OSCE Office in Baku awards grants to civil society projects addressing environment and security issues
BAKU, 22 June 2011 – The OSCE Office in Baku today announced that four non-governmental organizations that work in the field of environment and security will receive small grants to finance their work.
The OSCE Office will award the selected NGOs - REC Caucasus Azerbaijan, the Umid Humanitarian and Social Support Centre, the Support to Healthcare Development Public Union and the Support to Development of Tourism in Khinalig Public Union – with grants ranging from 7,000 to 9,000 Euros.
These grants will finance projects helping promote alternative energy sources in small farms; encourage efficient energy use; manage hazardous medical waste and chemicals, as well as monitor summer pastures around the ancient Khinalig village.
The grants are part of the OSCE Office in Baku's Civic Action for Security and Environment (CASE) programme, which started in 2009. This year, a board comprising representatives from the OSCE Office, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry of Azerbaijan and the EkoSfera Public Union selected the grant recipients among 57 applicants.
“The winning projects have the potential to contribute to increased awareness and intensified dialogue on environment and security challenges facing Azerbaijan,” said Jan Olsson, Head of Economic and Environmental Unit of the OSCE Office in Baku. “Energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy, the focus of two of the projects, is in line with the OSCE's work to promote the development of sustainable energy sources.”
Chingiz Mammadov, UNDP Senior Programme Adviser, added: “The CASE programme has led to greater engagement of the civil society organizations in promoting environmental co-operation, participation and capacity building.”
The CASE programme in Azerbaijan is funded by Statoil and the Governments of Austria, Canada and United States.
The programme is part of the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative for the South Caucasus region. ENVSEC is a partnership between the OSCE, the UNDP, the UN Environment Programme, the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe, as well as NATO as an associate member.