Promoting Democracy and Citizens' Rights in Resource-Dependent Communities

News (in Russian):
Issue No 1, Issue No 2, Issue No 3.

Project Description

Resource extraction, especially of gold, diamond, oil and gas often infringe the human rights of local populations, for whom the surrounding environment is their asset. The aim of the project is to promote inclusiveness, pluralism and overall democratization in resource-dependent communities in Northwest Russia and Siberia. This project will empower civil rights defenders, indigenous people and local stakeholders in communities so that they may use existing rights that are provided by new national legislation and global regulation. By engaging all stakeholders in dialogue in the areas where land use is a contested space, the project will foster political representation and civic engagement in local land use policy. The regional and local environmental, social and indigenous NGOs will strengthen their capacity to act as human rights defenders. NGOs, belonging to different networks, such as environmental, indigenous, cultural, social and human rights will be empowered by training, networking and volunteering during project implementation.
Activities will take place in 5 geographical regions: the Republic of Karelia, Archangelsk oblast, Nenets Autonomous okrug, Irkutsk oblast, and the Republic of Buriatia. The action involves: a) a series of consultations with stakeholders and representatives civic groups in resource-dependent communities, in each of the geographical areas; b) training sessions for young human rights defenders will be organized in local high schools in resource-dependent communities; c) Policy exercises with all stakeholders involvement; d) consultative platforms will be created in the form of regular Stakeholder Dialogues, Multi-sectoral Partnerships, and Citizen Councils. Inter-sectoral partnerships will be created on the basis of win-win solutions to existing issues between stakeholders. Citizen councils will be created in places where there is a group of local leaders, who will be empowered by the project and will get involved in building a sustainable democratic community. Citizen councils will represent the inclusive group of informal leaders, including local civil rights defenders. Compared to Dialogues and Partnerships, Citizen Councils will engage a larger amount of stakeholders in democratic decision making around the resource use and extraction.

Starting date: 21 December 2010
Duration: 24 months

Contacts: The independent non-commercial organization 'CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT SOCIAL RESEARCH'
Email: ivan-kulyasov@yandex.ru, tysiachn@yandex.ru
Tel: 8 812 7183796
Web site: www.cisr.ru
Contact: Maria Tysiachniouk, Antonina Kulyasova

Partner 1: Centre for Independent Social Research and Education
Email: abdulova@mail.ru
Tel: +7 914 8829220
Web site: www.irk-center.ru
Contact: Irina Abdulova

Partner 2: Student's Nature Protecting Organization of Karelia 'SPOK'
Email: andrey.rodionov@mail.ru
Tel: +7 921 2245228
Web site: http://spok-karelia.ru
Contact: Andrey Rodionov

Partner 3: Arkhangelsk Regional Youth Environmental Public Organization, "AETAS"
Email: ekonet2007@mail.ru
Tel: +7 921 2994947
Web site: www.aetasarh.net
Contact: Alexey Ovchinnikov

Sponsored by: European Union, European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights