November 2008: The ANPED Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus CSD-NSDS Capacity Building and Training workshop took place on 27-28 November 2008 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The event was organized for NGOs from Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine with participation of NGO representatives from Latvia and Russia. The workshop was carried out by All-Ukrainian Environmental Non-Governmental Organization "MAMA-86".
The workshop provided the unique opportunity for representatives of non-governmental organizations from the region to assemble and discuss progress of the countries in transition to environmentally balanced patterns of production and consumption, to evaluate their place and role in regional and global processes of transition to sustainable development. During discussion on the most important issues the workshop participants developed recommendations for governments and international organizations.
The workshop covered analysis of the most relevant topics and cross-cutting issues of UN CSD-16 and 17 such as national sustainable development strategies and integration of environmental policy, sustainable agriculture, sustainable development of rural areas and lands, sustainable consumption and production.
The participating countries were discussing their commitments, undertaken in accordance with Agenda 21, the WSSD Plan of Implementation (Johannesburg, 2002); analysis of the current situation in sustainable consumption and production field presented in analytic publication "SPC Policy Review of Western and South Caucasus EECCA Countries"; as well as draft of brief Policy paper of NGOs major group for UN CSD-17 on Agriculture, land, development of rural areas, droughts, desertification and Africa; extracts of draft Statement of European civil society to the UNEP Governing Council; and Manual on CSD, national sustainable development strategies and NGOs’ activities "An oppoptunity not to be wasted". All mentioned above papers and materials were collected into 2 volumes Reader and distributed among participants.
The first day consisted of four plenary sessions with the following reports presented:
National Sustainable Development Strategies / Integration of Environmental Policy
- Valentyn Scherbina, Deputy Director of Strategic Planning Department, Ministry of natural environment protection of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine) "Preparing of NSDS/integration of environmental policy"
- Nataliya Andrusevych, Chairman of Board, Resource-analytical center "Society and environment" (Lviv, Ukraine), "Opportunities of European policy of neighbourhood for strengthening of environmental protection and sustainable development issues in policy of sustainable development in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine"
- Andriy Demidenko, Ukrainian Centre of Environmental and Water Projects (Kyiv, Ukraine), "NSDS, then integration of environmental thoughts into sector policy. What now?"
Preparation for participation in UN CSD
- Janis Brizga, NGO "Green Liberty", Director of the Board ANPED (Riga, Latvia), "Marrakech process and preparation of EU NGOS for UN CSD-17"
- Anna Golubovska-Onisimova, President of MAMA-86 (Kyiv, Ukraine), "SPC policy review of Western and South Caucasus EECCA countries"
- Oleg Suprunenko, Head of Social-Environmental Public Organization "Chistiy Bereg" (Beregovo, Zakarpattya region, Ukraine), "Virus of consumption ideology and its role in economic crisis"
Sustainable Agriculture
- Yevgen Milovanov, President of Ukrainian Federation of Organic Movement (Kyiv, Ukraine), "General state of agriculture in Ukraine from the perspective of environmental impacts and organic prospects"
- Svetlana Berzina, President of All-Ukrainian Public Organization "Live Planet" (Kyiv, Ukraine), "Standardization, green labelling and control in agriculture"
Sustainable Development of Rural Areas
- Anna Tsvetkova, ̀À̀À-86 (Kyiv, Ukraine), "Access to water and sanitation — strategic approach"
- Olga Kazatseva, Deputy Rector for educational process of Modern humanitarian institute, International association "Eco-Tiras" (Chisinau, Moldova), "Sustainable development of rural areas: opportunities and regional priorities"
- Tamara Malkova, Director of International Charity Organization "Informational Centre "Zelenoe dosje" (Kyiv, Ukraine), "Traditional food production in mountainous regions"
Yevgen Shyrokov, Minsk municipal branch of International Public Association of Ecologists (Minsk, Belarus) with his report "Sustainable development of rural areas: opportunities and regional possibilities" opened the second workshop day.
After presentations the workshop participants carried on their discussions in the following working groups:
- Sustainable development of rural areas (group moderator — Ekaterina Kukharuk. Director of Public Organization "Ecostrategii", Chisinau, Moldova)
- Sustainable agriculture and lands (group moderator — Olga Kazantseva, Deputy Rector for educational process of Modern humanitarian institute, International association "Eco-Tiras", Chisinau, Moldova). The report on local sustainable development in Poltava region was made by Julia Berezhna, NGO "MAMA-86-Poltava", Poltava, Ukraine.
- National sustainable development strategies and integration of environmental policy (group moderators — Yaroslav Bekish, coordinator of "Belarus Green Network", Minsk, Belarus, and Anna Golubovska-Onisimova, President of MAMA-86)
Each moderator presented the results of the group work with the review of the problem and recommendations for its solution.
The journalists covering the environmental issues were invited to the press-conference held on the second day of the workshop. The press-announce and press-release were prepared and distributed by the Director of "Green Dossier" NGO Tamara Malkova.
The article "About a virus of consumption on the Day without Buying" (author Oleg Suprunenko, NGO "Chisty Bereg") was published after the press-conference in Internet. Big article of the same author on this issue was also published on previous to the workshop weekend in popular weekly newspaper "Mirrow of the Week". Tamara Malkova also published the article in the regional newspaper "Agropolicy". Another one publication is pending.
In total, 30 representatives of 20 NGOs from Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine took part in the event, and also a special guest from NGO "Green Liberty" (Riga Latvia) and a Member of the Board of Directors ANPED, Janis Brizga.
The final document "Summary Conclusions" was drafted and commented by participants based on the workshop discussions outcomes and it will be used as the guidelines by NGOs from Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.
See photos of workshop in our gallery.
