ALLIANCE TO SAVE ENERGY

Multilateral Climate Change Working Group

Reports archive

EIGHTH Meeting

UN House Conference Room, First Floor,
Kyiv, Klovsky Uzviz, 1
Thursday, May 17, 2001, 15:00 - 17:00

Meeting Report

1. INTRODUCTION

The eighth meeting of the Multilateral Climate Change Working Group was held at the UN House on May 17, 2001. The purpose of the meeting was:

• to exchange information on international climate change mitigation activities in Ukraine with the aim of avoiding duplication of efforts and promoting cooperation and coordination between programs
• to promote dialogue and cooperation on climate change issues between Multilateral Climate Change Working Group and the Government of Ukraine

Meeting attendees included representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, United Nations Development Program, Embassy of Switzerland, Royal Danish Embassy, Royal Netherlands Embassy, Canada-Ukraine Environmental Cooperation Program, the US Agency for International Development, the Climate Change Initiative, Magister & Partners and Alliance to Save Energy. The meeting was moderated by Mr. Tom Lemley, Alliance/Ukraine Program Manager.  The meeting agenda and attendee list are included as attachments 1 and 2 to this report.  Handouts are listed in attachment 3.

2. MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

Welcome & Introductions

• Mr. Lemley welcomed meeting participants and made introductions.
• Ms. Oksana Demkiv, UNDP Programme Officer on Environmental Issues welcomed meeting participants on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme, which provided facilities for the meeting. She noted that sustainable energy use was one of the main issues of the ninth annual session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) held from 16 to 27 April in New York. The global task identified is to reduce energy consumption by promoting efficient production and use of energy and wider-scale use of renewable resources, which could be achieved through joint efforts of local governments, private sector and public organizations coordinated by their national governments.

Update on the US-Ukraine Climate Change Initiative

• Ms. Natalia Kulichenko, Project Manager of the US-Ukraine Climate Change Initiative (CCI) described main phases of the CCI project started in October 1999 and outlined accomplishments to date and next steps. Her presentation is included with this report as attachment 4.
• Mr. Dan Thompson, Environmental Advisor for the US Agency for International Development noted that an inventory of thirty Ukrainian mines had been conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Four of these mines were identified as good candidates for GHG emission reduction projects.

Multilateral cooperation on the Climate Change Initiative web site

• Mr. Thompson described the main objectives of the CCI web site as follows:
  1. Raise public awareness about global climate change (Ukraine’s contribution & vulnerability),
  2. Inform the public about international climate change activities, including negotiations and potential benefits,
  3. Disseminate information on specific climate change activities being implemented in Ukraine,
  4. Promote networking among NGOs, officials, scientists, and businesses within Ukraine and abroad,
  5. Provide information about GHG mitigation projects to potential international investors, and
  6. Support the Climate Change Initiative.

Mr. Thompson noted that Ukrainian NGOs were recently offered an NGO section on the web site to make it more interactive and to provide an open forum for the Ukrainian public on climate change issues.  He also suggested that donors view the CCI web site as a vehicle by which they can publicize other climate change programs in Ukraine and invited then to collaborate in developing a Ukrainian climate change web site.

• Ms. Iryna Trofimova, Technical Adviser of the Canada-Ukraine Environmental Cooperation Program Participation (CUECP) stressed that joint development of the Ukrainian climate change web site can help avoid duplication of efforts. She stated that the first Canadian contribution to the current web site is primarily aimed at assisting Ukrainians in accessing Canadian climate change information. The web site will include links to the sites of federal and provincial governments, industry, research institutions and NGOs. A description of the CUECP and CUECP projects have been already posted on the site. As projects are completed, final reports will be also posted, and it is anticipated that the proceedings of a final conference to be held at the end of the program will also be posted.  The contribution of the Canadian domestic program will include climate change strategies, action plans, ongoing voluntary programs, provincial initiatives and other information.
  The CUECP staff also intends to include public awareness materials on climate change that will supplement materials that CCI develops.
   Hopefully, Ms. Trofimova said, the idea of establishing a joint climate change web site will be positively received by the Ukrainian government and the donor community.
• Mr. Volodymyr Esipenko, IT Expert of the Climate Change Initiative demonstrated the main components of the CCI web site, including basics on climate change, the international response to global climate change, activities of climate change stakeholders, GHG emissions in Ukraine, contact information, training activities and useful links.
• Mr. Lemley presented the English and Ukrainian versions of the Alliance’s comparison charts summarizing international climate change activities in Ukraine. The English version is included with this report as attachment 5. The charts were reformatted and posted to the CCI web site at the request of attendees of the previous meeting of Working Group members.

The Emission Reduction Unit Procurement Tender in Central and Eastern Europe

• Mr. Jeroen van Drunen, Second Secretary of the Royal Netherlands Embassy, updated meeting participants on the status of the Emission Reduction Unit Procurement Tender (ERUPT) in Central and Eastern Europe. According to Mr. Van Drunen, the Dutch government has concluded the first international contracts under the Kyoto Protocol’s joint implementation (JI) procedure. The government will pay 35.3 million euros (US$31.6 million) for approximately 4.2 million tons of greenhouse gas emission reductions in three eastern European countries between 2008 and 2012. Plans include a sixty-megawatt wind mill farm in Poland, two urban heating systems and a hydropower plant in Romania, and a series of biomass-fueled power plants in the Czech Republic. He noted that while Ukrainian companies may also apply for similar JI projects, Ukraine still lacks the legal framework that would enable the transfer of emissions reduction units to the Dutch government.

