UNESCAP (Environment and Development Division)

Last update: August 20, 2009


Asia-Pacific Forum on Low Carbon Economy 17-20 June 2009, International Convention Center, Beijing, China

Expert Group Meeting on
“Towards a Low Carbon Development Path for Asia and the Pacific: Challenges and Opportunities to the Energy Sector”

Programme

17-18 June 2009

Wednesday, 17 June 2009

0800 – 0830 Registration

0830 – 0900 Opening

Facilitator: Mr. Li Jungfeng, Deputy Director General, Energy Research Institute, National Development and Reform Commission

1. Mr. Shaoyi Li, Officer-in-Charge, Environment and Development
Division, and Chief, Energy Security Section, ESCAP

2. Mr. Han Wenke, Director General, Energy Research Institute, National Development and Reform Commission

3. Mr. Jose Alberto Garibaldi, Director, Energeia

Overview of the EGM: Mr. Kohji Iwakami, Economic Affairs Officer, Energy Security Section, ESCAP

0900 – 0910 Photo Session

Facilitator: Mr. Shaoyi Li, Officer-in-Charge, Environment and Development Division, and Chief, Energy Security Section, ESCAP

0910 – 0930 Low carbon economy development – challenges and opportunities: Mr. Masakazu Ichimura, Chief, Environment and Development Policy Section, Environment and Development Division, ESCAP

0930 – 0945 General Q&A

0945 – 1015 Presentations:

1. Bold ambition and low carbon: Mr. Jose Alberto Garibaldi, Director, Energeia

1015 – 1030 Coffee Break

1030 – 1115 General Discussion

Questions:

1. What are the current issues and proposals/measures considered to support climate change actions at the global level?

2. What is the level of action expected of developing countries and what kind of leverage do they have?

3. What role can low carbon paths and environment provide in development towards a low carbon society?

4. How does Low carbon help to bridge the differences among different interest groups?

Text Box: Session 2: Promoting Low Carbon in Developing Countries of Asia and the Pacific

Facilitator: Mr. Pan Jiahua, Director, Research Centre for Sustainable Development, China

1115 – 1145 Low Carbon Development Path for the Asia Pacific Region: Ms. Ruchika Chawla, Associate Fellow and Area Convenor, Centre for Research on Energy Security, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

1145 – 1200 General Q&A

1200 – 1300 Lunch

1300 – 1445 Presentations: (10 min. each)

A. Identifying major challenges for the energy sector with respect to development (poverty reduction), climate change and energy security, and responses by each Government

B. Needs for regional/international cooperation

1. Development, Energy Access and Climate Change: Can they go together? Dr. Nandita Mongia, Senior Policy Advisor, Energy & Climate Change, UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok

2. Challenges and Opportunities to Energy Sector: Bangladesh Perspective: Mr. Ashoke Kumar Biswas, Director (Deputy Secretary), Department of Environment, Bangladesh, and Mr. Nazmul Ahsan, Senior Assistant Secretary, Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Bangladesh [Presentation, Country paper]

3. Low Carbon Scenario for China in 2050: Mr. Liu Qiang, Energy Research Institute, China [Presentation, Country paper]

4. Introducing Low-Carbon Technologies in India: Challenges and Opportunities: Mr. Lokesh Chandra, Director, Ministry of Power, India [Presentation, Country paper]

5. Low Carbon Energy Development: Opportunities and Challenges in Mongolia: Mr. Dorjpurev Jargal, Energy and Environment Expert, Mongolia [Presentation, Country paper]

6. Energy Sector and Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities to the Indonesian Energy Sector: Mr. Luluk Sumiarso, Senior Adviser to Minister, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia [Presentation, Country paper]

7. The Philippine Experience: Ms. Carmencita Abella Bariso, Assistant Director, Energy Policy and Planning Bureau, Philippines [Presentation, Country paper]

8. Low Carbon Economy: Thailand Perspective: Ms. Areerat Yoohoon, Senior Scientist Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency, Thailand [Presentation, Country paper]

1445 – 1500 Coffee Break

1500 – 1700 General Discussion

Facilitator: Dr. Nandita Mongia, Senior Policy Advisor, Energy & Climate Change, UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok

Questions:

1. What is the role of the energy sector towards poverty reduction in developing countries?

· What are the development challenges related to the energy sector?

· What are the major barriers towards meeting these challenges?

2. Could energy sector development in developing countries take place without compromising economic growth and climate change?

3. What are the needs and mechanisms of the developing countries to mobilize sufficient resources to ensure sustainable economic growth?

Thursday, 18 June 2009

Text Box: Session 3: Low Carbon and Climate Change Actions in the Context of Asia and the Pacific: National Programs and Measures.

