TGK Consult was established in 1999 and has carried out a number of ad-hoc jobs in project work, editing, translation, teaching and writing articles, but the main activity has been concentrated about a project portfolio concerning capacity building projects for indigenous peoples of Russia in co-operation with the organisation RAIPON. Through this work TGK Consult has established contacts with several organisations in Russia. The network covers not only Moscow, but the Nenets AO, Yamal, Evenkiya, Krasnoyarsk, Tomsk, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and Kamchatka. Close co-operation with international organisations such as UNEP, WWF, IUCN, IWGIA and PERC has been a natural part of the project work. Among the components of the projects should be mentioned:

1) Establishment of a Project Centre in Moscow aiming at capacity building in project description, project management and fundraising. Courses in logical framework approach with regional participants, fact finding missions to the regions.

2) An Information Centre in Kamchatka with four regional centres. The Information Centre functions as a link to the central organisation and works for the indigenous peoples' legal and political rights in their "territories of traditional land use". Furthermore, a program on ecotourism as an alternative income source for the indigenous peoples is being developed.

3) Development of a small grants program for support of micro-initiatives such as traditional workshops on a private basis. A wood carving workshop, a sewing workroom and small scale tea production are examples of supported projects.

4) A youth conference on “Indigenous peoples versus industrial exploitation of the traditional lands”. The conference brought together representatives from all of Russia in Tomsk, Siberia, where a resolution and a youth program with a set of recommendations for the future work were adopted. A follow-up was held in Moscow, February 2002.

5) A Model project to map the sacred sites of the indigenous peoples and their environmental significance in two regions, the Yamalo-Nenets and Koryak autonomous okrugs. The project is carried out in co-operation with the CAFF Secretariat under the Arctic Council.

A new project: Relations with Yasavey

"Yasavey" is the name of the regional organisation of indigenous people in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. About 6,500 Nenets live in the okrug that has less than 50,000 inhabitants. Yasavey is a branch of RAIPON. The newly elected president, Vladimir Peskov, works in the RAIPON Project Centre in Moscow as a project co-ordinator in a project component funded by Norway. Vlad Peskov and TGK Consult have co-operated since 1999.

The capital Naryan-Mar is situated in the middle of the NAO. The western part of the okrug is poor whereas the oil industry is expanding in the eastern part giving a new chance to some indigenous peoples to negociate land rights. Yasavey lacks an overall policy for the development of the communities. The goal of this project is to enable Yasavey to work out a strategy and a work plan by teaching trainees at two seminars and on a fact finding next Summer.

An internship at the local radio and television will enable two trainees to use the radio and TV media as a tool. The project contains funding of equipment for subtitling programmes in Nenets. This project would support the efforts to strengthen the capacity building work in the regions and to promote sustainable development, drawing on capacity in the Moscow-based Project Centre. The tenth anniversary of the Rio Declaration this year is an opportunity to focus on the commitments made by the governments in Agenda 21. Indigenous peoples' access to the use of media is one of the key solutions to give indigenous people a voice in modern Russia.

Future plans

The work focusing on Moscow as a centre, Kamchatka and the Nenets AO will continue. There is a good chance that TGK Consult will be involved in a small grants programme covering 2002-2003. Hopefully, the new project will allow us to go into new regions. The first round will be announced during next summer if funding will be obtained as expected.

Contact:
Thomas Køhler, TGK Consult
Sølvgade 6B, 4.tv
DK-1307 København K, Denmark
Phone: +45 33 32 32 65 or - 44 65, e-mail: tgk@post.tele.dk