PROAKTIVA 

Promotion of the Public Participation

The organization Proaktiva was founded in March 2001 and recently it celebrated the first year of its existence.
The idea for its establishment originated from the fact that in Macedonia there is a great need of public participation in the decision-making processes, especially in the international financial institutions' (IFI) activities whose projects and investments have a large impact on the economy and the environment.

Macedonia has many natural resources that can be used for production of renewable energy, as it is in the Western countries. Apart from that, Proaktiva works on efficient and economical use of energy in the households.

This organization has several objectives: monitoring the international financial institutions; promoting renewable energy; power efficiency and sustainable development.

The objectives are realized through public campaigns, printed materials, lobbying with the decision-makers, seminars and meetings, distribution of information to the NGOs and other interested groups, conducting researches and educating the public for the possibilities of their participation.

In their one-year existence, Proaktiva has realized several programs. Thus, through the activities of CEE Bankwatch Network in Macedonia they have supervised the work and the activities of the international financial institutions in Macedonia. Macedonian Energy Brigades is a two-years' program which is related to the field of energy and which started in January 2002. Through this program they isolate the windows and the doors of public institutions (schools, kindergartens, etc), thus saving 20 to 30 percent of the energy.

The project "Right to Participate" included training seminars for NGO activists working with the IFI as well as meetings with representatives from these institutions.
Proaktiva is a member of two international NGO networks - CEE Bankwatch Network, the biggest NGO network for Central and Eastern Europe, which monitors the IFI and their activities and International Energy Brigades), the biggest NGO network in Middle and Eastern Europe which works in the field of energy problems. Proaktiva realizes active cooperation with several international organizations and foundations such as Milieukontakt Oost-Europa and Both Ends from Holland, IIEC from England, CEE Bankwatch Network, DFID and the Open Society Institute Macedonia Foundation.

Proaktiva has its own web site:www.proaktiva.org.mk  


D. Medaroski