North-East Asia Forum on Effective Consumer Information for Sustainable Energy Use, Beijing, 21-23 March 2001

Conclusions and Recommendations

1. At the North-East Asia Forum on Effective Consumer Information for Sustainable Energy Use held in Beijing, China, 21-23 March 2001, participants exchanged information on current levels of energy supply and consumption and analyzed energy needs and projected future trends in energy use, in particular in the household or residential sector. Representatives of government authorities shared information on policies and programmes for promotion of energy efficiency at the national and international levels. The representatives of the participating energy centres and energy research institutes and representatives of consumer organizations made brief presentations on their respective projects and programmes aimed at promoting sustainable energy development and increasing efficiency in energy use.


Consensus on fundamental principles

2. Recognizing that affordable and clean energy services are a precondition for all economic development and for the improvement in living conditions including poverty alleviation, the Forum participants noted that great disparities persisted in the levels of per capita energy consumption between countries, between urban and rural areas, and between the relatively affluent and the under-privileged social groups.

3. In their presentations and discussions, participants reaffirmed the importance of attaining more sustainable consumption patterns with due considerations of integration of environmental concerns in energy use through active promotion of energy efficiency in both supply and demand, through greater use of renewable sources of energy, improvement of energy efficiency and demand side management.

4. The participants noted that in all developing countries energy supply and energy consumption would need to grow considerably if hitherto unmet energy needs are to be met for economic and social development. Recognizing the predominant reliance of current energy systems on fossil fuels, and being aware of their impacts on the environment, the participants emphasized the growing urgency of effectively addressing the issues of sustainability in energy systems at local, national, regional and global levels.

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5. In their presentations, participants highlighted the various technical and economic potentials for energy efficiency improvements in various sectors including the household sector and home appliances. They recognized that energy efficiency is an important feature of sustainable energy, and its promotion can bring about both economic and environmental benefit. By improving energy efficiency, energy import dependent economies may also curb growing energy import bills.
6. The participants agreed that energy pricing was among the most important issues affecting the success of energy efficiency promotion initiatives. Participants also recognized that energy prices below real costs of energy supply can lead to an under investment in maintenance of energy supply infrastructure and lack of financial resources for capacity expansion. Participants observed that in the countries of North-East Asia measures have been taken to gradually adjust energy prices upwards to reflect the real costs of energy supply. However, in some countries further adjustments may be needed. Existing subsidies in favour of conventional energy technologies distort the market and discourage energy efficiency initiatives.


Endorsement of earlier recommendations

7. The participant recognized that consumer organizations had an important role to play in the area of consumer information and consumer education. Participants took note of and endorsed the Conclusions and Recommendations for Future Action by Consumer Organizations to Promote Sustainable Development and Sustainable Energy Use, held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, 19-21 May 1999.

8. At the Forum participants were also informed of the outcome of the High-level Regional Meeting on Energy for Sustainable Development, organized by ESCAP and hosted by the Government of Indonesia in Bali, 21-24 November 2000, and the related NGO Perspectives on the Sustainable Energy Development Action Programme. These events were organized as inputs to the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). The participants recommended that all stakeholders concerned with sustainable energy development undertake concerted efforts in the implementation of the Regional Action Programme on Sustainable Energy Development. The Forum participants re-emphasized the importance of providing access to sustainable commercial energy services to the under-privileged groups of society to meet their basic needs.

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Government-NGO collaboration

9. The participants noted that a combination of government policy initiatives and financial incentives would be required to effectively promote energy efficiency. Government initiatives should be in the form of regulation, financial incentives and educational measures. Institutional development and support for national energy centres is also essential for effective energy efficiency promotion.


Regulatory framework

10. Participants stressed the importance of an appropriate national regulatory framework for energy efficiency promotion. Participants noted that in most countries in the North-East Asia subregion, national energy management or energy conservation laws have been promulgated. Participants recognized the merits of such regulatory measures which provided basic mandates for institutional development or for national technical advisory services, minimum energy efficiency standards, improved market transparency resulting from energy labels or other measures designed to enhance public or investor awareness for the benefits of energy efficiency investments and to stimulate energy efficiency technology.


Role of consumer organizations

11. In order to ensure positive impacts of their advocacy campaigns, consumer organizations should closely cooperate with appliance manufacturers, utilities and government policy-making bodies. The participants observed that consumer preference for more energy efficient products could not be expected under conditions of low or subsidized energy prices or other market distortion. 

12. Representatives of consumer organizations recognized that in the interest of social goals, common welfare and environmental protection policies, product standards may be implemented more rigorously. Consumers may have to make a difficult choice of not having products that cause unacceptable pollution or other forms of environmental damage.

