities of the
Dnieper river network of non-governmental citizens’ organisations” (Implementing
agencies: Dnieper River Network: coordinators of national NGO networks – NGO “Belaya
Rusi” (Minsk, Belarus), NGO "Sustainable Development" (Bryansk, Russia),
National Ecological Center of Ukraine (Kiev, Ukraine))
-“Development of a model basin scheme for
management of a socium-nature system to ensure sustainable development” (Implementing
agencies: MNP DONECO, NGO “Green Don”, Social Ecological Union).
Finances
Generally, building blocks submitted by citizens’
organisations require less financial resources than blocks submitted by governmental
authorities. The average funding needed for a block of citizens’ organisations is
300,000-600,000 euro.
However there are citizens’ organisations which
mention very small (28,000 euro) or extremely high (20.9 mln euro) funding, for example:
-20.9 mln euro: “Construction of an integrated water
supply, sanitation and wastewater treatment complex in the town of Neya, Kostroma
Oblast” (Implementing Agencies: public movement “In name of life”, Neya Regional
Administration)
-28,000 euro: “Reinstatement of monitoring points in
small rivers in the Fergana Region” (Implementing agencies: Association “For
Environmentally Clean Fergana”, Fergana Regional Administration on Hydrometeorology,
Fergana Regional Committee of Nature Protection)
Just 4 out of 23 blocks of citizens’ organisations
have partially secured funding (in average, 5-30% of the amount needed).
Future (planned) activities
Although one could submit both planned and current
projects as building blocks, the vast majority of blocks submitted by citizens’
organisations are blocks reflecting planned activities rather than current ones. To a
great extent, this is explained by the above mentioned figures that show that secured
funding for blocks of citizens’ organisations is very low. In addition, this proves that
the majority of citizens’ organisations consider building blocks of the Water Initiative
as funding proposals, rather than means to receive an adequate picture about water related
activities in the region.
National and transboundary blocks
The number of regional and transboundary blocks
submitted by citizens’ organisations slightly exceeds the number of national blocks
submitted by citizens’ organisations.
It is interesting that several blocks presuppose
activities of one national citizens’ organisation in two or more recipient countries.
Therefore, they propose dissemination of experience to other EECCA countries. Vice versa,
there is a block where two citizens’ organisations from two different countries plan
joint activities in one country.
Thematic components
In relation to two “thematic components” of
EU-EECCA Water Initiative (1-water supply and sanitation; 2-integrated management of water
resources), two thirds of blocks of citizens’ organisations are identified as blocks
under second component “integrated management of water resources”. The remaining one
third of blocks can be divided into equal parts into blocks under the “water supply and
sanitation” component and blocks covering both components.
Typical subjects
The most typical subject in the blocks of citizens’
organisations is awareness, public participation and capacity building. Almost half of all
building blocks are devoted to this topic. In this way, citizens’ organisations propose
the following activities:
-establishment of water information centers;
-establishment of public information and consultation
centers in all EECCA countries;
-strengthening capacity of NGO river networks,
including transboundary ones;
-building the dialogue among stakeholders;
-organisation of campaigns, actions, seminars, public
hearings, publication of awareness materials;
-organisation of contests, including those connected to
international programmes;
-publication of a journal on transboundary water
problems; etc.
The key area for awareness is public access to drinking
water.
In turn, awareness, public participation and, to a less
extent, capacity building almost do not exist in the blocks submitted by governmental
authorities.
The other typical subject in the blocks of citizens’
organisations is activities of citizens' organisations in specific water basins, both
national and transboundary ones. In particular, the blocks cover such basins as Volga,
Dniester, Bic, Baraboie, Prutet, Kogylnick, Kura, Amudarya and other rivers of Central
Asia, Don, Dnieper, other Ukrainian rivers. Proposed basin activities include such topics
as:
-Organisation of monitoring in transboundary basins by
river networks of citizens’ organisations,
-Development and implementation of programmes on the
protection and use of water resources in river basins, including transboundary ones,
-Development of management plans for river basins,
-Lobbying national legal and regulatory framework for
integrated management of water resources,
-Methodological recommendations on public participation
in decision-making on transboundary rivers;
-Conflict resolution;
-Establishment of basin bodies/councils, including
public ones;
-Public monitoring of river protected zones for minor
rivers;
-Developing the principles for inventory and monitoring
of minor transboundary rivers; etc.
