Civil society in Transnistria is underdeveloped and has an insignificant character, say experts

The civil society in Transnistria is sill poorly developed and isolated and has an insignificant character, said Alexandru Bucataru, head of the NGO Department of the Centre of Resources and Development for Transnistria (CRDT), which turned one year. At a news conference on October 24, Bucataru said that the civil society is ready and has the potential to develop until it is able to generate certain changes. The population can be encouraged to develop by strengthening the relations with the residents of the right bank of the Nistru and by involving them in the regional and continental cooperation, the cited source said. According to Bucataru, the initiative groups and the NGOs of the region should be continuously and increasingly financed. The grants should be small, designed for the community NGOs. This would be a possibility for attracting funds and for implementing projects, but also a credibility test for the region’s NGOs. The NGO Department organized ten thematic seminars attended by 185 people and offered individual advice to 22 nongovernmental organizations and initiative groups in such areas as formulation of the application for financing, project management, reporting procedures within projects etc. Teodora Gheorghita said that the CRDT legal Department which she heads organized five thematic seminars during a year. A number of 93 persons from 14 Transnistrian settlements took part in them. It provided free legal advice in over 250 cases. Gheorghita said that the residents of the region are afraid to take legal action to defend their rights. Some beneficiaries of the CRDT services refuse to use the legal means to defend their rights, indicated during the consultations offered by the Centre’s experts, because of threats and intimidations, or they give up the process after warned by the relatives that are afraid of the possible revenge of the region’s authorities. Gheorghita considers that in such conditions, the civil society and constitutional authorities should take steps to inform and educate the residents of the Transnistrian region on the human rights and the appropriate methods of defending them. The creation and activity of CRDT is a project implemented by the Association Promo-Lex with resources from the National Endowment for Democracy. CRDT is based in Cosnita, Dubasari district. It will continue with its activities during the next 12 months.