Part IV
Slovakia
Spolocnost pre Trvalo Udrzatelny Zivot, od bocka Biele Karpaty - Society for Sustainable Living, Branch Office White Carpathians
Trencin, 2 February 1996
- Hviezdoslavova 1
- 911 01 Trencin
- Slovakia
- Phone: 42 831 357 63
- Fax: 42 831 364 12
- E-mail: liskova@seps.bb.sanet.sk
The person and his function in the NGO
- Mr. Viktor Niznansky - Project leader of the 'Restoration
of rural communities and landscapes of the Biele Karpaty region'
project.
The NGO itself
The Society for Sustainable Living was established in 1992 in
Prague by Josef Vavrousek and Mikulás Huba as
a voluntary, non-governmental and non-profit organization with
the aim to search and assert alternative life-styles compatible
with a sustainable development for man and nature.
Since the splitting of Czechoslovakia in 1993 two organizations
with compatible programs exist in both Slovakia and the Czech
Republic. The Societies in both countries have several regional
branches; for Slovakia these are in the regions of Bratislava,
Sub-Tatra, White Carpathians, Zvolen and Kosice.
The White Carpathian branch of the Society for Sustainable Living
is established in 1993 and is an active partner in several projects
in the White Carpathians, the main project however is the project
on restoration of rural communities and landscapes. The split
of Czechoslovakia has placed the White Carpathian region into
a very specific position, since it suddenly became a border area
where it was once centrally located and mutually developed.
Structure
The Society for Sustainable Living is organized on both local
and regional level in Slovakia, but also in the same way in the
Czech Republic. The head office with the secretariat of the Society
in Slovakia is in Bratislava, this office covers all national
activities. Every two year the general assembly elects a national
board and the president of this board. The five local branches
organize their own offices and projects.
Objective(s) / Goal(s)
By searching and asserting human values and ways of life compatible
with sustainable development for mankind, the goal is to achieve
the ideals of humanism and harmony between man and nature. Very
important for this is the (supporting of) elaboration and implementation
of the concept of sustainable development.
Main areas of activity of the
Society for Sustainable Living
Collection and dissemination of information together with environmental
education and training are a priority for this branch of the Society.
Lobbying and commenting on draft laws are two other important
areas of activities, for both national and regional level. Nature
protection and demonstration projects are activities done within
the long-lasting rural project of the Society. Protest actions
are not very common, but in the case of the coming 'Third Sector
Law', the Society for Sustainable Living is protesting as well.
Resources
- Human
- The White Carpathian branch of the Society for Sustainable Living
has 7 members who are active volunteers for the NGO, they work
in the office, the nature conservation area of the White Carpathians
and/or in the rural development project. The branch has 1 employee
in the office, while 2,5 employees are paid from the grants for
the rural development project. In the beginning of 1996 3 new
employees will start working in the villages in the White Carpathians
to enlarge and strengthen the local activities of the project.
At this moment no westerners are working with this branch of the
Society, but there is need for a native English speaker as a teacher
and translator.
- Money
- The budget for 1995 for this branch was approximately 33,000 USD.
The money is only coming from funding organizations like Environmental
Partnership, REC, PHARE, the Atlantic Center for the Environment/Quebec-Labrador
Foundation and the Environmental Training Project for CEE. Local
governments sometimes supply the Society with for example office
space.
- Expertise
- Spoken languages in the office are Slovak, German, English and
Russian. The expertise on environmental issues for the own region
is quite high, whereas the organizational level need some improvement,
especially on national level. This is natural process of growing
and developing of an organization. Some individuals are able to
provide expertise on national as well as strategical level.
- Access to information
- Phone, fax and computer(s) with e-mail access are available in
the office. Within the rural project a good contact is established
with the local governments, so interesting political information
is easy to get on the local level. On national level this is much
more difficult. Among the members and supporters of the Society
enough 'media people' are available to have an easy access to
information.
External Relations and intensity of the contact
Most external relations of the Society are based on cooperation,
although on national level conflicts with the government exist,
for example about the Mochovce nuclear power plant. Cooperation
in the White Carpathian region is very good with the local governments
and the local entrepreneurs as well. In order to improve the communication,
cooperation and mutual assistance, a local development association,
called "Resources of the White Carpathians" was created
in the autumn of 1995. One of the association's objectives is
to promote alternative types of employment in the region, such
as services and sustainable tourism. The cooperation with other
NGOs on national level is high intensive, just as the cooperation
with the Czech partners, the Society for Sustainable Living in
Czech and the Veronica clearinghouse in Brno, in the rural development
project of the White Carpathians. The branch also cooperates with
NGOs from the USA and Austria, for example on the Landscape Stewardship
Exchange project with the Atlantic Center for the Environment
and a rural development project with Waldviertel.
