Environmental research

The Regional Advocacy Center-Delcevo is one of the three organizations in R. Macedonia that works and is actively included in the process of Green Agenda in municipality Delcevo. RAC-Delcevo conducted a survey to record the public opinion in Delcevo about ecology related issues in the town, mostly in the central urban area. The survey questionnaire was delivered among 300 citizens who live and work in the central urban area and it was ensured to have gender equality, balanced age structure included as well as percent inclusion of representatives from ethnic communities that live in Delcevo. For the occasion of the survey, being a part of the process of Green Agenda in Delcevo, the RAC also organized a forum where the results were presented in front of wider circle of citizens. At the very forum, apart from the opportunities to hear the results, the citizens also had the possibility to give project their own contribution to determine the priority issues in the field of ecology and to assist identification of values and trends in the central urban area. Such approach enables the citizens of this populated area and the whole town to plan their own local and economic development as well as to empower self organization and to decide about the type of their living environment. The successful feedback and cooperation with the local authorities and the population in municipality of Delcevo in the current process of the Green Agenda in Delcevo provided our organization with the opportunity to determine the first priority which was projected in the very process, that is, Growth of energetic efficiency in municipality Delcevo through introducing of a positive trend-substitution of the current mercury light bulbs (from the public lightening) with energy efficient lights. By undertaking of this step RAC and the municipality of Delcevo joined a strategic partnership and signed a memorandum for understanding where the rights and obligations were precisely specified, that is, the establishing of special fund is regulated in the municipal budget which will be filled by the saved finances from the installed energy efficient lights. The lights in the town park from the left and the right banks of the river Bregalnica are older than 20 years and use lights that are inefficient in terms of expenditure and time framework. 60 sodium light bulbs will be installed with chandeliers in the town park and the current functional poles will be used and the necessary corrections (cleaning, painting and their attachment). The predicted project activities are completely according to the program of GEF/PMG, their strategy in Macedonia, and cover the Operative program 6. We would also like to mention that it is a project at a local level with an idea to reduce the poverty and the problems with social-economic character, through building partnerships of institutions and organizations from diverse profile. Also, the project will be implemented with measurable influence which will contribute to the self-sustainability of the same.

Macedonia