From the first years of independent development NGOs and other civil society institutions have sought to unite their efforts to address the issues of environmental protection, rational use and reproduction of natural resources.

Every year the greater participation of NGOs in taking practical measures to ensure the protection of national interests by warning, avoid negative impacts on the environment and public health. In many parts of the country the public is enthusiastically involved in environmental activities. In cooperation with local authorities and self-government environmental agencies and health care providers, it makes a significant contribution to the existing environmental problems at the local and national level.

Along with an increase in the number of NGOs, their specialties have expanded: the environment, health, youth and socially vulnerable groups. However, it became apparent that the capacity of individual NGOs is not high enough to solve large-scale socially relevant issues.

The nature of environmental problems and their solutions urgency demanded the consolidation of efforts of NGOs, and improve collaboration with government agencies. To address these challenges, on the initiative of environmental organizations in different regions of the country were held more than 40 meetings – roundtables in 2008. In the course of the work a proposal on the establishment of a social movement was put forward to unite efforts of all sectors of society in solving problems for the conservation of the natural environment. In the same year, in August, a founding conference of the Ecology Movement of Uzbekistan was held in the capital. And in September, the Ecology Movement was registered in the Ministry of Justice. No less significant was the event of the National Conference of the Environmental Movement in 2009, at which 15 members of the Ecology Movement were elected to the Legislative Chamber of the Parliament.

WORK FOR PEOPLE

To the basis of a statute and program of the Ecology Movement adopted at the conference, were laid the opinions made during roundtables and other public forums, comments and suggestions of environmental scientists, activists, NGOs, representatives of education and health, the production sector. From the very first day of its operation the Ecology Movement has based its work on the opinions, interests and requirements of people who care about the future of cleaner future. Perhaps, the key to success in this prestigious public organization that requires all of us to think more often about what kind of world our children will get.

Work on the grounds to implement the statutory and program goals is carried out by councils chaired by heads of territorial divisions of the Ecology Movement. To provide expert, advisory and scientific-methodical assistance to work of the Ecology Movement in 2010, a research council was created, expert database was formed, which included the names of more than 700 scientists and professionals working in environmental protection and public health. Currently, the Eco-movement has developed and adopted over 20 manuals and recommendations related to environmental education, the implementation of public participation in environmental issues. In order to develop ecological tourism Ekosarbon LLC operates. The Mushtariy publishing house is engaged in release of children\'s environmental magazine and other publications on environmental matters. The Ecology Movement is the founder of the children\'s magazine Buloqcha (“Spring”), published in Uzbek and Russian languages, and co-founder of the newspaper Jamiyat and Eko-Hayot.

In accordance with first program goal, namely all-round increase of the activity of public participation in protection of the environment and environmental improvement, the Ecology Movement and its local field offices focus their efforts on further increasing the active participation of citizens in the protection of the environment.

A mechanism of cooperation has been there with public authorities, institutions and civil society to engage the public in environmental activities and activities to ensure the implementation of legislation in environment and health. 36 memorandums and five cooperation agreements were signed, cooperation were established with more than 200 domestic NGOs. Ecology Movement activists across the country are regularly conducted practical activities - roundtables, seminars, environmental events involving people, government environmental agencies, NGOs, the media and other institutions of civil society.

IMPLEMENTING PRIORITIES

Another priority for the Environmental Movement is to increase accountability of public bodies, organizations and various institutions of civil society for the performance of their duties, including management of the funds allocated to meet the challenges of environmental protection and public health. In order to increase the accountability of officials for the execution of the current environmental legislation, the Ecology Movement held a public hearing. The parliamentary group of the Ecology Movement, the Committee on Ecology and Environment of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan jointly with the Eco-movement also held parliamentary hearings and field sessions on the implementation of laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan, national and regional programs in the field of environmental protection and public health.

In addition, in order to monitor the execution of the current legislation in environment and health, in cooperation with the partner state and public organizations 30 public hearings were held, more than 260 joint environmental visits were conducted. As a result, the public hearings involved ministries, departments, local government bodies, companies and organizations issued recommendations aimed at addressing the most pressing issues of environmental protection and public health, natural resources, the development of international cooperation on regional ecological security. Monitoring of implementation of these recommendations is made by a unit of the executive committee and the territorial offices of the Ecology Movement.

In general, during this period, the Ecology Movement have been implemented and carried out in almost all corners of the republic and outside the country for more than 3700 analysis, application activities with the participation of more than 2.5 million activists.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC

The Ecology Movement pays a special attention to increasing environmental awareness, the development of environmental education. During operation of the Ecology Movement in this area about 500 meetings, roundtables and seminars were held. To mark the World Health Day, competitions in drawing, sculpture and poetry on health and the environment were held. Together with NANNOUz and the Kamolot Public Youth Movement, in the Alisher Navoi National Park a contest of children\'s drawings on the pavement Save the Earth for Future Generations and environmental quiz for students What do we know about the Earth? were organized. This experience has given an impetus to the organization with the Ministry of Public Education of city and national competitions with participation of school pupils and university students. Since 2010 the Ecology Movement together with the Ministry of Public Education, the newspaper Tong Yulduzi and other organizations held a school essay contest and drawings Onazhonim Tabiat, the results of which are considered on 5 June, on the World Environment Day.

