CENN — MARCH 22, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. 3rd Georgia International Oil, Gas, Energy and Infrastructure
Conference and Showcase
2. Invitation to Comment on the Country Strategy for Georgia
3. Registration for Healthy Planet Forum
4. Call for proposals for the European Initiative for Democracy and
Human Rights Micro Projects program
5. International Perspectives in Environmental Education
1. 3RD GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL OIL, GAS, ENERGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE
CONFERENCE AND SHOWCASE
GIOGIE 2004
A two-day 3rd Georgia International Oil, Gas, Energy and Infrastructure
2004 Conference kicked off at the Sheraton Metechi palace Hotel Thursday
supported by Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Georgia, and Georgian
International Oil Corporation (GIOC). 180 delegates from 15 countries
are participating in the conference. Development of BTC pipeline and
South Caucasian gas pipeline Shah-Deniz-Tbilisi-Erzerum was discussed at
the conference. Participants include BP, BTC Co., GIOC, Georgian Oil,
Socar, Botas, Kazmunaigaz, Statoil, Ukransnafta, IFC, EBRD, RAO UES,
Gazprom, ChevronTexaco, Spie-Petrofac, Marsh, Ernst & Young, AON,
McConnell Dowell, USAID and many others.
GIOGIE 2004 sponsors include: GIOC, Batumi Oil Terminal, BP, Statoil,
Spie-Petrofac, Marsh, Ernst & Young, ENR Russia Invest, Channel Enery,
BCI, Sercel.
Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania was expected to open the conference but the
political standoff between Tbilisi and Batumi has promoted him to stay
in a Black Sea town Poti, near Batumi to head an anti-crisis center. As
the entire cabinet of ministers was in Poti Nika Gilauri, Minister of
Fuel and Energy failed to attend the 3rd International Conference.
Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy Aleko Khetaguri participated on his
behalf.
The construction of the Shah-Deniz-Tbilisi-Erzerum pipeline is scheduled
to start shortly after the BTC pipeline building is complete. Georgia’s
participation in the projects bears critical importance as it serves a
kind of transport corridor between Asia and Europe.
At the conference Commercial Director of BTC Co Andrew McAuslan noted
that the BTC pipeline energy corridor expands over 700 000 kms.
The BTC Co representative spoke about the importance of social and
public projects implemented within the frames of the BTC oil pipeline.
The projects aimed at improvement of social conditions of the people
living in the BTC pipeline vicinities. Andrew McAuslan said that the
population of the villages crossed by the pipeline would be favored when
hiring personnel for the pipeline. He added that 15 international
commercial banks are participating in the pipeline project. BTC Co. is
planning to carry out large-scale infrastructure projects within the
frames of the project and pledges to care for integration of
infrastructure.
Archil Magalashvili, technical manager of GIOC, said that the BTC oil
pipeline would be under tight monitoring. High security measures have
been taken to ensure security of Georgian stretch of the pipeline and
avoid environment pollution or other accidents.
Since Georgia is situated in high seismological and landslide risk zone
the project envisages additional security measures. Archil Magalashvili
says that additional geological field works have been performed
alongside with the construction of the pipeline.
Manager of Statiol Turkey, Kietil Tanlend focused on the
Shah-Deniz-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline. He said Statiol, which is a
shareholder of BTC pipeline project was established in 1972. The company
produces 1 million barrel oil a day, making the company the third
biggest oil operator in the world. Statiol is a Norwegian company and is
one of the leading oil operators in Norway and Scandinavian countries.
Statoil holds 5.5 shares in BTC oil pipeline and 25.5 percent in
Shah-Deniz-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline. Kietil Tanlend pointed out that
the preparatory work for the South Caucasian pipeline project was
underway. He said Shah-Deniz-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline would become
operational in 2006.
He spoke about the Georgia as an important and strategic partner in the
gas pipeline project. The well-developed system will help to implement
the project in complaisance with European standards.
