REEEP

Osterkorn: NGOs add value to energy equation

Vienna, 23.06.2009 - REEEP International Secretariat

In a speech at the International Energy Conference in Vienna on June 23rd, Marianne Osterkorn, Director General of REEEP has pleaded for non-governmental organisations such as REEEP to have a more formal status in the international community, to complement government efforts to create a low-carbon energy future. The Vienna conference, hosted by UNIDO, IIASA and Austrian Development Cooperation, offers a forum for policymakers, civil society and senior business figures to discuss how to secure sustainable energy development and investment, despite the financial and economic crisis.

“In this climate, governments are critical in moving sustainable development forward,” Mrs. Osterkorn stated. “They are the ones who actually create the policies, and the ones who implement and enforce the regulations on the ground. In themselves, they are often the largest consumers of energy, and half of all energy companies are actually owned by governments.”
 
“But energy-oriented non-governmental organisations like REEEP can offer added value to the green activities of governments in three ways,” she continued. “First, they can react much more quickly in implementing renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.  Second, the fact is that there is no single solution, and NGOs are particularly good at coming up with tailor-made solutions for a given country. And third, it is important to promote these kinds of activities for maximum visibility and learning, and non-governmental organisations also do this very well.”

The International Energy Conference in Vienna’s Hofburg, attended by some 500 delegates, has included keynote addresses from Kandeh Yumkella, Director-General of UNIDO and Rajendra Pachauri, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

On its first day, the conference agreed that in terms of securing sustainable policies and investments, a widely shared policy framework is needed, as well as appropriate incentives – especially setting a price for carbon dioxide emissions.  Rapid development and deployment of technologies are needed, and engaging the wider public in the effort is critical.