CAPACITY BUILDING

Much of the success encountered at Sofia can be attributed to strong environmental leaders in many different sectors. The Regional Environmental Center facilitates the development of these leaders by offering capacity building programs for all stakeholders in the region.

JUNIOR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM The Junior Fellowship Program is one of the REC's most effective programs for developing young environmentalists into Central and Eastern Europe's leaders of the future. The program provides participants with valuable experience in an international environmental organization, and encourages fellows from different backgrounds to exchange experiences.

During its second full year of operation, the Junior Fellowship Program hosted thirty-five fellows from seventeen different countries in CEE and the former Soviet republics, up from twenty-nine the year before. Fellows come to the REC's head office for one month of practical training on how to manage an environmental nongovernmental organization. While at the Center, fellows attend lectures, give seminars and visit successful environmental organizations in Central Europe. They also have the opportunity to use the REC's facilities to work on projects for their own NGO or to work with a REC team on a specific REC project. These experiences introduce young environmentalists to environmental problems and solutions in the region, and helps the REC develop useful contacts in countries in or near the REC's constituency.

ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM To complement the Junior Fellowship Program and further improve NGO capacity in the region, the Regional Environmental Center teamed up with Environmental Partnership for Central Europe to launch a joint leadership training project. The Environmental Leadership Training Program promotes East-East cooperation by teaming members of developing NGOs with more experienced organizations in other countries. This program builds the capacity of nongovernmental organizations to become involved in the environmental debate and, perhaps more importantly, to take stronger leadership roles in the field of environmental protection. The first group will participate in the program in early 1996.

ALBANIA'S DIRECTOR OF TOURISM Genc Pasko was one of seven Senior Fellows to visit the REC in 1995.


SENIOR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM A Russian economist. An environmental lawyer from the Ukraine. Albania's director of tourism. These are just three of the seven senior fellows the REC hosted in 1995. Started in 1994, the Senior Fellowship Program assists experienced environmental experts to develop innovative ideas or alternative solutions to the region's environmental problems. Fellows study an issue or topic of their choice at the REC's head office in Budapest where they have access to the REC's excellent resources. The program also encourages fellows to travel to neighboring countries in Central Europe to visit relevant environmental organizations, libraries and research institutions, promoting cooperation among experts from across the region.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING CENTER NETWORK The role of business and industry in environmental protection is crucial in Central and Eastern Europe. "You must spend as much money on training as you do on technical products and capital investment," said Percy Barnevik, president and CEO of global transportation and electricity giant ABB, at the Sofia conference. The REC couldn't agree more, and so has continued its EMTC Network program to increase the capability of managers and policymakers to effectively manage environmental programs in CEE.

AT A REC WORKSHOP in Hungary, EMTC administrators developed long-term strategies for financial sustainability.


In 1995, the EMTC Network was expanded to include twelve centers in nine countries. Like other centers in the network, the new additions deliver environmental management training courses to business professionals, government officials and NGO members. Expansion improves the EMTC Network's ability to link, support and strengthen the region's leading environmental training institutions. The focus in 1995 was to assist EMTCs to develop long-term business plans and move toward independent financial sustainability.

REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER * ANNUAL REPORT 1995