Last updated 990603
Project Gallery
|
Last updated 990603
Project Gallery
|
| Projects carried out
by the UBC working Commissions. Please check this page regularly for updates on new commissions projects. Quickbar Business Cooperation | Communication | Culture | Education | Environment | Sport | Tourism | Transportation | Other activities | Commission on Business Cooperation The Commission on Business Cooperation was established at the General Conference of the UBC in Gdansk in September 1997. The Commission aims at increasing the exchange of experiences and information between the UBC member cities. Promoting contacts between the business communities is also an important goal. In addition to facilitating the mutual cooperation between the member cities the commission will act as an opinion maker towards the European Union. The Commission will arrange one meeting per year. A network of civil servants dealing with trade and industry in the member cities will be established. City of Stockholm will build up an information system for the network. Commission on Education The Commission on Education was established at the 21st Executive Board Meeting in Klaipeda, 26-27 June 1998. The aim of the Commission is:
The new Commission will start up with the following main fields of activities:
Internet Information on UBC and the member cities as well as
links to the cities The initiative was launched in October 1996. The BSA is an Internet based platform for cooperation and communication between Baltic organisations. The core of BSA consists of three organisations i.e. UBC, BSSSC and BCCA. Task Force for Public Relations and Communication It is a functional group of contact persons from UBC
member cities who promote practical and project-level cooperation between
the cities. The aim of the TF is essentially to develop communication
about international projects, partnerships, events and other developments
regarding cities and the region. Until now TF has had its meetings in
Tampere, Kalmar and Szczecin. During the last meeting three teams were
created:
UBC Drawing Competition - The Children of the Baltic Sea In October 1998 The Union of the Baltic Cities announced the art competition entitled The Children of the Baltic Sea. The idea of the competition was put forward during the second Task Force meeting in Kalmar and it was specified by the members of the Public Relations Team during the third Task Force meeting in Szczecin. The aim of the competition was to promote the idea, structure and activity of the organisation among inhabitants of the member cities, especially among the youngest generation. The competition raised much interest among member cities and the primarily aims were achieved. Feel free to read more about the competition and take a look at the winning contributions. I want to know more about the UBC Drawing Competition. Commission on Culture UBC Festivals Annual UBC Art & Culture Festival have so far been held in Kaliningrad (1993, 1994), Szczecin (1995, 1996), Gdynia (1997) and Klaipeda (1998) with the participation of thousands of artists from UBC member cities. Events Events in 1998:
The Magazine "Mare Articum" The main purpose of this magazine is to initiate a joint discussion and a promotion forum for the under-developed artistic movement in the Baltic region. The first issue of the magazine was published in September 1997 and focused on the theme of national identity in the context of developing universal art language. This year's first issue was printed in July. Calendar of Events The Calendar of Culture Events in UBC member cities is available on the UBC Internet homepage www.ubc.net/calendar/culture.html. The Calendar is updated twice a year. Catalogue of Institutions The UBC Catalogue of Cultural Institutions was first published in 1995 by the city of Visby. The catalogue includes contact addresses and descriptions of over 650 municipal culture offices, museums, libraries, art schools and other culture institutions. The catalogue is designed as a practical tool for culture managers looking for project partners or information exchange. The catalogue of cultural institutions is regularly updated and presented on the UBC Internet homepage. Commission on Environment MEA Project The Commission on Environment developed in a two-year pilot-project a model for municipal environmental auditing in the Baltic cities (MEA). The model was first tested in the pilot audit in Tallinn. This project was financed by the LIFE Program of the EU, the World Bank, the Finnish and Estonian Ministries of the Environment, and the participating cities. Now the model is available to be used in all interested cities. All the necessary manuals, formulas and other tools are translated into several languages, and they are available from the commission secretariat. The Commission on Environment co-ordinates the audits and also helps the member cities to find funding. The cities that are interested in carrying out a MEA are warmly welcome to contact the secretariat for further information. At the moment there are on-going MEAs in Pärnu (EST), Panevezys and Klaipeda (LT), and in Pori and Turku (FIN). The present activities are co-funded by the cities, the Commission on Environment and the Nordic Minister Council. SAIL Project The UBC member city Lahti co-ordinates this Local Agenda 21 project which was co-initiated by the ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) and the UBC. The project is being run in the framework of the Baltic Local Agenda 21 Forum network. The Project was started in January 1999 and the goal is to create a basic set of Local Agenda 21 briefing materials in Estonian, Latvia, Lithuanian, Polish and Russian, and consolidate the Local Agenda 21 networks. SAIL is an acronym of Spreading Awareness and Fostering the Implementation of Local Agenda 21 Around the Baltic Sea. Learn more about the project partner ICLEI BAMELA Project Another (planned) Local Agenda 21 project is BAMELA - Baltic Mediterranean Local Agenda 21 Project. This large three-year project on Local Agenda 21 would involve several partners and many well-targeted activities concentrating on the following key components: education, information, and research & analysis. The project partners and the Finnish Ministry of the Environment have already committed to co-fund the activities. A funding application was submitted to the European Commission in February 1999 and the decision is expected during this summer. If the decision is positive, the project activities will start in Autumn 1999. UBC Local Agenda 21 Survey In order to create a solid basis for UBC's Local Agenda 21 activities, the commission together with Abo Akademi University carried out the UBC Local Agenda 21 Survey in 1998. The survey was co-funded by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. 70% of member cities answered to the survey and the results include a lot of relevant information for anyone who is planning or running Local Agenda 21 activities in the Baltic Sea Region. The Survey Report is available from the commission secretariat. Archipelago Sea and Sustainable Harbour Policy This project started in August 1997 and ended in June 1998. The goal was to build basis for harmonising the harbour policies of the participating cities of Turku, Mariehamn and Stockholm. The project was funded by the EU Interreg II A Skärgården Structural Fund. In the project, a survey was carried out about the solid waste management, waste water management and the emissions to air of the passenger car ferry traffic between the participating cities. On the basis of the survey the parties (cities and harbours) created an action programme to reduce regular passenger car ferry traffic -related environmental impact in the Archipelago Sea. The action programme is to be evaluated through follow-up meetings and seminars. The Commission on Environment would also like to recommend a similar model of co-operation to be used between other UBC Member Cities that have regular ferry traffic between their harbours. Programme on Institutional Strengthening and Human Resource Development In 1996-1998, the Commission on Environment carried out a training program consisting of five events, where approx. 400 environmental specialists and decision-makers were trained. The programme was supported financially by the Nordic Minister Council. The events organised focused on the following topics: Physical Planning and the Environment, Recycling as an Element of Solid Waste Management, and Treatment of Contaminated Soils. Please, find more information about UBC's environmental activities, e.g., about the Environmental Bulletin, on the page of the Commission on Environment. Commission on Sport The major sport events:
Commission on Tourism Baltic Tourism Academy Together with the Baltic Sea Tourism Commission (BTC)
the Commission intends to develop the tourism education under the name of
Baltic Tourism Academy.
Projects
Commission on Transportation The Commission on Transportation:
Other activities UBC Women's Network The aim of the UBC Women's Network is to involve women from member cities in UBC activities and projects and to solve women's problems such as unemployment, discrimination etc. Each year the network organises a seminar to deal with the above mentioned issues. Baltic Cities Bulletin The major focus of the Baltic Cities Bulletin is directed towards information about the work of the Union and the actions of the member cities. In addition, more emphasis is placed on covering some specific fields of general interest, which are presented as main themes for each issue. The bulletin is printed in 4000 copies and sent out to over 200 Baltic cities as well as a number of organisations and institutions. The bulletin is available on the Internet at www.ubc.net. UBC Member Cities and the European Union (UBCEU) The purpose of the UBC EU-project is to prepare the cities in the Baltic Sea area for the EU enlargement in the region. The strategic situation of cities, both from the present EU member states and the applicant states, will change considerably in the next few years. The EU gives access to the funds for development projects, but it also affects the city's position and operations in a substantial way. The cities must be well acquainted with the laws and regulations binding in the European Union. Until now, two seminars and a conference (in Tallinn) open to all member cities have been carried out. The project will continue until the EU accession process is finished. Public Transportation in eastern cities The project involves the five largest cities in Lithuania and four cities in Sweden. It started already in 1995 with a grant from the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA), and recieved an additional grant from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities (SALA). The purpose of the project is to build long-lasting contacts between the Public Transport authorities in the Swedish and Lithuanian cities, and to support the change of public transport organisation to a more sustainable and efficient system. The project has carried out a number of study-visits and seminars, and more are planned. The Swedish government allocated 38,5 million SEK for upgrading public transport in cities in Lithuania and in Latvia. Adults Education The project was initiated in Kaliningrad by the UBC together with the residential college for adults - the Öland Folk-highschool. The purpose of the project is to popularise the Scandinavian model of Folk-highschools for people education. The activities included five courses held on Öland directed to English teachers from Kaliningrad University and to cultural workers. A school similar to the Scandinavian study model called "All Together" was established in Kaliningrad and around 20 courses have been given. On the 1st of October 1997 the Kaliningrad Folk-highschool was inaugurated. It will concentrate on education of English, Swedish and Media. EU Coordinator The purpose of the project is to shape a network of EU coordinators in the UBC member cities. The network will facilitate the efficient dissemination of EU related matters between the cities. The EU coordinators will share experiences and know-how as regards project generation and fund raising for its implementation. The network will also help to find partners for new joint projects. 
Report any errors you might encounter to the webmaster |
