A DECADE OF WORK,
A DECADE OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Sviatoslav Zabelin and Olga Berlova
From the inaugural issue of THE SEU TIMES
January, 1999
On 1998 Christmas eve the Socio-Ecological Union - the largest
environmental organization founded in CIS - celebrated its official
10th anniversary. Ten years ago, the founding conference in Moscow
gathered more than 400 people from 89 places of the then still
existent USSR to pronounce the establishment of the Socio-Ecological
Union. This notable event was publicized by the central and most
powerful then newspaper Pravda, and in the ten years of its existence
the SEU has proven to become one of the really influential
environmental forces.
Among SEU first projects one should definitely mention the
all-USSR public campaigns, widely supported by the people and media,
against such ill-[conceived] prominent projects of turning
Siberian rivers' flows and channels, and the Volga -Chograi and
Danube-Dneper construction projects. These victories of the then
young organization gave it a good start, but one would be a mistake
to consider the SEU as only a protest organization. This, by and
large is not true, as the SEU's different member organizations lead
numerous educational, civic, conservation, human rights,
environmental impact assessment, clean up, training projects, which
may be less conspicuous, but are of no less importance.
Devoted to the protection of humanity and nature living space, SEU
has another attractive feature - active civic and social development
work. Thus, in early 1991 the first Soviet - American NGO conference
was held, bringing together socially active people from these once
completely different worlds and launching many friendships and joint
projects lasting up to today.
Among these the most large scale, important and useful was
environmental telecommunications project, carried out by the Sacred
Earth Network (SEU member organization) and SEU Center for
Coordination and Information. This project, providing CIS NGOs with
equipment for e-mail access, gave start to now sophisticated and well
developed NGO information network, enabling fast information exchange
and cooperation.
Today SEU and its members may boast different international
awards. Among them is their recognition as one of the 50 exemplary
communities, selected on the 50th UN anniversary. So what is the
unique structure of this exemplary community organization, which
enables to cooperate people and organizations of different views and
work styles to cooperate so effectively? From where did it spring
forth?
The story of SEU actually goes back to 60's, when the Student
Movement of Nature Guards arose. Being non-formal, uncontrolled by
the authorities, it was probably the first legal and still
independent civic structure in the Soviet Union.
For years of its existence the movement has developed its own
traditions and democracy, and a whole network of concerned people.
Concern for the future and friendship based on common work brought
these people together a year before the SEU founding conference in a
Caucasian reserve, where the very idea of the SEU as an organization
emerged.
Based on cooperation and democracy, SEU has no governing authority
obliging members to conduct or to refrain from certain activities.
Decisions are made by SEU conference, and elected by the conference
the Council has representation rights in between.
Today the SEU has gathered 250 member organizations from
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Chekhia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Norway, Palestine, Russia, Scotland,
Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, USA and Uzbekistan. Its overall
membership is near 25,000. Activities are as different as the members
are, but making attempt to generalize, public involvement in
environmental safety issues, social ecology, chemical and nuclear
safety, alternative energy, biodiversity conservation, sustainable
forestry, environmental health, ozone and climate, air and water
problems. Lobbying and pressure groups are also working within SEU.
The programs on environment-friendly housing, childrens' health,
nuclear safety, environmental education, chemical safety were adopted
as all - SEU programs.
The Chairman of Zaporozhie Environmental Club (Ukraine) wrote: "It
is good to feel involved into something great which SEU, its goals,
its members and its work definitely are. I am proud of being a
founder and member of SEU.
Well, I guess, we all are. And, I hope, will be for a long
time".
Tel/fax: +7 095 124-79-34
E-mail: <soceco@glas.apc.org>
www-site - http://cci.glasnet.ru
Mailing address for inquiries:
P.O. Box 211, 121019 Moscow, Russia
