Development of the NGO sector in Moldova

Within the framework of the project «Strengthening of NGO community in Transdniestria» (2003-2004), supported by American organization «National Endowment for Democracy» five resource centers for NGOs in Transdniestria are being created. The main goal of this project is to contribute to the strengthening of the NGO capacities in Transdniestria on access to information, in searching of the finance for their activities, in developing international cooperation and a closer relationship with the population. This project is being implemented in the partnership with the Moldavian NGO The OrangeNet Foundation, which is implementing a similar project on the right bank of Dniester in Moldova.

In October 1999 in Chisinau BIOTICA, with the support of Regional Environmental Center in Moldova (REC-Moldova), organized a Forum of ecological NGOs «Dnieser-99», first of this kind. It permitted to consolidate forces of NGOs for solving the acute problems of the Dniester basin and to develop a unique position for decisions taken on issues important for environment. This helped in implementation of the provisions of Aarhus Convention (1998), Convention on Biodiversity Conservation (1992) and Helsinki Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses (1992), as well as support to drafting of the Convention on wise use of water and biological resources and conservation of the Dniester River's biodiversity. More than that, the International Environmental Association of River Keepers «ECO-TIRAS» was founded, a system of information exchange among the participants of the Forum was created, the transboundary collaboration was developed and the role of the NGOs in the decision-making process at the local and state levels was strengthened.

In 2000-2001 with the support of the Regional Environmental Center of Moldova and British Know How Fund a project of development of the ecological NGOs in Transdniestria was implemented. For this purpose there were organized meetings, discussions and seminars with the participation of the Transdniestrian activists in the environmental field on the issues of NGO legislation, informational support of the NGOs activity, international ecological legislation, writing of the statutes of the organizations and applications for grant. During the discussions there were planed joint activities in the field of landscape diversity, ecotourism, education for sustainable development and solution of small rivers’ problems. As a result, ten new ecological NGOs have appeared in Transdniestria.

The project «Development of local philanthropy in Moldova» is realised by the BIOTICA Ecological Society in cooperation with NGO «Pro-Business-Nord» (Balti) with support from the US Embassy in Moldova (Public Affairs Section). It included a set of seminars for local businesses on how to establish a grantmaking foundation and publication of a guide. The book «The Purposes and the Procedure of Establishing a Foundation» (2003), authors: Natalia Izdebschi, Tatiana Siniaeva, Ilya Trombitsky and Elena Rososenco, has been written and published by the BIOTICA in frames of the project. The book is published in Romanian and in Russian and is designed to help with the implementation of the law "On Foundations" (1999). It provides guidance for local businesses and individuals, who are interested in developing philanthropy in Moldova by establishing a foundation. It describes registration procedures and management of foundations in Moldova, the legal and tax environment in which they operate, as well as their current status within a society in a period of economic and political transitions. This book is the second in a series of books on different organizational forms of NGOs in Moldova. In 1997 and in 2001 BIOTICA published a book «For What Purpose and How Citizens' Associations are Being Created» in Romanian and in Russian.

This is the name of the book published in Romanian and Russian in 1997 with the support of Eurasia Foundation / USAID. The book was first in its field as a guide for NGOs necessary for their establishment and activities. The book includes also a review of amendments in the tax legislation revealing the possibilities for the foreign experts to familiarize with the legislative basis of the NGOs in Moldova. Within the framework of the project a public poll among the population, NGOs and representatives of the Government and Parliament with the purpose to find out the opinion of the people about the NGOs had been realized. Due to its great request the second revised edition of this book appeared in 2001.

Drafting of the law «On Associations» was realized in 1994-1996 with the support of the Eurasia Foundation / USAID. The law was drafted by BIOTICA, passed in the Parliament of Moldova at 17 May 1996 and published officially on 23 January 1997. For the first time in the post-Soviet space the law «On Associations» was drafted by NGOs themselves. According to the evaluations of the western and local experts, the law prepared by BIOTICA became the most advanced among similar laws among post-Soviet countries.