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13. Participants recognized the importance of greater consumer information and consumer education for the realization of the objective of consumer sovereignty and consumer empowerment. With reference to the United Nations Guidelines on Consumer Protection of 1999 including the Promotion for Sustainable Consumption, the participants called for continued and possibly expanded government support of consumer organizations. The participants called on all consumer organizations to promote further greater awareness for the benefits of energy efficiency and resource conservation in collaboration with government authorities concerned. 


Energy efficiency product standards

14. Participants emphasized the importance of minimum energy efficiency standards for electrical appliances as a cost-effective tool in the advancement of sustainable energy use. Forum participants encouraged the continued and expanded international exchange of information and experiences on national testing protocols and national product standards with a view to identify possibilities for international standards harmonization and under the cooperation of government and non-governmental organizations and the private sector.


Energy labelling of appliance

15. Recognizing the important role of energy labelling in energy conservation, the Forum called for all major electrical appliances and other energy conversion or energy using equipment to be adequately marked with information on the relative energy efficiency. Energy labels must be designed and placed on the equipment/appliances in a manner easily visible and understood by consumers. The Forum participants commended the initial initiatives taken be the countries in North-East Asia with regard to energy labelling. Forum participants advocated further research and information exchange to assess impacts of energy labelling programmes prior to expansion to include additional appliances.

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Space heating

16. Participants noted that space heating of public and private buildings was more important in North-East Asia than in other ESCAP sub-regions due to climatic conditions characterized by cold winter weather. However, they recognized that the installation, maintenance and operation of space heating systems was costly, both in terms of capital requirements as well as recurrent energy costs. Participants emphasized the importance of adequate building insulation and endorsed the concept of legislating building codes that include energy efficiency standards.


International cooperation 

17. Participants noted that international organizations and financing institutions had an important role to play in providing technical advice to and financial resources available for industrial productivity development and energy efficiency projects in developing countries, as well as in countries with economies in transition. They observed that the provision of additional resources at more concessionnary terms of lending was necessary and important for the strengthening of national policy initiatives in this field.

18. Participants noted the importance of and need for further capacity building measures to counter the frequent lack of adequately trained personnel in energy efficiency promotion projects. The participants shared information on training programmes that have been implemented or are being planned. Various countries expressed interest in the further intra-regional or international exchange of experiences in this field through various mechanisms, including South-South or technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC).

19. The Forum participants noted that the existing international conventions relating to sustainable development do not as yet include any globally accepted guidelines on the promotion of energy efficiency. The participants took note that the up-coming 9th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and the subsequent 10-year review of the implementation of Agenda 21 at the Rio+10 Summit Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, may provide a useful opportunity for the international community to possibly give considerations to the formulation of such universal recommendations. 

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Acknowledgement of support

20. The participants expressed their appreciation of the generous support including the financial resources provided by the Government of the Republic of Korea to the energy efficiency promotion initiatives of the ESCAP secretariat under its project on “Capacity building among governmental and non-governmental organization for promoting of sustainable energy use”. The Forum recommended the continuation of such activities and appropriate budgetary allocations for capacity building through training and exchange of information and expertise.

The participants expressed their appreciation of the professional support and the generous hospitality of the Government of China, provided by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and by the China Consumers’ Association

Participating Organizations

Beijing Consumers’ Association (CHINA)
China Association for International Science and Technology Cooperation (CHINA)
China Certification Center for Energy Conservation Product (CHINA)
China Certification Committee for Environmental Labeling Products (CHINA)
China Consumers’ Association (CHINA)
China Energy Conservation Association (CHINA)
China International Science Center (CHINA)
China National Institute of Standardization (CHINA)
Energy Research Institute of State Development Planning Commission (CHINA)
Global Village of Beijing (CHINA)
Guangdong Tony Electronics (Group) Co., Ltd. (CHINA)
Ministry of Agriculture (CHINA)
Beijing University, Center for Chinese Sustainable Development (CHINA)
State Administration for Industry and Commerce (CHINA)
State Development Planning Commission (CHINA)
Yanbian University of Science and Technology (CHINA)
General Bureau for Cooperation with International Organizations (DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA)
Non-Conventional Energy Development Centre (DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA)
Hong Kong Consumer Council (HONG KONG, CHINA)
Energy Conservation Center of Japan (JAPAN)
Consumers International, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (MALAYSIA)
Mongolian Consumers Association (MONGOLIA)
Energy Conservation and Environmental Consulting Company (MONGOLIA)
International Climate and Environment Research Center (NORWAY)
Citizens’ Alliance for Consumer Protection of Korea (REPUBLIC OF KOREA)
Korea Energy Economics Institute (REPUBLIC OF KOREA)
Korea Energy Management Corporation (REPUBLIC OF KOREA)
Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (REPUBLIC OF KOREA)
Center for Energy Efficiency (RUSSIAN FEDERATION)
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Environment and Natural Resources Development Division (THAILAND)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (THAILAND)

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