Building Bridges

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Building Bridges

• Presentation of
• The Regional Environmental Center
  
• for Central and Eastern Europe

Marta Szigeti Bonifert Executive Director
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Our Mission

• () The REC is a non-partisan, non-advocacy,
  not-for-profit international organisation with a
  mission to assist in solving environmental
  problems ()
• The REC is legally based on a charter signed by
  the governments of 28 countries and the European
  Commission
• International organisation
• 200 staff (some 30 nationalities)
• Over 300 running projects
• 12 million Euro annual turnover

REC Video Click!
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Mission in Practice

• PROVIDING CONSULTATIVE
• SUPPORT TO ACTUAL
• PROBLEM SOLVING

• RAISING AWARENESS
• PROVIDING INFORMATION

• PROMOTING PUBLIC
• PARTICIPATION
• BUILDING CAPACITY

• RESEARCHING AND MONITORING
• ASSESSING THE NEEDS

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Donors

• The European Commission
• The governments of Austria, Belgium, Bosnia
  and Herzegovina, Canada, the Czech Republic,
  Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary,
  Italy, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway,
  Poland, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Sweden,
  Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United
  States
• Other inter-governmental and private institutions

Donations by Geographic Location 1990-2002
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Bridges
Bridges Across Borders
NGOs
Government
Government
NGOs
The REC
Local Governments
Business
Local Governments
Business
Citizens
Citizens
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The REC Network

• Head Office
• Szentendre, Hungary
• 16 COs
• 3 FOs
• Operations
• beyond Central
• and Eastern
• Europe (CEE)

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Partnership in focus

• The REC fulfils its mission by promoting
  cooperation of all environmental stakeholders,
  and by supporting the free exchange of
  information and public participation in
  environmental decision making
• The REC has developed, promoted and implemented
  numerous models and tools to address
  environmental challenges and sustainability, such
  as
• stakeholder engagement
• clearing house mechanism
• capacity building
• regional/international partnerships

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Partnerships Energy

• REEEP
• A global coalition to accelerate the development
  of renewable energy and energy efficiency,
  announced at the World Summit on Sustainable
  Development, initiated by the UK
• RECs role in REEEP
• Develop Information Clearing House for CEE and
  Turkey
• Organise regional workshops and training
  disseminate information
• MEDREP
• Type 2 partnership of governments, businesses and
  associations, initiated in 2002 during the
  Johannesburg Summit by the Italian Government
• RECs role in MEDREP
• Developing and operating the training and
  development centre to provide capacity building
  on both macro and micro levels
• Execution of projects leading to the development
  of an advanced renewable energy market across the
  target regions/countries (tradable renewable
  certificates, biomass and geothermal projects in
  the Balkans, etc.)
• Coordination between the MEDREP and REEEP
  initiatives
• CLEAN FUEL AND VEHICLE INITIATIVE
• UNEP/US EPA and other partners Global
  coalition
• RECs role
• Addressing Clean Fuels and Vehicles Issues in
  Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central
  Asia regions

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Project Implementation

• Programmes
• Business and Environment
• Capacity Building
• Climate Change
• Environmental Law
• Environmental Policy and Local Initiatives
• Information
• NGO Support
• Public Participation
• Key Topic Area Groups
• Governance for Sustainable Development
• Stakeholder Support
• Sectors of the economy
• International Instruments
• International Mandates
• Funds
• Italian Trust Fund
• Japan Special Fund

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REC Climate Change Programme

• Established in 1999
• What we do
• Capacity building for developing national climate
  policy
• Strengthening public participation and access to
  information of climate policy
• Support for implementing UNFCCC and the Kyoto
  Protocol
• National action plan on climate change
• GHG emission inventory
• Registry system (for Emission Trading and JI)

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Programme Projects (1)

• 1999-2001 Capacity building for climate
  protection (with WRI)
• Experiences of Activities Implemented Jointly
  Sectoral integration of climate consideration
  into energy policy (1999)
• Capacity needs to implement the Kyoto Protocol
  Good practices in policies and measures (2000)
• Public participation and access to information of
  climate-related policy development (2001)
• 2002-2004 Support for implementation of the KP
• Developing national registry system (2002)
• Developing GHG emission inventory (2003- with
  UNDP)

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Programme Projects (2)

• 2003-2005 Promotion of Flexible Mechanisms
• Database on JI environment in CEE countries JI
  potential assessment by countries (Romania,
  Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic)
• Feasibility Studies on potential JI projects
  (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania)
• Present and Planned Activities
• SE Europe and Turkey
• Capacity building, assistance to formulate CC
  Strategy/Action plan, promotion of CDM, support
  of development of Green Investment Scheme
  (Bulgaria, Romania)
• EECCA (Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia)
• Transfer the experience Capacity building,
  institutional, legal background to promote JI/CDM

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• Thank You for Your Attention!

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