The conference was wrapped on March 19, 2004. Organizers of the
conference were content with the results and say they have worked
productively in these two days. At the 2nd international conference the
course of the pipeline project implementation was discussed and the gas
pipeline project was only theoretically considered. At the March 18-19,
2004 conference participants spoke about the details of the project and
dwelled on profits the project willing bring to participating states.
The next day of the 3rd international conference Viachwslan Axenov,
advisor to Russia’s Energy Council said that Russia honored the request
of the Georgian Ministry of Fuel Energy and would play an active role in
the development of Georgia’ s energy sector. He added that the Russian
Energy Council is planning to hold a press conference on the hydro
energy issue in the near future and proposed the Georgian Ministry of
Fuel and Energy to participate in the conference. Mr. Axenov believes
that the rehabilitation of Inguri hydropower station is important for
country and if the ministry representative attends the conference this
issue will be also discussed there.
Viachwslan Axenov did not specify whether or not Russia would contribute
to the rehabilitation of Inguri station but his appeal to Georgia to
participate in this conference does hold an answer to the question.
Russian United Energy Company Rau UES holds 75 percent of Tbilisi power
distribution facility Telasi shares. Rau UES also owns Gardabani 9 and
10 energy facilities and two hydropower stations of Kvemo Kartli region
“Khrami 1” and “Khrami 2”.
Viachwslan Axenov says that the Russian Energy Council ‘s strategy is to
develop Georgia’s energy sector, and Rao UES’ strategy is to create a
common energy corridor throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS). Georgian experts well understand the quite clear “Russian”
accents but as one of the experts said despite the monopoly of the
Russian companies at the Georgian energy system, the Georgian-Russian
political relations promises to be less aggressive BTC and
Shah-Deniz-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipelines are not threatened by Russia.
Experts unanimously exclude Russia’s participation in the gas pipeline
project. Although the shortest route for Russian power export crosses
Georgia but Russia does not have any claims for
Shah-Deniz-Tbilisi-Erzerum project, As for Viachwslan Axenov, he
withheld comments on this comment.
The Georgian Times, March 22, 2004
2. INVITATION TO COMMENT ON THE COUNTRY STRATEGY FOR GEORGIA
In light of recent political developments in Georgia, the EBRD is
advancing the preparation of its next Strategy for Georgia in order to
be better able to support the efforts of the new authorities in
addressing the main challenges in the country. Comments are invited to
help the Bank in revising its Strategy.
Comments should refer to the current Strategy for Georgia available at:
To help in the preparation of the forthcoming Strategy for Georgia, it
would be useful for the Bank to receive comments on the investment and
economic environment as it relates to the Bank’s operational priorities
and activities, in particular in the following areas:
1. Issues related to the investment climate
This would include issues concerning: (i) the implementation and
enforcement of laws; (ii) progress in the fight against corruption –
implementation of the national anti-corruption strategy; (iii) corporate
governance; and (iv) in particular the investment climate as it relates
to the development of SMEs/MSEs. We seek your views on how serious these
issues are for the development of the private sector, priority areas
which should be addressed by the authorities, and the ways in which the
EBRD could assist the authorities in improving the
investment climate.
2. Issues related to infrastructure development
This would include efficiency and payment discipline in the power sector
and issues related to development of the transport sector, with
particular attention to issues relating to tariff reform, restructuring,
and privatization/private sector involvement. Comments are invited on
priority issues and the role, which the EBRD should play in further
support for the development of these sectors.
3. Issues related to access to capital
Comments are invited on the ease of access to funding by private sector
enterprises, in particular by micro-, small- and medium-sized
enterprises, given the current state of development of the banking
sector, the level of financial intermediation, and the availability of
funding under various donor and IFI programs. Comments would also be
welcome on issues related to the early stage of development of
non-banking financial sector (leasing, mortgages, pensions, insurance).
What are the main obstacles, what measures should be taken to strengthen
the banking and non-banking financial sectors, and what type of projects
should be supported by the EBRD to help alleviate identified gaps?
The Strategy provides guidance for EBRD activities in a country,
identifying the main challenges which the Bank is best placed to
confront. As such, the Strategy cannot address all of the development
issues a country faces and necessarily must be selective in identifying
issues where the Bank has the experience and ability to play a
constructive role.
