On August 18-20, 2010, training on “Coalition Building, Networking and Advocacy” was organized in Gyumri. The participants of the training were 2 to 4 representatives from each civil society organization targeted by the project, namely “Shirak Competitiveness Centre”, “Spitak-Farmer” Association and “Yerevak” NGO. Other NGOs such as “Black eye” NGO from Noyemberyan, “Limen-Spitak” NGO and “Women and Youth of Spitak” NGO from Spitak and “Sustainable” NGO, Shakharov Foundation and “Biosophia” from Gyumri were also invited to participate in the training.

The project “Poverty Reduction and Confidence-building in Border Areas of Georgia and Armenia by Strengthening Civil Societies in Sustainable Rural Development” (Stage II) is implemented in Armenia and Georgia over a year already. During this period of time several trainings, meetings, a study tour, diversity festival and similar activities were organized by project partners in the Northern Armenia and Southern Georgia.

While bringing many different NGOs together the training aimed at increasing awareness on advocacy, networking and coalition building among 14 NGO representatives from Tavush, Lori and Shirak regions. The training targeted also to identify local community and regional problems and look for practical and realistic solutions to those issues.

The training covered aspects such as Public advocacy; Concept of Advocacy, Government’s position and Civil Society Organization’s role in Advocacy; Directions and policy of advocacy; Lev-els of advocacy; Types of information and sources; Strategy of Advocacy; Steps of developing a strategy on Advocacy; Proper prioritization of the problem; Advocacy campaigns; Coalitions, building coalitions, advantages and limitations in coalition building; PR for advocacy, working with the mass-media; Realis-tic strategy for Advocacy.

Based on the given concepts and group works, the participants identified several problems in the bordering areas, among them environmental pollutions, lack of cross-border cooperation, damaged irrigation systems and such, which will be further discussed during Joint Workshop for Armenian and Georgian CSOs planned in the beginning of October 2010.