EDUCON Prague

EDUCON Prague

EDUCON Prague is a non-governmental, non-political, non-profit association of citizens, individual and legal persons according to the Czech Republic law No. 83/90. The mandate of EDUCON is to facilitate sharing of know-how, information and experience from various areas of the Czech Republic economy, including providing technical assistance to developing and transition countries. Its goal is to improve the level of knowledge and know-how of managers and specialists from institutions, educational organisations, non-governmental and private sector from the Czech Republic and from developing and transition countries. In order to fulfil its mission and to achieve the objectives declared, EDUCON orients its activities mainly in the following areas:

organising educational courses and study tours for managers and specialists from institutions, universities and firms and experts from the Czech Republic and from developing countries,
organising and realising advisory and consulting missions in developing countries,
upon request, providing the information from particular areas of the Czech Republic economy,
systematic providing indispensable information and information databases up-dates,
maintaining and developing the co-operation within a network of institutions, firms and experts and the database of lectures,
organising the agreed common events of its members,
providing the agreed services to its members,
systematic creating and innovating the necessary professional and material capacities.

EDUCON was established as a non-governmental organisation. EDUCON has been established by persons with long-term experience in the area of providing of development assistance and co-operation with the UN agencies.

During years 2000-2003 EDUCON was responsible body for the UNDP project of the Czech Government Trust Fund "Strengthening of Czech Cooperation with Developing/Transition Countries in the Area of Sustainable Industrial Development and Good Governance".

Annual reports

Annual report 2009 - Czech version only (PDF, 456 kB)
Profit and Loss Statement + Balance Sheet (PDF, 54 kB)

Annual report 2008 - Czech version only (PDF, 925 kB)
                                      Profit and Loss Statement + Balance Sheet (PDF, 54 kB)
Annual report 2007 - Czech version only (PDF, 1.5 MB)
                                      Profit and Loss Statement + Balance Sheet (PDF, 54 kB)
Annual report 2006 - Czech version only (PDF, 225 kB)
                                      Profit and Loss Statement + Balance Sheet (PDF, 54 kB)
Annual report 2005 - Czech version only (PDF, 410 kB)
Annual report 2004 - Czech version only (PDF, 202 kB)
Annual report 2003 - Czech version only (PDF, 197 kB)
Annual report 2002 - Czech version only (PDF, 177 kB)
Annual report 2001 - Czech version only (PDF, 65 kB)

Project UNDP

In view of its membership in the OECD and preparations for the admission to the European Union, the Czech Republic faces new commitments in terms of providing development assistance.
During the period between 1978 and 1999, the Czechoslovak/Czech Government cooperated with UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation) through the Joint Programme for the transfer of national expertise in industrial development and transition to market economy (restructuring, privatisation, retraining, etc.). One of the main goals of the Programme was to assist developing countries in building their sectoral capacities. The Joint Programme was funded by the Czech Government.

Czech Republic - UNDP Cooperation
In 1999, the Government of the Czech Republic declared its wish to continue in cooperation with the UN system in providing assistance to developing countries to strengthen their sectoral capacities. Following up with the activities having been previously implemented in the USUNIDO Joint Programme, the Government commenced its development cooperation activities with UNDP (United Nations Development Programme).
With UNDP, the Czech Government has established a Trust Fund envisaging a yearly contribution of US$ 260,000 over a three years period and a contribution of US$ 270,000 in the last year. The objective of the Trust Fund is to serve as a development assistance fund supporting the sharing of the Czech expertise in selected areas of competence with developing and transition countries. Activities carried out under the Trust Fund will also strengthen Czech capacities to provide development assistance and pilot modalities for the country's cooperation with UNDP as a net contributor country in the future.

EDUCON - Project Responsible Body
Two projects are implemented under the Trust Fund, utilising present institutional and human capacities developed during the long cooperation with UN system. One of them, project "Strengthening of Czech Cooperation with Developing/Transition Countries in the Area of Sustainable Industrial Development and Good Governance", is being implemented from the year 2000 by EDUCON Prague, a NGO specialised and having vast experience in organising training courses in selected areas for developing and transition countries. This project is focused on sharing the Czech experience and providing the technical support in the following areas:

Sustainable development and environmentally friendly technologies
Small and medium enterprise development, marketing, management, quality control
The Czech reform experience in the area of good governance and regional development.

The activities are aimed at various sectors (metallurgy, engineering, energy utilisation efficiency, agricultural engineering and food processing technologies, laboratory equipment and technologies) as well as cross-sectoral areas (environmental protection, SME, marketing, management, quality control, EMS, competitiveness and export increase, regional development, good governance and decentralisation). The identification of topics for workshops and study tours each year rely on actual needs, requests and recommendations of developing/transition countries, the Government of the Czech Republic and UNDP.
Some of the activities provide consultation and training services in the field of feasibility studies, inquiry services and consultancy missions.
The project is executed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Czech Development Cooperation Forum
EDUCON is a founding member of the Czech Development Cooperation Forum, an interest group of legal persons, associating Czech non-government organizations acting in the area of the international development cooperation, development education and humanitarian assistance.