NRTC'S Past, Present & Future Role in
Strengthening of Civil Society by Building the
Capacities of National NGOs/CBOs

From Phase "ONE" to Phase "TWO"

The goal of Phase ONE of the project 'Strengthening of Civil Society by Building the Capacities of National NGOs' (begun in September 1997) was to 'help establish an enabling environment in Azerbaijan for national NGOs to grow and develop independently and to eventually become sustainable'.

Over 30 months - Phase ONE, the project implemented its mandate with a two pronged strategy. Firstly, by working very closely with the relevant government officials to help change mindsets regarding the needs and potential roles of national NGOs, and to put in place a supporting environment and legal framework which is conducive to Third Sector growth and development in Azerbaijan. The project has been doing this by organizing and financing exposure trips for relevant senior public officials and parliamentarians to countries where the national NGO sectors are well developed. Officials have also been sent overseas to attend international workshops and seminars related to the affairs of national NGOs, and to gain practical knowledge about the supportive roles which other national government play towards their national NGOs. Also within Azerbaijan, the project has organized numerous nation-wide workshops and seminars on NGO issues in close collaboration with government departments and officials.

The second strategy of the project has been to provide a venue in which national NGOs/CBOs can network and receive training, education and counseling. To achieve this objective, a well-equipped Resource & Training Center (NRTC) was established in June 1998, and is being extensively used by both national and international NGOs and donor agencies.

In June 1999, the 'National NGO Forum' of Azerbaijan was established with financial and technical support from the project. The project has assisted and continues to assist - numerous international donors and implementing agencies in their civil society development efforts by offering training to their national NGO implementing partners and/or by counseling them as they undertake their civil society development mandate. A very effective working rapport has been established with major mass media outlets, academic & research institutions and the private sector.

Phase ONE was financially and materially supported by UNDP, UNHCR and the governments of Sweden, Canada and Azerbaijan.

Phase ONE of the project has had a visible impact. There has been widespread recognition that the project has met its objectives and significantly contributed toward the creation of an enabling environment for the development of sustainable conditions for national NGOs to develop independently. However, despite these successes, continuation of the project for another 2 years, to ensure a firmer sustainable conditions, additional technical and financial support has been deemed essential by several major donors.

The needs and interest of donors have helped develop Phase TWO of the project, which began in May 2000 with financial support from UNDP, UNHCR and USAID.

By the closing of Phase TWO (scheduled for April 2002), the project-assisted National NGO Forum (NNF) and the national NGO sector will have the required expertise to provide much needed support for the development of the Azerbaijani social, economic and environment sector.

Phase TWO of the project will heavily emphasize the following 5 principal areas: