Welcome to the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine website.

National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU) is a non-governmental not-for-profit organization created in 1991 when Ukraine has obtained independence. NECU consolidates individuals for common action to protect the environment. Among NECU members are scientists, journalists, artists, students and other people who are willing to add their own effort to environmental protection. The organization has branches in a dozens of Ukrainian cities.

Brief history of the organization

The National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU) is a non-governmental non-profit organization. NECU is a national level association and has branches in different regions of Ukraine. NECU was created in 1991, at a difficult time in Ukrainian history, when it obtained independence.

NECU works to bring environmental consideration into the core of any decision. We aim to bring concerns of local population and experts to the politicians, to redesign strategies and projects. We work both to save nature, by maintaining and creating new protected areas, and to decrease human impact on environment, through policy changes in energy and transport sectors.

NECU is willing to maintain political and economic independence, therefore it doesn’t accept money from political parties or business corporations. Currently NECU relies on funding from development programs of European governments and private foundations. However, we aim to get more support through donations from individual NECU supporters.

NECU is working in such major directions:

  • Biodiversity: NECU is campaigning for new nature protection zones creation to keep unique species of animals and plants in their natural environment. NECU also makes sure that the existing protected territories remain untouched. With the help of public actions and legal procedures, such as courts and public hearings, NECU stands firm against illegal building construction on green territories in Kyiv region and works with local activists arround Ukraine.
  • Energy: NECU is trying to redirect the energy policy of Ukraine away from intensive coal and nuclear energy development to energy efficient economy and alternative energy sources. NECU is working with politicians and officials educating them about the new approaches of energy sector management.
  • Global climate change: NECU is a member of Ukrainian NGO Working Group on climate change that works to integrate climate change issues into Ukrainian government policies. NECU also takes active part in international negotiations on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, monitors the implementation of Kyoto protocol mechanisms in Ukraine, works with media and general public.
  • Transport: NECU develops policy recommendations to reduce the negative impact of the transport sector. We stress the vital importance of proper land use during road construction and develop effective solutions of transport problems in cities and nationwide.
  • Multilateral Development Banks: NECU is monitoring the activities of development banks (such as EBRD, EIB, World Bank, etc) in Ukraine to prevent the negative impacts of their projects on environment and local people. We believe that tax-payers money must not be used to harm the society.

In the conditions of full-scale unprovoked and unjustified russian aggression against Ukraine, an important area of activity of NECU has become assessment of environmental damages due to the russian war and green recovery of Ukraine after the war.
NECU is actively cooperating with other non-profit groups and separate citizens. NECU is a member of the following associations and networks: WG3 «Environment, Climate Change and Energy Security» Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, WG5 5 «Energy, Transport, Environment and Climate Change» EU-Ukraine Civil Society Platform, the public council under the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, the Ukrainian NGOs Working Group on Global Climate Change, Ukrainian River Network, CEE Bankwatch Network, Transport&Environment. NECU is represented in the working group “Ecological safety” of the National Council for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and the working group on damage assessment of russian military aggression on the environment.

Organizational structure

NECU has main office in Kyiv and 20 branches in regions of Ukraine. The highest decision-making body of NECU is the General Meeting (the Conference) that is called every two years. The Council of NECU, meetings of which are usually called once a month, is a leading body, which organizes the activity of NECU between the Conferences, and directs the activity of NECU into the execution of the Statute objectives. The Conference of NECU defines quantitative structure of the Council, elects and approves members of the Council.

The Head of NECU is elected by the Conference for two-year term until the next Conference. He/she chairs the Council, officially represents NECU, executes strategic leadership according to the powers delegated to him/her by the Conference of NECU, coordinates the activities of the structural subbranches, signs a contract with an Executive Director, signs official documents of NECU and signs the agreements with the collective members of NECU.

Staff

The main office in Kyiv employs for long-term arrangements 2 administrative employees, 6­–10 thematic experts. Some people (i.e. experts) are employed on ad-hoc basis according to the current needs, e.g. experts or designer.

Some people are involved in activities of NECU as volunteers. Their number differs, we maintain the database of volunteers and active supporters and currently it contains about 50 entries.

NECU employers have education and experience according to the job position. We strive to involve the people with excellent skills by widely publishing the job positions announces and conducting the comprehensive interviews with candidates. The level of salary is average for Ukraine and based on the internal system that is transparent for employees.

NECU has practice to further involve people who have previously demonstrated good results as volunteers to stuff position.

Members

According to the organization statute, NECU has individual and collective members. Sharing values and goals of the organization is seen as a key requirement for becoming a member. There is no well-defined procedure for becoming a member. Elaborating of such a procedure as well as system for membership fees is currently being discussed within organization. Together with member groups the estimated amount of members is estimated above 300.

Map of NECU branches:

The National Ecological Centre has 20 branches in 14 regions of Ukraine, which include 300 active members.

Presentation about the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine.pdf

National Ecological Centre of Ukraine on the European Commission portal

Contact information

National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU)
Symona Petliury str. 7-9, office 63, Kyiv, 01032, Ukraine
Post address: PO Box 306, Kyiv-32, 01032, Ukraine
E-mail: info@necu.org.ua
Phone: +38 050 3859037
Website: http://www.necu.org.ua/en/
Head: Ruslan Havryliuk, havryliuk@necu.org.ua