Now the NGO community in Kazakhstan faces a strong need to develop new strategy, discus conditions of teamwork, and develop mechanisms to attract wider sections of the population into NGOs? activity.

One of the most important problems now is that the NGOs should position themselves as community of friendly organizations incorporated by mutual ideological platform and unified strategy of development. In practice the political situation in the country is developed in conditions of international donor assistance reduction and increasing of the state support of public sector. This causes development of NGOs sector, dividing it on loyal and "objectionable" organizations to the local authorities. Under such circumstances due to active participation and support of the state bodies new "confidants" NGOs are established. The main goal of such ?quazi-NGOs? becomes participation in the state programs. These tendencies form unhealthy competition among NGOs, bring split in development of public

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sector as a whole. In such situation it is extremely important for NGOs to understand "who they are" and what they should do to make their position much more stronger.

One of the most important factors that NGOs should pay special attention on is communication with local communities. It is necessary to find such mechanisms and tools which would allow to effectively involve local population into NGOs activity. Development of traditional nature management, use of local traditional skills, and attraction of local experts is the incomplete list of possible ways how the problem could be solved. The most important thing is to find motivation, to awake local people?s interest so that they could see the benefits, including economic ones.

The project is directed on effective development of Ecological forum of NGOs in Kazakhstan and strengthening of network interaction between members of this organization. The main project tasks are (i) development of mechanisms of involving of local population into the main environmental NGOs? activities, such as biodiversity conservation, land degradation, ecological tourism, environmental education;(ii) stirring up participation of environmental organizations of the remote areas in realization of projects in the GEF SGP thematic areas and stimulation of public participation in solving of socio-ecological issues; (iii) development of mechanism for active interaction inside the Ecological Forum of NGOs.

Besides, one of the important goals of the project is development and acceptance of a strategy for Ecological Forum of NGOs?s development 2006-2008. Strategic planning will be organized in thematic sections and then re-united into the entire strategy of development for the whole NGOs network. Within the project it is planned to lead a series of training consultations on development of mechanisms for involvement of local population into environmental problems solution and also on active interaction inside the EcoForum network.

As a result of the project the existing network of NGOs of Ecological forum will have the priority directions for further development, elaborated and approved by the common decision, each NGO and get tools for more effective capacity building.

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