Regional Environment Centre for the Caucasus (REC Caucasus)

The Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (REC Caucasus) is an independent, non-for-profit organisation, established to assist in solving environmental problems as well as development of the civic society in the countries of the South Caucasus. MISSION The mission of the REC Caucasus is determined as “to assist in solving of environmental problems in the Caucasus region through the promotion of co-operation at national and regional level among NGOs, governments, business, local communities, and all other environmental stakeholders, in order to develop a free exchange of information, in line with the principles of the Aarhus Convention; offer assistance to all environmental NGOs and other stakeholders; and increase public participation in the decision-making process, thereby assisting the states of the Caucasus in the further development of a democratic civil society”. FOUNDERS OF REC CAUCASUS REC Caucasus has been established within the framework of the "Environment for Europe Process" based on the decision made at the Sofia Ministerial Conference in 1995. The founding document of REC Caucasus - its Charter - was signed in September 1999 by the governments of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and the European Union. In March 2000 REC Caucasus was officially registered as an independent, not-for-profit, non-advocacy foundation in Tbilisi, Georgia. THEIR DONORS The work of REC CAUCASUS is being supported by: European Commission (EC), Government of Germany, Government of the Netherlands, Government of Norway, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Deutche Gasellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Eurasian Partnership Foundation, German Financial Cooperation (KFW), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Principality of Liechtenstein and others. Work of the organisation is supported by the EU, US EPA, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), etc. STRUCTURE Headquarters of REC Caucasus are located in Tbilisi, Georgia. The organisation has also branch offices in Yerevan, Armenia and Baku, Azerbaijan. REC Caucasus is managed by the Executive Body – a collegial Troika consisting of representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. REC Caucasus is directed by the Board of Directors which comprises representatives from the governments of the three founding states, representatives of NGOs from all three states, a donor representative and a science/ business representative. OVERALL GOALS REC Caucasus has been established: to serve environmental stakeholders within and outside the South Caucasus region: national and local governments, NGOs, media, business, local communities, science, international community, teachers, students, children, etc; to contribute to the improvement of the Caucasus environment by facilitating introduction and implementation of global, European, regional and national environmental policies; to provide a gateway for dialogue, networking and cooperation among environmental stakeholders and partners at global, regional, national and local levels;