PRINT

Civil society from the Transnistrian region has been always characterized as being an emerging segment of the associative environment, influenced by the development trends from the right bank of the Nistru river, but under the pressure of the local authorities.
However, the effort of representatives of NGOs in strengthening third sector determine the vector of development oriented to performance and competitiveness. This is confirmed by the interest expressed by Transnistrian NGOs in events, organized by NGOs from the right bank, focused on local NGOs.
In this regard, the “Forum of Transnistrian NGOs”, held on 12-13 December 2009 (at the Complex “Odisseu”), organized by the Promo-LEX Association in partnership with the Association “Rodoliubet” for the second consecutive year, is practically the most important event for civil society from the left bank of the Nistru.

The 2009 edition of the “Forum of Transnistrian NGOs” set the following objectives:
– create a discussion platform for representatives of NGOs from the region;
– facilitate and strengthen cooperation between NGOs from the region, and: the donor environment, organizations from the right side of the Nistru river, and other international NGOs;
– identify opportunities for capacity building of NGOs from the region.
In order to achieve the fallowing objectives the event was held in a new format, Open Space – “Cafe of Ideas”. Topics of the Cafe of Ideas concerned the following aspects of NGO activity in the region: The image of NGOs in society; Nongovernmental sector development prospects / expectations for 2010; Financial sustainability of NGOs from the region; Prospects for the possibilities of partnership relations with foreign NGOs.

The Cafes of Ideas were moderated so as to provide the time for each participant to express his/her ideas and thoughts concerning the aforementioned topics. The participation at the event of the 58 representatives of NGOs / Initiative Groups from the region contributed to identifying, from multiple perspectives, the real problems that they face whilst realizing their activities. The role of discussion was not only to determine and systematize problems, but also to formulate recommendations / conclusions on the subject matter. The set of final suggestions concerned issues of activity at a local level, but also recommendations addressed to donors.

The second day of the Forum was dedicated to a meeting between civil society representatives with delegations and representatives of donor organizations and NGOs from the right bank. This session of discussion and presentation of the organizations helped to involve all participants in a common work platform, in order to facilitate the development of the NGO sector from the region, as part of Moldova. In this context, participants discussed the idea of creating a Coordinating Council of NGOs in the region, and opinions were very different. Concerning this issue, representatives of NGOs from the right bank expressed their opinion that it would be premature to develop such a structure. However, the initiative was welcomed and remains to be discussed locally between interested NGOs. This fact shows not only the advanced level of the third sector from the region, and the good results achieved by the stakeholders, but also the need to unify efforts, consolidate, and develop solidarity in order to achieve the public good.

The event represents the first step of the Forum of Transnistrian NGOs: the second phase is planned to be launched in February 2010 and will aim to facilitate contacts between NGOs / local Initiative Groups, and NGOs from abroad interested in developing partnerships and projects in the region.

The event was organized by the Promo-LEX Association in partnership with the organization “Rodoliubet”, with financial support from the Czech organization “People in Need”, the Czech Foreign Ministry’s program “Transition”, and the OSCE Mission in Moldova.
The Forum is part of the activities performed by the Resources and Development Center for Transnistria, a Promo-LEX Association project, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy.