Yes, this is real work. But firstly I should say that this work is free of charge. We have a lot of work to do but not so much money. But why it should be interesting and for whom?
This is an announcement for those who does care what he is doing in his/her life, who cares about what's going on, what happens to our nature and human beings. This work does not bring income, but may bring deep moral satisfaction, because you start to feel that you're doing something important. You are doing something important for the environment, and thus you are a part of a big mechanism, which creates harmony.

So,
Global Environment Facilities’ Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) in Uzbekistan is announcing vacancies (voluntary) for 2 members of the National Steering Committee.

Now it is time for the end of the term of our two dear members of the committee - Natalia Soldatova and Dinara Gabdulhakova. According to our rules, each committee member attends to the committee for 2 years. Then we have to announce about re-election.

So what is the National Steering Committee and what is it doing? You can learn more about the committee in the section "Our Committee". But for convenience, we can say in simple words, what the Steering Committee of the Programme does. Thus, the Committee:

1. Considers submitted project applications and makes decision on them - to approve or reject the project. It is the Committee that makes such a decision. This is the main function of the committee. Therefore, each member of the committee can do good or prevent harm by his/her voice. Each word is important.
2. Members of the committee work as "agents" of the GEF SGP. People can apply to them for help in clarifying the confusing details about the program, ask for advice how to formulate aims and objectives of the project. Of course, members of the committee themselves must know everything very well about the program. Therefore, it is desirable that members of the committee come mainly from the regions - thus we can cover more territory. In this case, we prefer to have a committee member from Ferghana Valley. The second member of the committee shall cover the central part of the country - Bukhara, Navoi, Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya regions. We would like that the second member of the committee also would live in one of these regions. Of course, before we start to spread the information about the GEF SGP, an appropriate training will be conducted for new committee members.
3. Committee members should keep in mind the priorities of the program and spread information about the program as widely as possible. They should help in all possible ways , so that the program would operate successfully.
4. During their normal activities members of the committee should find ways to attract partners and donors for the implementation of current or planned projects.
5. Members of the committee check the activity of the whole program. Once a year, the committee members go to monitoring trip to the GEF SGP projects. Believe me, everyone learns a lot from these trips. It broadens the mind greatly, as well asunderstanding of how people live and what is important for people now.

Committee members during one of the monitoring visits to the project territory in Jizzakh region
According to the accepted regulations, the working period of the committee member is two years. Every two years the committee staff should be changed. I.e. the newly elected members will work during 2 years, unless they do not want to work in the Committee for any reason.
BUT, it does not mean that all the members participating in the current staff, should leave their posts. They may be elected for the second term and so on. The selection of the committee members is made by the Resident Representative of the UN in Uzbekistan and the GEF SGP Headquarters in New York on presenting the country program.

We are very grateful to Natalia Vasilyevna and Dinara for everything that they have done for our program.
Currently, we are announcing vacancies for membership in the committee from the NGO sector. We have 2 members of the committee from the government sector, and we invite one more member from the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade.

We are announcing an open competition for the positions of NGO representatives.
So:

• If you love nature;
• If you are willing to spend your personal time without remuneration, but for great moral satisfaction;
• If you are a representative of the non-governmental organization and you have a very active social position;
• If you have a higher degree (preferably in natural sciences);
• If you know the peculiarities of environmental problems of your native land or do not know, but you want to do something in this direction;

then you can apply for the post of a member of our Steering Committee. We recruit two members of the committee this time. One of them shall be preferably from the Fergana Valley, and the second one will be the representative of the region, which was covered by Natalia Vasilyevna. It is important for us that there will be representatives of the GEF SGP in these regions and people could come to them for advice and obtain information that could help people to write projects, find partners and protect interests of the GEF SGP. But this is just a desire.

We will be equally glad to young people, business men, you are welcome.

So what is application? You should just send us a letter describing why you want to become a member of the committee. Prove to us that you are the person who will be active, who will bring something new to the work of our program. It should not be a dry exposition of your contributions towards the nature .. Write 1-3 pages of what exactly attracts you in the GEF SGP and what you can do as a committee member, so that the GEF SGP committee work would remain effective. We also will need your curriculum vitae (CV) in order to understand what luggage of work and experience you are having.

An application with justification of the interest in this voluntary work, alongg with the accompanying autobiographical certificate must be sent by email not later than 9 am on November 10, 2011 to: alexey.volkov@undp.org or bring a set of documents in a sealed envelope to the address: Tashkent, 100029 T.Shevchenko str. 4, the UN Representative Office in Uzbekistan. The envelope should be marked “Candidancy for membership in the National Steering Committee of the GEF SGP in Uzbekistan”

For more information on the responsibilities, requirements may be obtained by sending a request with your questions to the e-mail address alexey.volkov@undp.org or by phone: + 998 71 120 34 50 or 120 61 67 (ext. 145) + 998 97 336 62 41 (mobile).

We hope very much that we will soon have two new members in our friendly team. We look forward to your applications.