Brief NSS status report

• Mr. Oleg Riabokon, Director of Magister & Partners, informed meeting attendees about the progress of the National JI Strategy Study Program for Ukraine. A workshop for teams of Ukrainian and Swiss experts and representatives of MENRU was held on March 19-20 in Kyiv to discuss program goals and requirements. He reported that a draft of the first progress report is expected to be developed by May 30.

Cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the Multilateral Climate Change Working Group

• Mr. Lemley reminded the meeting participants that one of the objectives of the Multilateral Working Group is to be a vehicle for the international donor community to engage in dialogue with their counterparts in the Government of Ukraine. He noted that upon receiving invitations to attend the Working Group meeting, Mr. Yuri Ruban, First Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources and Mr. Ihor Shumylo, Deputy Minister of Economy, proposed topics for discussion with their representatives at the meeting and assigned ministry staff personnel to maintain ongoing contacts with the Working Group. English translations of the fax letters sent by Messrs. Ruban and Shumylo are included with this report as attachments 6 and 7. Mr. Lemley then invited government representatives to take part in the round table discussion on the issue of co-operation between the Government of Ukraine and the Multilateral Climate Change Working Group.
• Mr. Heorhiy Veremiychyk, Deputy Head of Department for Environment Monitoring and Head of Climate Change Division at MENRU, thanked meeting participants for their interest in discussing climate change issues and apologized for the absence of Messrs. Lipinsky and Velychko due to an unforeseen meeting and illness, respectively. Referring to the faxed letter to the Working Group from Deputy Minister Ruban, Mr. Veremiychyk proposed to discuss with donor representatives potential technical and financial support to assist preparation of Ukraine’s annual national inventories of GHG emissions and removals and national communications on climate change, which is to be submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat. He also announced that MENRU had received a proposal from the Government of Denmark to sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on climate change issues, including JI activities, and that MENRU is currently working on this proposal.
• Mr. Thompson responded to Mr. Veremiychyk’s request by suggesting a special meeting on Ukraine’s capacity for making GHG emissions inventories to be attended by all interested parties, including USAID, CCI, CUECP, World Bank, etc. He mentioned that a formal request on conducting a GHG emissions inventory in Ukraine’s power sector has been received from the Ministry of Fuel and Energy and that USEPA has been also providing support in this area.
• Ms. Trofimova supported Mr. Thompson’s proposal regarding a meeting on GHG emissions inventories, and noted that MENRU’s proposals could be also considered within the framework of CUECP.
• Mr. Volodymyr Ogorodnyk, Head of Energy Efficiency Division, Department for Development of Fuel and Energy Market at the Ministry of Economy, emphasized that establishing inventories should be considered the first phase of cooperation on climate change issues. Another important issue, he said, would be realization of climate change mitigation projects by means of modernization of key sectors of Ukrainian economy, and he suggested developing a list of potential project areas for consideration at the next Working Group meeting.
• Ms. Galyna Ivanova, Senior Specialist, Division for Environmental and Economic Development, Department for Analysis and Forecasting of Regional Development at the Ministry of Economy expressed thanks for being invited to attend the Working Group meeting and asked Mr. Thompson about the US Administration’s position on ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.
• Mr. Thompson replied that funding for the US-Ukraine cooperation on climate change remains in place.  He further noted that the US Administration has not withdrawn from international climate change negotiations and that its representatives will attend COP-6 bis. 
• Mr. Oleksandr Bohachov, Head of Division, Department of Technogenic, Environmental and Nuclear Safety at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and member of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on Climate Change, supported Mr. Veremiychyk’s request and Mr. Thompson’s proposal on a meeting to consider donors assistance in developing Ukraine’s capacity for making GHG emissions inventories.
• Mr. Thompson, responding to Mr. Bohachov comments, suggested holding a meeting on GHG emissions inventories on Thursday, May 24.

Closing remarks / Announcements

• Mr. Lemley informed meeting participants of request from Mr. Olexi Pasyuk, a member of the Ukrainian NGO Climate Change Working Group, to permit NGO Working Group representatives to the next MLCCWG meeting. Mr. Pasyuk’s letter is included with this report as attachment 8. Mr. Lemley suggested holding the ninth MLCCWG meeting on the week of July 2 or July 9 at the latest and suggested including Ukraine’s preparations for COP-6 bis as an agenda item. 
• Mr. Thompson proposed a meeting on energy efficiency in district heating, since a number of international donors fund district heating projects in Ukraine, and suggested inviting representatives of the State Committee for Energy Conservation. He also inquired whether other donors plan to support participation of the Ukrainian Government and NGOs in the COP-6 bis in Bonn, Germany and COP-7 in Marrakesh, Morocco.
• Mr. van Drunen responded that while the Dutch government is not hosting COP-6 bis, it might nevertheless consider applications for such support in light of its having hosted COP6.
• Mr. Alexander Sigal, Director of the Institute of Environmental Engineering and Task Leader of the National JI Strategy Study Program for Ukraine, informed participants that his organization had recently initiated a range of district heating projects in Vinnitsya, Luhansk, Kyiv, Khmelnitskiy, Chernihiv and Cherkassy, and that he would be happy to present these projects to members of the Working Group.

Adjourn

The meeting was then adjourned.