In addition, there is a small group of blocks of
citizens’ organisations which provide for large-scale works and/or legal and scientific
research, for instance:
-“Construction of an integrated water supply,
sanitation and wastewater treatment complex in the town of Neya, Kostroma Oblast”
(Implementing Agencies: Public Movement “In name of life”, Neya Regional
Administration)
-“Development of legal and methodological framework
for implementation of Strategic Environmental Assessment of the inter-basin water
transfer…” (Implementing agencies: Agency for Environmental Assessment
"Ecoterra”, Institute of Water Problems under the Russian Academy of Sciences)
-“Integration of Ecosystem approach and
biodiversity and landscape conservation into EECCA water basins’ management, including
transboundary watercourses” (Implementing agencies: Eco-TIRAS, Biotica, Biodiversity
Issue Group of European ECO-Forum)
Several blocks are devoted to ensuring public access to
safe drinking water (including access for some sectors and groups of population, rural
population, development of action plans to ensure public access to drinking water), and to
the topic of water and health.
IV. BLOCKS OF OTHER NON-COMMERCIAL ORGANISATIONS WHICH ARE NOT CITIZENS’
ORGANISATIONS
A number of building blocks under EU-EECCA Water
Initiative are submitted by non-commercial organisations of other forms than citizens’
organisations. Among them one could name, for example:
-blocks submitted by non-commercial partnership
National Water Alliance, Russia) – totally 22 blocks, for example:
* “Creation of the Arbitration Court of the
“National Water Alliance” (Implementing agencies: National Water Alliance,
“Innaudit-Consulting”)
* “Creation of Water basins Councils in the
territory of Russia” (Implementing agencies: National Water Alliance, Water Basins
Management Administrations, local authorities, water users and organizations of water
management)
* “Creation of Water basins Councils in the
territory of Russia” (Implementing agencies: National Water Alliance, SovInterVod, FGM
“SredVolgaVodHoz” (Kazan), Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, GEO
SPECTRUM)
-blocks of the autonomous non-commercial organisation
“Institute for Environmental Projects Consulting”, Russia, for example:
* “Development of efficient technologies and
service networks to ensure protection of water environment against pollution with heavy
metals salts and organic waste” (Implementing agencies: JSC “MIBAS”, “Institute
for Environmental Projects Consulting”, Russian State Duma Ecology Committee, Cheboksary
Electrical Equipment Factory (Chuvash Republic), JSC “East European Financial
Corporation” (St.Petersburg), industries of Privoljsky Federal Circuit, Russian Regional
Environmental Center (RREC))
* “Open contest of research projects among
high-school students in the field of water resources protection” (Implementing agency:
“Institute for Environmental Projects Consulting”)
-block of autonomous non-commercial organisation
“Environmental Health Center”, Russia (“Developing an action plan to provide public
access to safe drinking water”, implementing agency: “Environmental Health Center”)
It is important that blocks of these organisations
provide for much more intensive cooperation with specific businesses and governmental
authorities than blocks of citizens’ organisations.
V. BLOCKS OF CITIZENS’ ORGANISATIONS: CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
The analyses allow to make the following general
conclusions in relation to building blocks submitted by citizens’ organisations.
-The geographical coverage of building blocks is not
uniform: citizens’ organisations from the Caucasus and Central Asia almost do not
participate in the blocks. At the same time, in other EECCA countries blocks are mostly
submitted by a limited number of citizens’ organizations. This may be explained by lack
of understanding of the nature of Water Initiative among citizens’ organisations, by
lack of clear financial mechanisms and funds in the Water Initiative, and by insufficient
dissemination of information about the Initiative.
