“INRECO” launches contest for financing advocacy projects

A number of public associations in Chisinau are consolidating their capacities in influencing the decision-making at local level. Five representatives of NGOs from Chisinau have participated in Timisoara, Romania, in the training course “Management of Coalitions”. This course is part of the project “Active Involvement of NGOs in Participatory Democracy”, conducted by the Euroregional Centre for Democracy (Timisoara, Romania), Conflict’s Resolution Institute “INRECO”, Chisinau, and Regional Agency for Transborder Cooperation of the Euroregion “Lower Danube” (Reni, Ukraine). Representatives of the Institute of Training in Development “Millennium”, “CAPTES” Centre, “My Generation”, Private Transporters’ Association, Radio Station “Antena C“ have applied knowledge about coalitions, management of organisations and advocacy. The agenda of the course was diverse and participants had the possibility to get familiar with the theory in this field, to pay visits to local NGOs, which were involved in finding solutions to different community problems thanks to coalitions. In the end of the training course, each delegation presented a model of a coalition project that can be carried out in the respective countries. These projects will serve as a model for the contest of launching an advocacy campaign. The winner of the contest will benefit from financial support. The official festivity for project’s finalisation will be held in Chisinau in March 2007. Representatives of NGOs and local authorities from Chisinau, Timisoara and Reni will participate in the event. In addition, “INRECO” launches the contest for financing advocacy projects in Chisinau municipality. The contest’s goal is to stimulate NGOs to propose strategies that would lead to increasing the public authorities’ receptivity to the dialogue with the civil society. There will be especially supported initiatives in forming a coalition between civil society organisations involved in advocacy projects. The deadline for submissions is January 8, 2007. The application form and requirements can be found at NGO of “INRECO”, 31 August Street, 98, office 205, tel. 20 34 64 or e-mail: inrecong@mail.md. “Active Involvement of NGOs in Participatory Democracy” project is supported by Soros Moldova Foundation within “The East-East: Partnership Beyond Borders” Programme.