Cablegate: Democracy Grant to Terra Mileniul Iii

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS BUCHAREST 000611

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/ACE JENNIFER CERIALE AND DAVID FROMAN
AND EUR/PPD MARION EKPUK

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KDEM KPAO SCUL PGOV
SUBJECT: DEMOCRACY GRANT TO TERRA MILENIUL III
ASSOCIATION - REPORT

1. The purpose of the project "For Whom do we vote for
sustainable development?" that Terra Mileniul III
implemented through a $14,980 DSG was threefold: to
monitor the environmental policies promoted by political
parties in their electoral campaigns, to raise citizen
awareness of these policies, and to influence the elected
political parties on their environmental policy
decisions.

2. As result of the meetings with political parties and
citizens, and after collecting environmental information,
Terra Mileniul III noted that political policies
concerning the environment were scarce. Consequently,
during the electoral campaign, the grantee initiated a
series of articles in the press about the insufficient
attention paid to environmental issues in public policies
and electoral platforms.

3. The new Government has announced the ruling program
for environment protection to be implemented by the
Ministry of Environment. Terra Mileniul III brought
together representatives of 29 NGOs and 7 political
parties to analyze this program and establish a platform
for cooperation in the next four years. In this respect,
a list of partnership priority actions was developed for
environmental authorities and NGOs. Environmental NGOs
are committed to contribute to more effective
environmental policies by sharing information and know-
how with the government and by direct action.

4. The project has succeeded in raising public awareness
of environmental issues in Romania and setting the
grounds for a partnership between the Ministry of
Environment, and Agency for Environmental Protection and
Romanian NGOs in the field. Cooperation between the
Government and environmental NGOs was not effective in
the past. NGOs complained that in the past 15 years there
had been 13 ministers of environment who had rather
administered ecological crises than making decisions to
improve the environment. Terra Mileniul III and the other
environmental NGOs participant in the project are now
confident that the new Government will want to work
together with NGOs for the common cause of protecting the
environment in Romania.

5. The grantee will continue to monitor the Government in
its decisions affecting the environment and will publish
a special report on environmental policies.

DELARE

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