At the end of 2003 CEEWEB launched a capacity building program
in the South East European region connected to the 2010 target,
i.e. to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010. This ambitious
goal was set in May 2003 at the Pan-European Kyiv Ministerial
Conference, reinforcing the undertakings of the European Council
at the Gothenburg Summit, and going beyond the target to reach
a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss set
in the Strategic Plan for the Convention of Biological Diversity
(CBD) and at the Johannesburg Summit.
The project aims to establish a network and coalition of
nature conservation NGOs to monitor and enhance efforts towards
the 2010 target and promote their engagement in international
policy-making processes from Albania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania,
Serbia and Montenegro.
Activities will focus on following areas: capacity building
among NGOs, communication and awareness raising, monitoring
national efforts, identifying capacity needs for NGOs as well
as network building.
Activities
In the initial phase contacts are established and the ways
of future cooperation are sought. The basis of the activities
will be the NGO taskforce set up during the first, reconnaissance
visits to the target countries. During this kick-off meeting
a visit is paid to the CBD and Pan-European Biological and
Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS) focal points, other
Ministry representatives and authorities dealing with the
issue, to present the project and to initiate a dialogue with
them. A meeting with the representatives of international
organizations (World Bank, UNDP, UNEP) will also be a part
of the first visit, as well as meeting NGOs working on CBD
and PEBLDS. Check
the time schedule of the project implementation >>
In the course of spring and summer, under the direction of
the selected NGO coordinator, the assessment of national efforts
towards reaching the 2010 target and a survey report on the
NGO capacity needs was undertaken.
During the project training and awareness-raising material
was developed and published on a
CD-ROM. The training material will form the basis of
the national capacity building workshops for NGOs, explaining
the importance of biodiversity conservation, the CBD and PEBLDS
processes, including detailed information on the Kyiv outcomes.
These workshops took place in May-June, and aimed to reach
a wide range of NGOs concerned and to engage them in the implementation
of the 2010 target.The workshops
were held in Albania, Bulgaria,
Moldova , Romania,
Serbia and Montenegro.
In the final phase of the project an international NGO workshop
was held, where participants
will report back on their findings, experience will be exchanged
with regards to the efforts made on the national level, case
studies and good examples will be presented and opportunities
for future partnerships and the continuation of the joint
work will be discussed. This international workshop is planned
for September, connected to the CEEWEB Annual Meeting. We
are convinced that the strengthened capacity and awareness
of NGOs and other key actors will promote to the implementation
of the Kyiv outcomes in relation to CBD and PEBLDS targets
and processes, and will effectively contribute to halting
the loss of biodiversity by 2010. Time
is Life: Conference on Halting Biodiversity Loss by 2010 >>
Concerning the methodology of the national assessments and
the capacity building please contact Klára
Hajdu in the CEEWEB Policy Office.
The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Environment,
Forest and Landscape
