Green Alternative considers gender equality to be one of the fundamental principles for democracy, and understands gender issues as part of the wider concept of inequality-based discrimination. Despite persuasive research demonstrating that gender equality matters in development and that there are clear linkages between gender discrimination and the level of poverty in a country, in their operations the governmental agencies rarely focus on gender. Women?s voices and life experience are largely missing from the general debates on country development not to mention in the approval, implementation, monitoring or evaluation of specific actions/projects. This is a trend which needs to be reversed. Green Alternative also seeks to ensure that its own employees work in a gender-sensitive environment; we aim to achieve: ? A high degree of gender balance in members of Green Alternative and appointed or elected bodies of the organization. ? A working environment in which no employee is discriminated against due to her/his gender or sexual orientation, nor on other grounds laid out in the non-discriminatory hiring policy, below. ? A working environment in which the diversity of employees is appreciated and sensitivity is shown by all employees in their communications with one another, with stereotypes about male and female roles being avoided as much as possible. ? An environment in which employees having children feel adequately supported by Green Alternative through the system of parental leave and flexibility of working conditions, and in which female and male employees are equally likely to take parental leave. Equally, work should be organized so that childfree employees should not feel an undue additional work and travelling burden due to others? parental leave. Project working group will strive to ensure high degree of gender balance in all the activities of the project: seminars, roundtables, discussions, etc. Impact of the poor governance on women will be one of the important issues analyzed during the preparation of case studies. Also gender sensitive aspects in forest legislation and forest land use/management practice will be outlined by the project.

Local groups and non-governmental organizations have very limited opportunities to advocate and participate in decisions making process due to absence of policy and legislation analysis related to forest land governance. Proposed project is designed to promote the participation and capacity building of the local NGOs. Project actions will help spatial land-use planning that incorporates biodiversity and ecosystem service evaluation. Project will contribute to development of capacity of NGOs/CBOs and other stakeholders (including civil servants and decision makers) to address Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry issues (activity 2.1. Guidebook for decision-makers on responsible land (including forest land) governance; 2.2. White paper on forest zoning; 2.3. Seminars for decision-makers and civil servants; 2.4 Seminar for civil society groups. Project will help to harmonize sector policies and coordination of various institutions which are in charge of land use and forestry governance (Result 1, Result 2). Project will provide incentives for reducing the pressures and competition between land use systems and help resolution of conflicts related to the forest land governance (2.2 White Paper on forest land zoning).