Facilitator: Mr. Roger C. Birosel, Senior Consultant, Office of the Presidential Advisor on Climate Change, Manila, Philippines

0900 – 1030 Presentations: (10 min. each)

A. Identifying the role of low carbon development strategy to support the climate change actions and follow up the Bali Road Map

B. Bridging the gaps between climate change actions and low carbon development path through national policies and mechanisms

C. The role of National Programs, NAMAs and avoided low carbon pathways

1. NAMA: Potential options and approaches: Mr. Sangmin Nam, Environmental Affairs Officer, Environment and Development Policy Section, Environment and Development Division, ESCAP [Presentation]

2. Low Carbon and Climate Change Actions in Cambodia: Mr. Thy Sum, Head of Cambodian Climate Change Office, Cambodia [Presentation, Country paper]

3. Low Carbon Economy: Malaysia's experience: Mr. Ahmad Kamal Wasis, Principal Assistant Director, Environment and Natural Resources, Economic and Planning Unit, Malaysia [Presentation, Country paper]

4. Present Status of Nepal on Low Carbon Economy: Mr. Rajendra Kumar Manandhar, Under Secretary (Technical), Ministry of Environment, Nepal [Presentation, Country paper]

5. Legal Framework and Capacities to Develop CDM Projects in Viet Nam: Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Huong, Director, Variation and Extreme Climate Division, Institute of Meteorology, Viet Nam [Presentation, Country paper]

6. Low Carbon and Climate Change Actions: National Programs and Measures (Thailand): Ms. Katunchalee Thammakul, Environmentalist, Office of Climate Change Coordination (OCCC), Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Thailand [Presentation, Country paper]

7. Eco-Economy - The Possibility of China: Prof. Makoto Nishimura, Graduate School of Economics, Nagoya University, Japan [Presentation, Country paper]

8. Reducing current carbon emission really matters: Prof. Yuko Arayama, Graduate School of Economics, Nagoya University, Japan [Presentation, Country paper]

9. Philippine Low Carbon Path: Policy and Project Initiatives: Mr. Roger C. Birosel, Senior Consultant, Office of the Presidential Advisor on Climate Change, Manila, Philippines [Presentation, Country paper]

10. Concept of the Transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Sustainable Development for the period 2007 - 2024: Ms. Sagyndyk Assel, Chief Expert, Department of Law and International Cooperation, MInistry of Environmental Protection, Almaty, Kazakhstan [Presentation, Country paper]

1030 – 1200 General Discussion:

Facilitator: Mr. Jose Alberto Garibaldi, Director, Energeia

Could low carbon play a major role in contributing towards sustainable economic growth in Asia and the Pacific? What are the conditions that need to be in place to maximize the benefits of low carbon?

a. Changes in policy/institutional mechanism

b. Financial mechanism

c. Technology development/transfer

d. Partnership with developed countries and regional/international cooperation.

1200 – 1300 Lunch

Text Box: Session 4: Innovative Mechanisms and Instruments for Developing Countries’ Responses to the post-2012 Climate Change Framework

Facilitator: Ms Liana Bratasida, Assistant Minister for Global Environmental Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Environment, Indonesia

1300 – 1400 Presentations: (10 minutes each)

A. Integrated low carbon development with the post 2012 climate change regime

B. Opportunities and implications to the climate change actions through low carbon development path and the impacts to developing countries

1. Ideas and Proposals on Low Carbon Development Plans based on Negotiations from June Bonn Climate Change Talks, Ms Liana Bratasida, Assistant Minister for Global Environmental Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Environment, Indonesia [Presentation]

2. Low carbon development in China – addressing development and global concern on climate change: Mr.Cui Cheng, Energy Research Institute, National Development and Reform Commission [Presentation, Country paper]

3. Ms. Tshering Dolma Sherpa, Associate Programme Officer, Financial and Technical Support Programme, UNFCCC [Presentation]

4. Low carbon economy – from concept to action, Prof. Jinjun Xue, Graduate School of Economics, Nagoya University, Japan [Presentation, Country paper]

General Discussion.

1400 – 1500 Review of the draft Statement to the Forum on 19 June 2009

1500 – 1530 Coffee Break

1530 – 1600 Main Conclusions and Recommendations (Report)

Facilitator: Mr. Masakazu Ichimura, Chief, Environment and Development Policy Section, Environment and Development Division, ESCAP

Additional papers

Promotion of Developing Country’s Climate Policy Implementation Applying Development Policy Loan, by Tomonori Sudo, Akira Sato, Yuka Murakami and Mitsunori Motohashi, Office for Climate Change, Planning Dept, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Tokyo, Japan (Paper)