The majority of citizens’
organisations that submitted answers to the questionnaire for the report “Dissemination
of information, public awareness and education on water issues: practice and priorities in
EECCA region” mention that national governmental authorities did not sufficiently
disseminate the information about the Water Initiative and opportunities to submit
building blocks. Insufficient dissemination of information does not only impact on
citizens’ organisations. It applies to governmental authorities as well – governmental
building blocks submitted by some countries (Armenia, Moldova) are actually submitted by
one body, while activities in the framework of the Water Initiative potentially involve
more governmental authorities. Besides that, in the majority of cases, governmental
authorities in their building blocks did not really aim at partnership with citizens’
organisations making small formal references to the involvement of non-governmental
sector. |
-Building blocks of citizens’ organisations mostly
provide for future activities, rather than reflect current activities. This does not give
an adequate picture of all activities implemented by citizens’ organisations in EECCA
region. At the same time, the building blocks prove that citizens’ organisations have
many new ideas, highly professional staff and great potential for cooperation.
-Citizens’ organisations experience significant lack
of financial resources. That is why, many citizens’ organisations have a hope that the
EU-EECCA Water Initiative will develop clear funding criteria and mechanisms and will be
able to provide necessary funds for activities in the region.
-There is a great interest to Water Initiative and
participation in this initiative among citizens’ organisations, which have an enormous
potential for cooperation with governmental authorities. For example, the number of
subscribers to electronic Water Digest, devoted to the Water Initiative and water issues
in EECCA region, constantly increases, while its materials are widely republished by other
media.
The following measures seem necessary to increase the
level of participation of citizens’ organisations in building blocks:
-Further awareness activities require a better
definition of the nature of the initiative and the status of building blocks, as well as
clarification of possible mechanisms to ensure funding for building blocks (this could be
criteria for selection of blocks by financial institutions, clarification of the link
between the Water Initiative and the new TACIS water programme, etc.)
If citizens’ organisations do not clearly understand
what are the perspectives of presenting their projects as building blocks compared to the
usual submission of grant applications, one cannot expect more active participation of
citizens’ organisations in building blocks. In addition, it is important to clarify for
citizens’ organisations what is the fate of building blocks submitted by citizens’
organisations only.
In is important to show to citizens’ organisations
and to fix in the documents on the Water Initiative what is the added value of Water
Initiative, what new value it brings in addition to existing initiatives in the region.
The updated information about the nature of the
Initiative, the status of building blocks and funding mechanisms should be clearly stated
in an information leaflet disseminated together with the data sheet for submission of
building blocks.
-Targeted work with citizens’ organisations in the
Caucasus and Central Asia seems to be needed. At the same time, one should take into
account that in other EECCA countries blocks of citizens’ organisations are more
numerous but they are submitted by a restricted number of organisations. Therefore, active
dissemination of information among citizens’ organisations in these countries remains
relevant as well.
-It is important to strengthen exchange of experience
and information about water related activities, building blocks and development of
EU-EECCA Water Initiative in the region. Such exchange of information could promote active
involvement of citizens’ organisations in the Water Initiative. It would also help
governmental authorities to identify specific partners among citizens’ organisations for
activities in awareness, education, environmental policy and other areas. One could also
recommend to governmental authorities and international organisations who submit building
blocks to search for specific partners among citizens’ organisations instead of making
an abstract reference to "citizens’ organisations”, or “NGOs”, or “the
public”. It is also important to ensure stakeholder awareness about major steps in the
development of the Water Initiative, in particular by publishing the materials of Kiev
Conference and of the second High Level Meeting.
-More intensive efforts of governmental authorities to
raise awareness at national level could increase the number of mixed building blocks with
citizens’ organisations and blocks of citizens’ organisations. It is important to
strengthen capacity of governmental authorities and businesses in establishing partnership
and dialogue with non-governmental sector. There still is an insufficient understanding of
the need to involve non-governmental actors in the settlement of environmental problems in
the region. In addition, many decision-making authorities often lack sufficient knowledge
and experience to inform the public and work with the public.
Since July 2003, the Water Digest is
published in Russian language by Eco-Accord Information Service in cooperation with EAP
Issue Group of European ECO-Forum. Frequency: 2-3 times per month. For subscription
contact: accord@leadnet.ru
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