OSCE awards grants to projects in Azerbaijan addressing environment and security issues

The OSCE Office in Baku awarded on 29 May 2012 grants to four civil society organizations for projects they will run in the field of environment and security.

The grants ranging from 11,000 to 15,000 Euros will be given to the Debates in Civil Society Public Union, the Economic Research Centre, the Sustainable Development Society and EkoSfera Social-Ecology Centre. The money will finance projects to develop a curriculum on biodiversity for a bachelor degree major, promote sustainable agricultural practices, build the capacity of youth in environmental advocacy, and promote sustainable water management.

The grant recipients were selected by a board comprising representatives from the OSCE Office in Baku, the UN Development Programme and the Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry of Azerbaijan.

The grants are part of the OSCE Office’s Civic Action for Security and Environment (CASE) programme, which started in 2009. Co-ordinated by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, the CASE is part of the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative Work Programme for the South Caucasus region. ENVSEC is a partnership between the OSCE, the UN Development Programme, the UN Environment Programme, the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe and NATO as an associate partner. In Azerbaijan, the CASE programme is funded by the OSCE Office in Baku through contributions of the United States and Norway, as well as through the government of Finland’s contributions to the ENVSEC Initiative.