Geneva, 23 February 1999
TURNER'S GIFT TO SUPPORT NEW
UN/ECE PROJECT ON ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
The United Nations Foundation established by
Mr. R. E. Turner to oversee the administration of his gift to the
United Nations approved up to $2 million for the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's (UN/ECE)
proposal on Energy Efficiency Investments for Climate Change
Mitigation.
This three-year project will enhance the energy
efficiency, infrastructure and capacity of five Eastern European
and CIS countries (Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Russian
Federation and Ukraine) which have signed the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) and will provide resources to the project. As part of
the UN/ECE supported Energy Efficiency 2000 project, it will
focus on specific initiatives in three areas B municipal
lighting, hospitals and district heating. The specific objectives
are to develop skills in the private and public sectors;
identify, develop, finance and implement energy-efficient
projects; improve energy efficiency policies in the five
participating countries; and develop the infrastructure and
practices of commercial banks and other private sector
participants in financing energy efficiency projects.
The project is to be implemented under the
UN/ECE by municipal authorities, ministries of Energy and
Environment, and national energy conservation agencies.
International partners are to include the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change; the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP);
Inter-State Economic Committee, Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS); World Energy Council; US Department of Energy;
US Agency for International Development (USAID);
International Energy Agency IEA/OECD; Alliance to Save Energy;
International Finance Corporation (IFC); KPMG Peat Marwick Llp;
OTP Bank Rt. National Savings and Commercial Bank Ltd. Hungary;
and Camber Corporation.
Eastern Europe and the CIS suffer from severe
economic and environmental problems caused by their inefficient
and polluting energy systems and therefore need investments that
improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions. Although subsidized energy costs of the past provided
no incentive for such investments, rapidly rising energy prices
now make these investments essential. The problem is that local
decision-makers have little experience of policies to support
such investments and limited access to sources of finance. Local
energy managers lack the skills to conduct financial analyses
required by private and public financing institutions. But
investors require sound business plans, creditworthy clients,
guarantees and an acceptable regulatory environment. Greatly
enhanced communications are needed for repeated value-added
information transfers on policy reforms, financing and energy
management for new skills to be developed and demonstrated
convincingly at the local level.
An advanced electronic communications network
on the Energy Efficiency 2000 Website will provide this new
project with links to eastern and western partners from the
government, finance and business sectors to increase the
information flows needed to stimulate trade and technical
co-operation. The EE2000 Website currently provides a Forum for
over 400 eastern and western partners, a Library of technical and
financial information and Search Engines to explore the World
Wide Web for business and research partners. A distance learning
function is being developed for the new project to enable central
and eastern European experts to develop business plans for energy
efficiency investment projects to help cut the environmental
pollution causing climate change. This will provide distance
learning for training courses, initially on business planning and
financial engineering, via the INTERNET, audio/video, compressed
video or teleconferencing.
Policy reforms to support investment projects
are also disseminated on the Internet. During January 1999, an
Energy Efficiency 2000 business briefing seminar was held in
Prague (Czech Republic) on Commercial Bank Financing of Energy
Efficiency Projects in Central and Eastern Europe to describe
successful technical assistance and investment projects to senior
government policy makers from the region. The seminar was
originally planned for 80-100 participants and attended by 150
experts. In addition, the seminar was broadcast on the
www.ee2000.net Website and seen by an additional 250 viewers in
14 ECE member States.
The Secretary-General established the United
Nations Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP) in March 1998
to co-ordinate proposals from within the United Nations system
for funding by the United Nations Foundation Inc. Project
proposals are developed in line with UNF priorities and criteria
by the UN Programmes, Funds and Regional Commissions and
vetted for consistency with the mandates, expertise and
priorities of the respective UN bodies by the UNFIP Advisory
Board under the chairmanship of the Deputy Secretary-General.
Projects are then transmitted to the UNF or returned to agency
for further preparation. Upon approval by the UNF Board of
Directors, projects are returned to agencies for final planning
and implementation.
The UNF/UNFIP Energy Efficiency Investment for
Climate Change Mitigation Project is to develop new international
partnerships to help leverage private sector finance for energy
efficiency investment projects. The ECE is to work closely with
KPMG Peat Marwick on co-financing the project with companies,
banks and investment funds. KPMG Peat Marwick has recently
prepared a new publication for the Energy Efficiency Project
entitled "Sources of Financing for Energy Efficiency
Projects in Central and Eastern Europe" issued as part of
the ECE Energy Series. This is a guide to the services provided
by development banks and agencies, commercial banks, private
project financing and key information sources.
For more information please contact:
Energy Efficiency 2000
Project
United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations, Bureau
382
CH - 1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland
Telephone: +41 22 917
2410, 917 2407
Telefax: +41 22 917 0227,
917 0038
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.ee2000.net
UN/ECE Information Unit
United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations, Bureau
356
CH - 1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland
Telephone: +41 22 917 4444
Telefax: +41 22 917 0505
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.unece.org
Bibliographic
information
Sources of Financing
for Energy Efficiency Projects in Central and Eastern Europe,
ECE Energy Series No. 15, United Nations, Geneva and New York,
1998
Sales No. GV.E.98.0.13,
ISBN 92-1-100773-9, Sales price: US$25.00
Soft cover, 72 pages
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