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LEAD CIS SOIF Grant 2009

 

LEAD International Opportunities and Investment Fund (SOIF)
approved the LEAD CIS request for 2009 Core Grant to expand its training and project activity and strengthen LEAD CIS visibility on Russian and CIS arena and less financial dependent on LEAD International.

LEAD CIS is the part of the LEAD International network from 1991.

The first LEAD CIS Cohort was selected in 1992.

LEAD CIS Regional Program covers 12 countries within Commonwealth of Independent States with large spectrum of commonalities and differences as well.

The LEAD CIS host institute - Russian legal entity Non-Governmental Non-profit “Development and Environment Foundation” known as DEF was established in 1992 and re-registered in 2000 and 2007.

DEF core activity is LEAD CIS management and legal assistance, according the Russian legislation.
The DEF activity is governed by its Board. The Board considers and confirms the Foundation main directions, long-term programs and fundraising policy, take part in associate recruitment and confirm the final LEAD CIS Cohort List.

There are presently 172 LEAD Fellows in LEAD CIS, including 47 from CIS States, 58from different regions of Russia and 69 from Moscow. LEAD CIS Fellows represent all social spheres: academia, business, mass-media, non-governmental and governmental sectors.

LEAD CIS Fellows are involved in numerous projects on renewable energy issues, desertification, and public involvement in environmental impact assessment (EIA). Three Fellows are presently members of LEAD CIS Regional steering committee.

Through the projects LEAD CIS and DEF actively collaborate with WWF, UNEP, UN Convention on combat desertification, UN Convention on climate change, Regional Environmental Centers (REC) in Russia and Central Asia (Kazakhstan), Ministry of natural resources and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation, British Embassy and British Council, Russian Academy of Sciences (Institute of Geography, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Kola Research Center), Moscow State University, Astrakhan State University, Ministry of environmental protection of Armenia.

Some of these project's overhead help DEF and LEAD CIS to support training and other LEAD related events using not only LI financial support.

The SOIF Core Grant is given to help LEAD CIS during year of 2009 organizes the process of Cohort 14 training and creates a strategy for future LEAD CIS development in more self sustainable and less dependent financially on LI way.

The LEAD CIS Regional Member Program 2009 overall aim should be its Visibility Expansion and Projects Management Improvement within the frame of LEAD Strategic Plan and LEAD CIS Strategy for 2007-09 and beyond.

The specific instrument to do this is mobilization, evaluation and straitening LEAD CIS network of fellows, staff and board members, partners and friends of LEAD for Regional program visibility expansion.

Geographically the MP activity will focus on the Russian Federation, other CIS countries and Mongolia.

LEAD CIS plans to mobilization MP network to influence on CIS region & Mongolia sustainable development based on cross-cultural and cross-sectoral approaches.

The growing LEAD CIS influence and visibility as the key regional NGO will be used for sustainable development issues within the CIS region and Mongolia.

One the LEAD CIS goal is to carry out regional projects in area of socio-economical and scientific aspects of climate change and leadership. For this LEAD CIS will continue to improve its capacity of knowledge and consultancy team.

Project proposals writing, communication with international, regional and Russian grant makers and possible donators will be one of the main LEAD CIS activities.

According to LEAD CIS Strategic plan the MP will seek as many as possible candidates and select more then 10 candidates for Cohort 14 from mid-career leaders satisfactory to Lead International criteria. The process of recruitment will start December 2008 and should be finished to the end of March 2009. The cycle of the Cohort training will be the same like in 2008 which means 3 regional and one international session.

LEAD CIS host institution “Development and Environment Foundation” will use its wide connections and authority to continue effective cooperation with institutions and organizations in order to survey means and other kind of support for maintenance of LEAD CIS projects. DEF will continue to promote and supervise as well as to render all conceivable assistance to LEAD CIS Fellows staff and board members, donors, partners and friends of LEAD from Russia and some other CIS countries in all their undertakings and activities.

During the year of 2009 first regional training session is planned for the mid of April 2009 (6-8 days), second – September 2009 (6-8 days) and third - November 2009 (4 days). All sessions will be jointed by delivering of the basic knowledge on sustainable development and evolving of leadership skills. Successfully graduated associates will attend the ITS in China.

One of the goals of 2009 should be the attempt to develop the principals of sustainable development world outlook and to present it to general public as one of the result of successful LEAD CIS movement in the region. In the complicated circumstances of the post soviet area LEAD CIS will be a broadcaster for LEAD Community world outlook and will continue to expound the call for the sustainable development approach among wide sections of the population.

The top priorities for LEAD CIS during year of 2009 are:

• capacity building in the framework of new strategy of LI;
• continued LEAD training process;
• completion of Cohort 14 training;
• strategic and financial plan development;
• Fellows networking and LEAD CIS office support .

LEAD CIS SOIF Application Form >>


Project Processing

1. Selection

LEAD CIS-2009 selection was finished in March 2009.

Fourteen Associates from Moscow, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Byelorussia have been selected. They represent  government,  NGO, academy and mass-media sectors.  More>>

2.Cohort Training

  • First Training Session for Cohort 14 was held on April 2 - April 7 2009 in Golitsino Training Center (Moscow region)    More>>
  • Second Regional Session for Cohort 14th  Regional Aspects of Sustainable Development for Kazakhstan will take place from 17 to 23 August 2009 in Astana and Borovoe (Republic of Kazakhstan)

3. Non-Cohort Training Activities

LEAD CIS Program was awarded with Presidential Grant for undertaking the project “Public diplomacy for Russian and neighboring states citizens’ adaptation to coming climate changes”. The project covers Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia and its content and goals is very close to LEAD mission and Chinese IS agenda. Workshop "Public diplomacy for Russian and neighboring countries citizens: adaptation to climate change" took place as the part of the LEAD CIS regional training session in April 2009. It provided opportunity for LEAD CIS and DEF to reduce the costs of the training session.  All travel costs and some other operational costs of the session were covered by associates and/or their organizations.