The proposed project aims at building capacities of the local communities as well as selected grantees to develop, implement, report and monitor GEF SGP projects. The project is relevant to the GEF priorities on public participation, capacity development, information dissimilation and awareness raising among the stakeholders. The NGO has implemented several donor-funded projects in environment sector in Ukraine and has required capacities to organize trainings for other civil society groups in proposals development, monitoring, reporting, other requested support during projects? implementation. In this context series of seminars/workshops are planned in Chernihiv, Rivne, Lugansk, Zhytomyr rgions as well as in the selected region. The Project will contribute to GEF SGP Country Programme Strategy development through organizing all Ukrainian public opinion questioning on environmental challenges and their involvement in finding local solutions. Big number of people from different social groups will be questioned, the received information will be consolidated into the report. The questionnaire will be developed jointly with the UNDP and GEF SGP. All this work will be done by the WMC and volunteers of the Taras Shevchenko National University.
Besides, the Project will cover the implementation of the GEF SGP projects in the newspaper ?Ecoweek? and in the local media.
The Project will contribute to the problem of GEF coordination and networking in Ukraine. The general public is not aware about the process of the Projects development in Ukraine. The proposed project will build the GEF NGO network and lobby creation of the GEF National Steering Committee as recommended by the GEF. It will make the process more transparent, thus sustainable. Special attention will be given to the networking among the GEF SGP grantees. Youth will be involved through the work of the socio-ecological studio in close cooperation with the students of the geographical faculty of the National Taras Shevchenko University. The overall project?s results will contribute to GEF SGP awareness raising among local people and remote areas, prepare informational background to the GEF SGP CPS development, train grantees in monitoring and evaluation, raise the quantity of the quality projects? proposals, replicate and upscale effective SGP projects and initiatives.