Established in 1990 and based in Szentendre, Hungary, the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) is a non-profit international organisation with field offices in 16 European countries and Turkey. REC actively participates in key global, regional and local processes and contributes to environmental and sustainability solutions within and beyond its country office network, transferring transitional knowledge and experience to countries and regions.

REC’s main areas of work include: strengthening institutions for sustainable development, capacity building of stakeholders and assisting partnerships, sustainable management and use of natural resources, integration of environmental concerns into the relevant sectors (such as energy, transport, health, etc.).

Highlights:

REC carries out some 300 projects a year in three traditional areas: South-Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey in addition to future perspective for cooperation with North Africa and the Middle East.

South-Eastern Europe - SEE

• REC is currently developing a new methodology to develop Local Biodiversity Action Plans as a potential new “brand product”. Target Groups are local governmental officials, local communities and civil society organizations.
• Education for Sustainable Development in the Western Balkans project in cooperation with 25 schools and municipalities.
• Regional Environmental Reconstruction Programme initiated under the Stability Pact for SEE and endorsed by ministries of SEE countries in 2000. http://rerep.rec.org/default.html
• Manuals for Waste and Water Utilities in South Eastern Europe http://archive.rec.org/REC/Programs/REREP/PEIP/
• Supporting local initiatives aiming to improve environmental planning and enhance environmental investments in 39 selected local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo as defined UNSCR 1244, Montenegro and Serbia with over 1.5 million people directly benefiting from actions taken under five major projects until 2013.
• Local Environmental Action Planning for Sustainability in SEE is providing guidance and assistance to 20 municipalities in developing 20 Local Environmental Action Plans (LEAPs) in SEE.
• Enhancing Cross-border Cooperation in the Drina River Basin regional project to fight poverty and improve water management through the support to Drina River Committee creating dialogue between the populations at the three borders. www.drinanet.org
• The Green Pack and the Green Pack Junior education tool on environment and development which includes teachers' handbook with lesson plans and pupil fact-sheets, teachers’ text book, CD-ROM, a collection of educational films and video-clips, and dilemma game. The Pack was presented at the Anna Lindh Forum in Barcelona (March 2010). REC intends to produce the Arabic version of this tool kit and disseminate it in North Africa and later on in the Middle East. http://archive.rec.org/REC/Programs/Greenpack

Central and Eastern-Europe (CEE):

Significant achievements in environmental protection are also evident in Central and Eastern Europe, where educational programmes, biodiversity conservation, sustainable urban transportation, indoor air quality improvement in schools projects have been carried out successfully.

Turkey:

• Initiated Capacity Building project for EU Accession, together with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry;
• Established a Climate Platform for the Private Sector with official partnership of TUSIAD;
• Finalized project on Sustainable Cities, where 15 cities committed to the Climate Change Protocol, in partnership with ICLEI;
• Successfully completed the 2nd Corporate Sustainability Certificate Programme with Bosporus University;
• Successfully completed 2nd Seminar Series on Sustainable Development for the Black Sea Region.

For more information on REC and its activities, please click here: http://www.rec.org