The Bank will take into account all comments received. A summary of
these, with staff responses, will be posted on the Web site following
the Board approval of the revised Strategy. The Country Strategy is,
however, a Bank document and the responsibility for its contents remains
with the Bank.
Please send your comments to the Bank at [email protected] no
later than 18 May 2004.
You may also like to send this message to other interested
organisations.
Outreach and NGO Relations team, European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development
3. REGISTRATION FOR HEALTHY PLANET FORUM
The Healthy Planet Forum is a civil society event conducted in Budapest
on 22-25 June 2004 in parallel with the forthcoming 4th Ministerial
Conference on Environment and Health ‘The Future for Our Children’. The
organizers of the Healthy Planet Forum opened two types of registration:
A) Registration for attending the Forum (personal registration)
The registration will allow you to be admitted to the Forum’s
facilities. The organizers will assist you with booking a place to stay
in Budapest and getting an invitation for visa purposes.
As of early March 2004, the Healthy Planet Forum steering committee
cannot subsidies or sponsor individuals. Efforts have been made to keep
organizational costs to a minimum, and the host organizations are
continuing to seek funding toward the costs of attendance and other
expenditure connected to the Forum. If you would like to be considered
for this please complete your application for assistance at the end of
the form. Your application will form part of a funding search and will
register you as a potential recipient of funding if successful.
B) Event registration
If you plan to organize a parallel event or a side-event, a workshop or
a seminar in Budapest, fill in the Event Registration form. Rooms and
equipment are kindly provided free of charge by the Hungarian Ministry
of Health. All other expenses are to be covered by the participants
(food, drinks, handouts, invitations, representation, etc.). Event
timing and provided free equipment are subject to availability.
Both forms are available at
For more information contact:
Laszlo Perneczky
REC, “Environment and Health Working Group”
E-mail: [email protected]
4. CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE EUROPEAN INITIATIVE FOR DEMOCRACY AND
HUMAN RIGHTS MICRO PROJECTS PROGRAM
EUROPEAN COMMISSION DELEGATION TO GEORGIA AND ARMENIA
Call for proposals for the European Initiative for Democracy and Human
Rights Micro projects program
Call reference: EuropeAid/ 119-571/L/G/GE
The European Commission Delegation to Georgia is seeking proposals for
micro projects in Georgia with financial assistance from the European
Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) program of the
European Communities. The global indicative amount available for this
Call for Proposals is ˆ1,000,000.
The general objective of the EIDHR micro projects program is to respond
rapidly to requests from Nongovernmental organizations that are designed
to promote democracy and human rights. Proposals for microprojects
should be in the following priority areas:
Priority A: Support to the rule of law and the fight against corruption
Priority B: The fight against torture
Priority C: Combating discrimination against religious and ethnic
minorities.
Grants may cover a maximum of 80% of project costs. Grants will finance
projects with activities
lasting up to 18 months.
Grants range from a minimum of ˆ10,000 to a maximum of ˆ100,000.
Applicants must be non-profit-making and be a non-governmental
organization. Profit making media organizations may also apply provided
that the proposed action is non-profit making. They must have their
headquarters in Georgia, or be a local independent division of an NGO
with its headquarters in another country. Activities must take place in
Georgia. Applicants may apply singly or as part of a consortium.
Detailed information on this Call for Proposals is contained in the
“Guidelines for Grant Applicants”, which are published together with
this notice on the Internet Web site of the European Commission
Delegation to Georgia:
The full Guidelines for Applicants are also available for consultation
at the:
European Commission Delegation
38 Nino Chkheidze Str., Tbilisi 0102, Georgia
Telephone +995 (8)32 943 763
The deadline for submission of proposals is 14 June 2004 at 16.00
Georgian times. Any application received by the European Commission
Delegation to Georgia after this time will not be considered.
Any questions regarding this Call for Proposals should be sent, clearly
indicating the reference number, by fax to +995 (8)32 943 768 or by
email to [email protected] .
