SECTOR Project Support - Selected Grants

Regional Grants, Second Round Title: Sustainable improvement of air quality related to traffic in Tirana, Albania and Podgorica, Montenegro CSO Contact: ECAT Tirana (Environmental Centre for Administration and Technology) Amount: 34.775 EUR Description: The project aims to contribute to the reduction of air pollution related to traffic through promoting environmentally urban sustainable strategies and practices. This aim would be accomplished through transfer of know-how and strengthening the capacities on the development of sustainable urban transport strategy in both countries by promoting the sustainable practices in the new urban development strategy and plan; and through the partners co-operation assistance on developing and implementing effective awareness campaign strategies and increase public awareness of air quality issues related to traffic in Tirana, Albania and Podgorica, Montenegro. The project encompasses promotion of sustainable development principles and strengthening the capacities on developing the integrated transport strategy, public awareness and ensuring that public awareness activities lead to change of the behaviour of people towards their choices of mobility for a cleaner air in the city. Following activities will be undertaken during the project: Organisation of the meeting for the promotion of the development of Integrated Urban Transport Strategy in the light of its implementation aiming  to adapting the transport strategy into concrete actions (pilot projects implementation). Training and strengthening the capacities of city administrators to develop key transport strategies policies that will lead to improvement of traffic situation and hence the traffic related air pollution.   Public awareness activities on air quality related to traffic involving the schools children, communities aiming to induce changes in behaviour leading to reduced car use and therefore to reduction of emissions. The project will be implemented over 18 months starting from September 2008 – February 2010. The project activities refer to both cities. Title: Protection of urban forests and green areas CSO Contact: Academic association NGO "Eco-logic" Amount: 34.500 EUR Description: The project aims for a synergetic impact on law makers and politicians for positioning and initiating the processes for formulation, critical assessment, proposals and putting into effect new or improving of present legislation on urban forests and green areas planning, management and protection (presently - legislation does not exist or is poorly defined), both at the state and the local levels. The objective of the project is upgrading and strengthening communication channels between all stakeholders interested in planning, management and protection of the urban forests and green areas for improvement of the current situation which involves both institutional capacity-building and human capacity-building, as well as the direct and indirect promotion with the aim of strengthening of awareness and improvement of population knowledge on importance of urban trees and green areas, together with obeying currently existing legislation. Through both collecting and analysing different examples of good practice and international legislation and giving concrete guidelines and propositions too, regional, national and local priorities on land use and urban planning (Greening of Cities) are addressed, indirectly helping to improve the urban environment in South Eastern Europe. Networking CSO organizations with other interest parties (developers, local authorities, planners, scientists, researchers), strengthening their mutual cooperation, activities and information exchange will be direct help to strengthening civil society to increase awareness in communities regarding environmental conditions and possible solutions to environmental problems.  The project implementation will develop ’step by step’ with project activities, divided into three steps: Making a strong base and providing a support, Expert presentation of the problem and clear definition of possibilities of solving it, Activities related to lobbies and public agreements. Title: Establishing and facilitating the regional green lobby group CSO Contact: 4X4X4 Balkan Bridges Skopje Amount: 34.970 EUR Description: The project aims to stimulate changes in the approach of the governments in promoting and implementing the urban sustainable development concept and protection of environment in the Region by facilitating a proactive collaboration of members of the Parliaments in the Region. This project will use the positive experience from the establishment of the Green Parliamentary Lobby Group in Macedonia and its achievements as “launch pad” for the establishment of the Regional Green Lobby Group, and in a long run as a model for establishing the Balkan Green Lobby Group.   The project would establish, strengthen and build capacity of the Regional Green Lobby Group and facilitate good cooperation between members of Parliaments of two Balkan countries (Macedonia, Albania) with possibility to involve at least two more; share experience and establish informal regional network of CSOs from at least 3-5 Balkan Countries that will take the lead in facilitating the establishment of “green” core groups of MPs in their national Parliaments; bring together MPs from 3-5 Balkan countries and prepare the ground for establishment of the Balkan Green Lobby Group. This proposal is for the establishment and facilitation of the RGLG, starting from September 2008 and ending in June 2009.It is divided into two phases: Establishing phase (September –December 2008) and Capacity Building and Alliance Strengthening Phase (January 2009- June 2009). Title: Campaign to improve urban transport in Zagreb and Belgrade CSO Contact: Zelena Akcija - Green Action Amount: 35.000 EUR Description: The project aims to influence urban transport policies in cities of SEE to make them more sustainable from economical, social and environmental aspect through cross - border cooperation among CSOs, promotion of best practices from European cities and through public participation in decision – making processes in order to decrease ecological footprint and to increase quality of life. The more specific goal is to transfer positive experiences from campaign in Zagreb to Young Researches of Serbia from Belgrade but also learn something from transport situation in Belgrade and campaigning skills that Young Researchers of Serbia have in some other issues. Considering that in whole SEE region there is similar problem of un-planed and unsustainable “development” of transport system, these objectives will have direct effect on that process. By raising public awareness, citizens will became aware of devastating effect of uncontrollable growth of number of private vehicles, especially in sense of its environmental impact and occupation of public spaces by the transport infrastructure. With the process of education of public, more inhabitants will support our demands to the Municipalities, which will strengthen our position. The knowledge will also be spread to other CSOs in the region via printed materials and educational training. Title: Promotion of organic agriculture as alternative for protection of the Ohrid and Prespa lake CSO Contact: Local development agency, Struga Amount: 35.001 EUR Description: The project aims to promote behaviour change and to stimulate consumption and production of organic food in urban areas in Ohrid and Prespa Lake Region. The project team intends to increase awareness among the inhabitants of Ohrid and Prespa Lake Region (citizens as consumer and farmers as producers) about how production and consumption of organic food will improve quality of life in urban areas (the towns of Ohrid, Struga, Resen and Pogradec) by providing healthy food.  At the same time by decreasing the usage of agrochemicals they will decrease pollution and on long term slow down process of eutrophication of the lake. Furthermore, this project aims at building local and regional networks between various stakeholders (citizens, farmers, ecologists, local authorities, relevant ministries and agencies for development of agriculture). The main goal of these networks (in our project established as Citizens’ Advisory Boards – CAB and First Regional Network of Organic Food) is to promote the production and consumption of organic food. By doing so the citizens will have improved quality of life as they will have more chances to consume healthy food and the lake will become less polluted as usage of agrochemicals will be reduced. Pollution of the lake is the environment problem that influences also the economic and social development of the region. The lake as tourist attraction represents major economic factor in the region and therefore its protection is directly related with the economic and social stability. The Citizens’ Advisory Boards will join into First Regional Network for promotion of Organic Food that in the follow up of the project will serve as main promoter of the advantages of consuming healthy food produced organically in the region. Also it will promote the idea for producing organic food as a way to reduce usage of agrochemicals, slow down pollution of lake and on long term also the euthrophicaton process.

Grants types: National Grants Round one Round two Round three Regional Grants Round one Round two Selected grants of the first round Selected grants of the second round Selected grants of the third round