Transcript REC Powerpoint template - The Regional Environmental Center for

www.rec.org
The Regional Environmental Center
for Central and Eastern Europe (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 29 countries and the European
Commission
• Head Office in Szentendre,
Hungary
• Offices in 17 countries
• Annual turnover in 2006
around EUR 10 ml
• 300 projects in 2006
• 190+ staff (some 30 nationalities)
REC Video – Click!
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REC beneficiaries
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Turkey
Balkan Countries
New EU members – Bulgaria and Romania
EU countries – Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia
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Donors
• RECENT DONORS:
• European Commission
• The governments of Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany,
Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the
United States
• Other inter-governmental and private institutions
THE TOTAL CONTRIBUTION OF DONORS
GIVEN TO CEE THROUGH THE REC
EXCEEDED
100 MILLION EUROS!
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REC’s motto: “Building bridges”
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The REC bridges decisions and actions
The REC bridges – stakeholders
The REC bridges – regions
The REC bridges – donors and
beneficiaries
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The REC bridges decisions and
actions
• The REC works in the field to facilitate
political decisions in its beneficiary regions
• Over 3500 projects since 1990
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Environmental information
Environmental policy
Environmental law
NGO support
Climate Change
Capacity building
Public participation
Sectoral integration
Environmental education
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The REC bridges – stakeholders
Government
Government
NGOs
NGOs
The REC
Local
Local
Governments
Governments
Business
Business
Citizens
Citizens
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The REC bridges – regions
• The REC’s inputs have became an integral
part of key international mechanisms and
partnerships.
• Contribution to European and Global Processes
• International Mandates / International Secretariat
support
• Partnerships
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The REC bridges – donors and
beneficiaries
• The REC serves as a unique mechanism for
implementing political decisions
• Regional Environmental Reconstruction Programme for South
Eastern Europe
• Local Environmental Action Plans
• Strategic Environmental Assessments
• Legal support – EU harmonisation
• Implementation of the Aarhus Convention
• Public Participation
• Renewable Energy
• Biodiversity Projects
• Capacity building, NGO trainings
• Education for Sustainable Development
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Partnership in focus…
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The REC fulfils this mission by promoting cooperation among nongovernmental organisations, governments, businesses and other
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
varieties of models and tools to address environmental challenges,
such as stakeholder engagement, clearing house mechanism,
capacity building and regional/international partnerships
The REC aims to support the implementation and the enforcement of
the acquis communautaire in the new EU member states and
transfer the lessons learned about building environmental
democracy to countries in the CEE region
www.rec.org
Partnerships
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EEA – Several topic centers of the European Environment Agency
EC - Environmental Experts Group on Structural Funds (DG Env.)
OECD - EAP Task Force, Development Assistance Committee Working G. on
SEA
UNDP - Danube and Black Sea Task Force
UNEP - Finance Initiative Task Force, Joint work on the Carpathians
Convention, Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles
CSD – Commission on Sustainable Development
UNECE - Cooperation with UNECE on the implementation of the Aarhus
Convention, the Espoo Convention, the International Water Convention, the
International Accidents Convention and related protocols
ICPDR - International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River
MEDREP – Mediterranean Renewable Energy Programme Initiative
E3G, HBLF, VIU, CEU, Agroinnova, Bellagio Forum, IUCN, EPE, AMCHAM
TOYOTA, JIBIC, Philips, GE, ITDH
EECCA RECs
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Implementation
• REC carries out projects – with the support of the
country and field office network – with
programmes, topic areas and funds
• TAs were introduced in 2004 as a tool to better organise and
manage the existing expertise and knowledge within the network
of 16 Country Offices of the REC.
• The topic areas are managed by REC experts based in different
countries
• This development is a direct result of the continuous efforts over
the last years to strengthen the synergies within the organisation,
to build on the accumulated experience and knowledge and fully
use the available in-house expertise.
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Operation of the REC beyond CEE
• EECCA, Asia, Africa, Latin-America
• Transfer of experience, e.g.:
• enforcement and compliance
• strategic environmental assessment
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Climate Change Department
• Capacity-building activities to support the
implementation of the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol in all
beneficiary countries
• Promotion of flexible mechanisms under the
Kyoto Protocol (JI, CDM, IET)
• Support of the implementation of the EU activities
in the field of Climate Change
• Adaptation
• Support the development of new mechanisms
(Green Investment Schme)
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Green Investment Scheme – an instrument to
achieve sustainable economic growth
• GIS facilitates foreign investment into the country;
• GIS Fund (Ecological Investment Agency –Ukrainian
case) channels the money towards the projects reducing
the GHG directly or indirectly;
• As a long-term financing mechanism GIS can cover small
scale projects as well as non-quantifiable GHG reduction
projects;
• Less complicated procedures compared to JI. For
instance, the rules for baselines and monitoring can be
simplified.
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Ukraine and GIS: challenges ahead
• Ukraine is in the beginning of the process
• Assigned Amount Units is an asset needing proper
management over the two Kyoto Commitment periods
• Legislative and regulatory framework is be be set up
• Institutional framework: first step done (Ecological
Investment Agency)
• REC is happy to support this workshop which hopefully
contributes towards the establishment of GIS
• Funds came through the Japan Special Fund (JSF)
established by the Government of Japan within the REC.
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Thank you for your attention!