The Ecology Movement cooperates with many educational institutions in the country. In collaboration with the National University of Uzbekistan, with the support of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education a scientific-practical conference on foundations of teaching environmental knowledge in the system of national education: problems and solutions was held with participation of specialists from the education system of the State Committee, ecologists and students. With the participation of foreign scientists and specialists from the CIS and other countries held a scientific-practical conference on the green chemistry in the interests of sustainable development. As part of the traditional festival “Chimgan Echo”, jointly with NGO SPRING from 2009 annually in June in Bostanlik district of Tashkent region held eco-schools under the open sky”. In the summer of 2010 with the assistance of the Council of the Federation of Trade Unions and NGOs SPRING in the children\'s camp Kuyoshli in Bostanlyk district of Tashkent region a pilot project on adult environmental education was conducted, which included two areas: group work and public events environmental focus. A similar project was implemented in a children\'s camp in Qashqadaryo.

In April 2012, the staff of the Ecology Movement took part in the presentation of a set of educational materials developed by the Society for Protection of Birds in Uzbekistan with the support of DVV-International under the ECODAT. And in February of this year, in cooperation with the Eco-Forum of NGOs of Uzbekistan on the implementation of targeted programs involving youth in protecting the environment Ecology Movement representatives took part in the final stage of the game Eco-debates among students of schools and colleges in Tashkent, which was attended by 10 teams of students.

Another significant event was the national contest The best idea is to adapt to global climate change-2012 among undergraduate and graduate students of higher educational institutions of the country.

In order to improve the environmental culture through community involvement in solving local environmental problems the Ecology Movement organizes public meetings with representatives of mahalla district offices of the “Mahalla” Fund, “the Center of State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance, Makhsustrans and offices for improvement, staff and members of partnership of housing owners, owners vehicles and journalists. Following the meetings, decisions are taken to prevent the formation of dumps, compliance schedule removal of domestic waste, land improvement and practical implementation of a number of other tasks to improve the environmental situation. All the activities carried out have targeted focus, the need for such procedures is detected on the basis of complaints of citizens.

With the direct participation of the Ecology Movement there is introduction of alternative energy sources in the country. Photovoltaic power plants, solar panels and biogas plants have been installed in many regions of Uzbekistan.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

The most important priority of the Ecology Movement is to work on the development of international cooperation and collaboration with foreign and international organizations addressing regional environmental problems, to stop cross-border pollution, the rational and equitable use of trans-boundary water resources, based on the universally recognized principles of international law. In this area, the Ecology Movement and a number of initiatives with partners held events that have received a great response in the community. In June 2009, was held in conjunction with the Juntendo University in Tokyo an Uzbek-Japanese roundtable on the institutions of civil society: environmental issues, democratic renewal and modernization of the country. Also, meetings with managers and leading specialists of government and parliamentary structures of Japan was organised, during which priority areas of mutually beneficial cooperation in environmental protection, management of natural resources, solving social and economic problems in the Aral Sea area environmentally disadvantaged were outlined. In October 2009, in Delhi, the Ecology Movement of Uzbekistan and the Independent Institute to Monitor the Formation of Civil Society in cooperation with the Center for Russia and Central Asia, the Jawaharlal Nehru University organized an international seminar on Traditional and non-traditional security threats in Central Asia, which comprehensively discussed social and environmental problems related to the consequences of the Aral Sea, the degradation of the natural environment and the Aral Sea ecological community participation in the conservation of ecosystems.

The most significant event for the Ecology Movement was the holding of an international conference Transboundary environmental problems in Central Asia: the application of international legal mechanisms to address them. The conference brought together more than 100 experts from 36 countries and 60 international organizations, including the UN, OSCE, World Bank, World Health Organization, the World Wildlife Fund, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the representatives of 32 foreign embassies and representative offices in Uzbekistan.

In 2013, the Ecology Movement continued to work on the development of cooperation with foreign and international environmental organizations. In April 2013, representatives of a delegation of the Ecology Movement of Uzbekistan took part in the second preparatory meeting in Kiev for the 21st Economic and Environmental Forum of the OSCE Improving the stability and security: reducing the environmental impact of energy activities in the OSCE region. During the discussion, the delegation of Uzbekistan noted that at the present time, Uzbekistan has a scientific experimental and material-technical base for a more in-depth development and practical use of solar and biogas energy.

Overall Ecology Movement has established close ties and led a fruitful collaboration with about 20 authoritative international organizations and more than 30 specialized public organizations of foreign countries.

A significant result of working with foreign partners were joint with the crew of the Italian Republic headed by president AQ c International S.Kachela of shooting of two scientific and documentary films Open Your Eyes and Uzbekistan: Crossroads of Civilizations, took place in April 2013. Recently the last movie installation ended, and the general public will soon see. This will be the best gift for the fifth anniversary of the Ecology Movement of Uzbekistan.

(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)