What does the society expect?

A seminar «Effectiveness of Public Hearings» was held on July 17, 2008 under the project «Forest Village» in the office of Silver Taiga Foundation. The seminar was attended by the representatives of funds, business and autonomous bodies from Udora, Priluzje, Izhma, Sosnogorsk and Troitsko-Pechorsk regions of Komi.

The seminar was necessary as thanks to public hearings local population participate in natural resource management but the results of public hearings are not satisfactory. Though public hearings are held almost in all regions of Komi they are usually formal and their effectiveness is low. By the example of some regions of Komi the participants of the seminar overviewed the process of conducting public hearings and discussed legal aspects of organization and conducting public hearings taking into consideration the last amendments in the legislation of Komi and Russia.

The participants of the seminar indicated the «weak points» in organization and conducting of public hearings and ways of their overcoming. It was also mentioned that public hearings still require a qualified organizational support which could be provided by the representatives of funds including Community Forest Council of Priluzje region of Komi, Pechora River Rescue Committee and Silver Taiga Foundation.

To improve the effectiveness of local people participation in natural resource management the participants of the seminar proposed to develop standard regulations of public hearings. This document should indicate aspects of initiation, information of the participants, preparing, right conducting, recordation and fixation of the results of the hearings. It should also foresee an effective control over the fulfillment of the agreed decisions and recommendations from the direction of deputes of regional and local Councils and autonomous bodies.