East-East Cooperation
The East-East cooperation of the White Carpathian branch of the
Society for Sustainable Living is very intensive with especially
the Czech sister Society. In the border area of the White Carpathian
rural project are also local governments, citizen groups and the
majors of several villages from both the Czech and Slovak Republic
involved. Still it is a fact that the cooperation of the NGOs
further goes than that of the governmental bodies.
Advantages / Motivation
The White Carpathian region is one geographical area, it is the
Protected Landscape Area 'Biele Karpaty' designated in the Czech
and Slovak Republics. The area became after the splitting up of
Czechoslovakia by chance a border area; so East-East cooperation
with the Czech neighbors is logical. For the area it is very important
that people keep on living there, because without citizens nature
protection is impossible. And since it is a border crossing area
now the social community should be build on both sides of the
border. This means finding a way to give this people ecological
sound employment and courses in nature conservation. The development
of ecotourism, ecological agriculture and forest management can
only be done together with the Czechs, so cooperation is needed
here.
Problems / Obstacles
The main problems for sustainable development of the whole area
are the newly established borders, unemployment and the lack of
local renewable resources. The border represents a political problem
between nations, but it did not stop cooperation and good relations
between people and NGOs on both sides of the border. Of course
more capacity in both financial and human resources would be very
nice to run the project more intensive and to extend it to the
Polish side as well.
Surplus Value / Results of East-East cooperation
The main result is that most local people in the White Carpathian
area are still in good contact with their Czech neighbors. The
aim of the joint project is to help to create wider contacts.
The project is developing well, but different legislation in the
Czech and Slovak Republics causes slower progress of the project.
For example in the Czech Republic regional associations are not
legal, but communities can get governmental subsidies. In Slovakia
it is the other way around; especially the lack of an effective
subsidy system is bad.
Necessary features of a NGO for East-East cooperation
It is necessary to work on border issues and to be close to each
other, physically and cultural. The capacity of both groups in
human and financial resources have to be big enough. And of course
good personal relations with the neighboring NGOs are needed.
Possible reasons for others not to start East-East cooperation
So far it seems the most beneficial way to cooperate with the
closest neighbors like in the White Carpathians Czechs and Slovaks
do. It is very difficult to generalize, but another reason not
to start East-East cooperation can be a lack of information about
potential partners in CEE countries. On the contrary, East-West
cooperation is known, useful in financial or democracy building
issues. Another reason is probably the lack of global thinking.
Future of East-East cooperative behavior of the NGO
The White Carpathians Branch intends to continue the rural development
project in the area with a holistic approach while cooperating
mainly with Czech partners, as the White Carpathians is one natural
unit. The NGO sees the project as a permanent development process
carried out by local population and associations, implemented
with support of local government, state agencies and NGOs. The
project, successful in the White Carpathians can serve as a model
project for similar areas.
The branch would like to extend East-East cooperation with Polish
partners, in order to move forward from exchanging information
to working together on specific programs. The aim of such cooperation
is to establish a Czech - Slovak - Polish Euroregion in the geographical
area of the Western Carpathians.
REC and East-East cooperation
The White Carpathian Society applied for and received an Earmarked
Grant, so REC and its procedures are wellknown. It is necessary
that REC tries to promote East-East cooperation. It will be harder
and harder to convince people of the necessity of this cooperation.
Nationalistic politicians and disappointed citizens will not handle
in favor of cooperation, so it is absolutely needed that external
money and support comes to East-East cooperative groups. Good
examples of East-East cooperation are needed to convince NGOs
and (local) governments. Grants should be given especially to
border projects where economical and ecological development goes
together. Finally more information exchange is needed, with other
environmental groups, for example in international NGO networks
and about the environmental situation in the different countries.
Since our governments are not giving objective information. Eventually
courses in 'global thinking' can be helpful as well.
REC * PUBLICATIONS * BEYOND BORDERS - SIDE REPORT * SLOVAKIA
