Services of NREC
5.3 Publications
5.3.1 Newsletter
Goals
The goals are to inform constituents and interested parties about the NREC's services and recent developments and to publicize opportunities for assistance and cooperation.
Description
The NREC would publish a newsletter to inform potential constituents of the services available from the NREC and other service providers. The newsletter would not provide general environmental information, since other newsletters already provide such information. The newsletter would report on developments relating to the NREC's mission, specifically regional cooperation and public participation. After the second year the newsletter may consider reporting on new developments in select areas where the needs analysis indicates a demand. These areas could include: EIA, environmental audits, environmental risk assessment, environmental management, environmental economics and environmental law and policy.
The NREC would also place information regarding available services in other mass media outlets. In this regard, the implementers will need to make a decision early on whether an existing newsletter, if it had additional resources, could provide the information a NREC would want disseminated.
This service would require one staff person. This staffer would also prepare the annual report and work with the other service staffers in preparing manuals.
Objectives
- Publish a 16-page quarterly newsletter with a circulation of 2,000 on time every year, starting in the second year of the project.
Potential Partners
REC-Budapest, ISAR (R, U) publishes "Surviving Together," Socio-Ecological Union (R), two green publications in Russia are "Zeleny Mir" newspaper and "Svet" magazine, The National Ecological Center of Ukraine publishes "Oykumena," Greenpeace (U), Zeleny Svit (U), Ecological Movement of Moldova publishes "Natura", the International Ecological Agency "Altair" (M) publishes the "Heritage" Bulletin, East-West Environment, Maritime House and ECO-Accord publish "Aegis" Bulletin (R, U, M).
5.3.2 Environmental Directories
Goals
The goal is to facilitate communication and cooperation among the constituents and various environmental organizations.
Description
The Environmental Directory would be based on the information in the Regional Contacts Database. Ideally, the Environmental Directories would provide a listing of environmental organizations (NGOs, government and business) in all the countries in which the NREC operates. We recognize, however, that collecting the names for Russia would prove more time consuming than collecting the names for Moldova. In order to be timely, separate country directories may be published initially and then combined when updates are prepared.
The "Central Government Needs Analysis" substudy reports indicate that ministries and agencies other than the ministries of the environment often exert significant influence over certain environment-related issues. Even within the ministries of environment it is not always clear which departments have responsibility for a particular issue. Confusion also arises because of the rapid governmental decentralization trend, with regional and local governments assuming increased responsibilities. The directories will enable constituents to have an understanding of the overall government structure in order to know who to contact for information and assistance. The directories would also include information on NGOs and other environmental organizations.
The person who prepares the newsletter would have responsibility for this project, but a NREC would need to retain short- to medium-term outside consultants to assist with preparing the directory.
Objectives
- Information in the Regional Contacts Database would be expanded to provide a comprehensive listing of environmental organizations and would be revised regularly.
Potential Partners
ISAR (R, U, M), Sacred Earth Network (R), SEU Biodiversity Conservation Center (R), Counterpart (R, U, M), U.S. Agency for International Development, Environmental Policy and Technology Project (EPT) for West New Independent States (WNIS) Office (U), UNDP Representative Office (U).
REC * PUBLICATIONS * NEW REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTERS * SERVICES OF NREC
