ЦЕЛЕВЫЕ ПРОГРАММЫ:

       The problems of degradation of the environment draw more and more rapt attention of the representatives of the most various spheres of the society. The government of the country takes measures for improvement of the state the environment. However, these measures are insufficient by a series of reasons. Among them is a weak participation of the community in nature protection programs due to low knowledge of environmental problems and ways of their solution. The community receives the most part of information on these problems through the mass media: newspapers, magazines, TV and radio. At the same time, publications on ecological issues have no system character and only incidentally reflect the matters of nature protection. There is shortage of qualified eco-journalists in the country. The prestige of ecological subjects is low.

      Even sound editions, TV and radio channels do not presume to have the reporters specializing on nature protection subjects. In this connection, the superficial materials are quite often published in mass-media.

      There is no strategy of partnership of eco-journalists and NGOs, and their interactions with the authorities.

      At the same time, there are some examples when publications could change a situation, induce people to energetic actions and be conductive to the solution of environmental problems.

      Regular and competent interpretation of nature protection problems in the mass-media can promote the change in the attitude of the society to the natural environment.

      Currently there are all conditions for combining efforts of the interested community in improvement of informing of the population on the condition of the environment and ways of solution of the ecological problems. The existing ecological situation in various regions of the country makes necessary the development of long-term plans and programs of joint activity.



      The Purpose of the Target Program is consolidation of efforts of the authorities, mass-media and NGOs for increase of level of the society's knowledge on the condition of the environment and the experience available in the solution of ecological problems.



      The Objectives:

      - to develop plans of joint activity of NGOs, mass-media and state structures on the increase of awareness of the population about the environmental problems and ways of their solution;

      - to involve journalists of the central and local mass-media in the actions on informing of the community about the condition of the environment and the experience in nature protection activities available;

      - to organize the information companies in mass-media, festivals, competitions, conferences and seminars with a view of popularization of eco-journalism and raisings of its prestige;

      - to develop and realize the programs of training of eco-journalists and their professional development together with the leading educational institutions and international organizations.

      There are a lot of examples of successful cooperation of the authorities, mass-media and NGOs in informing of the public on the experience in solution of environmental problems. The projects on the development of ecological journalism are carried out in the country under the grants of international organizations. The constructive relations between the NGOs, journalists and representatives of government have been formed, and the joint actions on the support of editions and eco-journalists are carried out.

      The growth of the public importance of journalism is promoted by attraction of the contributors of mass-media to the international and regional forums and to the Central-Asian festival of ecological journalism among them.

      In 2002, the Uzbek journalists took part in the Second Central-Asian Festival of Eco-journalism in Almaty for the first time.

      In 2003, the participation of the best Uzbek eco-journalists from Karakalpakstan, Samarkand, Kashkadarya, Fergana regions and Tashkent-city in the Third Festival held in Dushanbe was organized.

      The Fourth Central-Asian Festival of Eco-journalism will be held in Tashkent in 2004, and participation in it will promote the growth of ecological subjects' prestige among the Uzbek journalists and raising of their professional qualification.



      The main directions of activities:

      Support of the International organizations, mass-media and NGOs' efforts in dissemination of the ideas of the Aarhus Convention within the society;

      The development of a strategy of increase in efficiency of the use of various channels of the population informing about the environmental problems and ways of their solution;

      The work on realization of plans of joint actions and partner projects on informing of the population about the condition of the natural environment and the experience in the solution of ecological problems in different regions of the country;

      Involving of journalists from the mass-media of various level in participation in the Central-Asian Festival of Ecological Journalism, competitions and conferences;

      Holding the seminars, and training courses for eco-journalists on permanent basis;

      Information campaigns in the mass-media of different regions of the country;

      Support of participation of eco-journalists in the International projects and actions;

      Participation in working out of the programs on training of eco-journalists in the leading educational institutions of the country;

      Creation and regular update of data base on the mass-media and journalists publishing the data on ecological subjects.