All applicants are encouraged to consult the Internet website above
regularly before the deadline for applications, where the EC Delegation
will publish the most frequently asked questions and the corresponding
replies.
Priorities for the EIDHR Microprojects Call for Proposals, March 2004:
Generally the submission of project proposals from NGOs whose
headquarters are outside Tbilisi, or whose work focuses on internally
displaced persons (IDPs), is particularly encouraged. The following
cross cutting issues will be considered as additional assets during the
evaluation of the proposals:
1) Strengthening of the participation of youth in civil society
activities 2) civil society capacity building in the regions of Georgia
(inter alia Adjara, Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti) Please note
that these cross cutting issues are not priorities in themselves.
Priority A: Support to the rule of law and the fight against corruption:
Including but not limited to actions resulting in:
§ Promotion, awareness rising on and/or monitoring/analyzing of the
reform of the criminal justice system (inter alia: procuracy reform,
police reform; reform of the criminal procedural code, reform of the
investigation);
§ promotion of human rights and/or access to justice of disadvantaged
groups;
§ capacity building for effective and high quality monitoring and
reporting on corruption;
§ anti-corruption activities within specific regions and within specific
sectors (e.g. judiciary, education, urban planning, environment);
§ promotion of accountability of local self-governance structures in the
regions of Georgia.
Priority B: The fight against torture:
Including but not limited to actions resulting in:
§ Promotion of and support to a humane penal and penitentiary system in
Georgia by piloting new ways of cooperation between civil society and
the respective state bodies in the penal sector;
§ Promotion of and support to alternatives to custodial sentences;
§ Public control and civil monitoring of places of detention, including
capacity building in the field of monitoring and reporting on torture
according to international standards;
§ Public awareness on penal reform in Georgia;
§ Awareness raising and capacity building in the fight against torture
in the regions of Georgia;
§ Improved access of victims of torture to justice.
Priority C: Combating discrimination against religious and ethnic
minorities:
Including but not limited to actions resulting in:
§ Promotion of religious, cultural, political and economic rights of
ethnic and religious minorities;
§ Capacity-building in the legal field for representatives of ethnic
minorities;
§ Promotion of professional media reporting on religious and/or cultural
minority issues and capacity building in the media field for
representatives of ethnic minorities.
5. INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
This book is one of the outcomes of the First World Environmental
Education Congress (FWEEC) held in Espinho, Portugal on May 20-24, 2003.
FWEEC gathered 282 participants from 38 countries, offering an
international platform for educators, scientists, researchers, scholars,
politicians, technicians, activists, media and teachers to present and
debate key issues in environmental education worldwide. It includes many
of the papers delivered in the Congress and a few additional ones, in an
attempt to both document international experiences and promote them to a
wide audience. The scope of this publication is comprehensive and it
approaches a wide range of issues such as:
§ Environmental education through interactive means
§ Environmental education and fieldwork
§ Environmental education in formal education
§ Environmental education and information technologies
§ Environmental education in waste management
§ Environmental education and partnerships
§ Environmental education and fauna awareness
§ Environmental education society and conservation units
§ Environmental education in higher education
§ Environmental education and citizenship
§ Environmental education and adult education
§ Environmental education and teacher education
§ Environmental education and Agenda 21
Similar to its predecessor book (World Trends in Environmental
Education) also published in the book series Environmental Education,
Communication and Sustainability, this publication is meant to pave the
ground for the UN International Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development (2005 Ö 2014) by addressing one of the oldest and yet one of
the most pressing needs in environmental education today: the need to
document experiences and promote good practice.
Edited by Walter Leal Filho (Hamburg) & Michael
Littledyke (Gloucester)
Peter Lang Scientific Publishers, Bern, Brussels,
Frankfurt, New York,
Oxford, Vienna
Volume 16 of the series ÓEnvironmental Education,
Communication and SustainabilityÔ
ISBN: 3-631-52296-7 Ö US ISBN: 0-8204-6583-6,
Paperback, 340pp., À
49.80 / US$ 55.95
On-line orders from: or from:
[email protected]
—
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: