Global Environment Facility (GEF) Eastern Europe meeting: Powering the Future

 

14 May, 2007 The Global Environment Facility (GEF), established in 1991, helps developing countries fund projects and programmes that protect the global environment. GEF grants support projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants. GEF now has 177 member countries. Since 1991, the Global Environment Facility has provided .2 billion in grants and generated over billion in co-financing from other sources to support over 1,800 projects that produce global environmental benefits in 140 developing countries and countries with economies in transition (see thegef.org/interior.aspx for more). 

In September 2005, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council adopted the Resource Allocation Framework (RAF), a new system for allocating GEF resources to recipient countries to increase the impact of GEF funding on the global environment. The RAF allocates resources to countries based on each country’s potential to generate global environmental benefits and its capacity, policies and practices to successfully implement GEF projects. The RAF builds on GEF’s existing country-driven approach and partnerships with Implementing and Executing Agencies, and provides countries with increased predictability in the allocation of GEF funds.

On 14 May 2007, UNIDO and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) held a meeting for GEF member countries from the Central Asian region* (comprising six countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) and Mongolia to encourage these countries to improve their eligibility for GEF funding.

The GEF Focal Points from the seven countries as well as representatives from the countries' missions in Vienna attended. Presentations from UNIDO technical staff, REEEP staff, and REEEP partners were given on all six GEF focal areas. A major focus of the seminar was on the relationship between climate change and energy use.

*The Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are five of the 29 countries classified by GEF as Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States Region. Mongolia is in the GEF Asia and Pacific Region. These countries are inhabited by more than 60 million people. </td>

Presentations

(six slides per page .pdf versions of .ppt presentations)  GEF and UNIDO  Ned Clarence-Smith, UNIDO

Energy Security in Central Asia - OSCE  Patrice Dreiski, OSCE

CDM - REEEP  Binu K. Parthan, REEEP

CDM - UNIDO  Marina Ploutakhina, UNIDO

Financing Pilot Projects under the Kyoto Protocol  Oliver Walter, VA Tech Finance GmbH

Industrial Energy Efficiency  Rob Williams, UNIDO

Renewable Energy for Productive and Industrial Uses  Pradeep Monga, UNIDO

Energy Efficiency:  a Euro - Asian Perspective  Tudor Constantinescu, The Energy Charter Secretariat

Energy Efficiency in the Building Sector  Klemens Leutgöb, Austrian Energy Agency

Demand Side Management  Hans Nilsson, IEA - DSM Programme

International Waters  Igor Volodin, UNIDO

POPs  Ákos Köszegváry, UNIDO

ODS  Ákos Köszegváry, UNIDO

Biosafety  George Tzotzos, UNIDO

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