NGO programme at 2008 Annual Meeting

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NGO programme at the 2008 Annual Meeting - a report back

This year's NGO programme at the Annual Meeting of the EBRD in Kiev attracted a large number and variety of civil society representatives; yet, it retained a regional focus. Around 100 representatives from 77 organisations, including NGOs, think tanks, academic institutions, professional associations and business development organisations, from 19 countries attended the NGO programme. Reciprocally to the Bank's own policy of reaching out to the regions, the overwhelming majority, some 90 representatives, were from the countries of operations, over half of them from Ukraine. Several groups from shareholder countries also participated which helped set the discussions in a broader international context.

The NGO programme unfolded over two and a half days, from Sunday 18 May to midday Tuesday 20 May, closing with the traditional sum-up meeting with the President. The formal part of the NGO programme consisted of 11 meetings in total. In parallel, there were also informal discussions with staff and the Board upon NGO request focusing on concrete issues in certain projects. NGOs also attended and engaged in the discussions at the Business Forum panels, country presentations and other events.

The purpose of the NGO programme at the Annual Meeting is for both civil society representatives and EBRD staff, management and the Board to take stock of what has been achieved through the ongoing dialogue during the year in order to address issues and concerns raised by local communities and NGOs. The discussions are held mainly about current projects but also about past and potential projects. The programme also presents an opportunity to concentrate in a constructive way on outstanding areas where NGOs believe that more efforts or different approaches are needed by the Bank. In Kiev and in previous years, this has been achieved through the engagement of organisations which actively and consistently follow the work of the Bank. This year, the Bank staff also updated NGOs about the efforts and achievements of their teams since the last Annual Meeting. The NGOs, especially those that are less familiar with the Bank, found it useful to understand better the EBRD's specific mandate, difference to other IFIs and learn more about the particular way in which the different teams in the EBRD work to tackle complex challenges and promote the transition process. The Bank's staff, management and the Board demonstrated yet again their strong commitment to dialogue with civil society at the Annual Meeting and throughout the year which was appreciated by participating civil society organisations in Kiev.

Topics and issues

Bank policies and their implementation

A lot of emphasis during consultation meetings was placed on the Bank's major policies and their implementation in projects, including the newly revised and adopted Environmental and Social Policy (ESP) and Public Information Policy (PIP) and the review of the Independent Recourse Mechanism. NGOs discussed with environmental and social experts the way the ESP and the Bank's overall approach promote environmentally and socially sustainable development, gender issues and health and safety in mining projects, as well as the importance of effective project monitoring. Transparency and access to information were also on the agenda in the context of the PIP implementation. NGOs also met the Evaluation team to discuss issues related to past projects, including ESP implementation.

Energy

Energy issues also sparked a lot of debate. Separate meetings with relevant banking teams were held to discuss individual projects in the areas of extractive industries, power and utilities, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Also, NGOs briefed the Bank on their views regarding the national energy strategies in Ukraine and Russia and the need for more consideration for climate change issues. Being in Ukraine this year, Chernobyl and other nuclear safety programmes naturally attracted a lot of attention from local and regional NGOs.

Infrastructure

Increasing NGO interest in the Bank's investments in infrastructure was covered in meetings with the Municipal and Environmental Infrastructure and Transport teams. Discussions focused on specific issues and concerns in relation to the Bank's projects, including air pollution and tariff affordability.

Democracy and transparency

The implementation of NGO legislation in Russia, along with human rights issues and corruption in the region were discussed with political councillors.

Transition impact

The best attended were the meetings with the President and the Board where civil society representatives shared their views about more strategic issues such as the transition impact of the Bank's operations. NGOs also raised concerns about several projects which will soon be presented for the Board's consideration. In the final meeting with the President, NGOs expressed their gratitude to Mr Lemierre under whose leadership the EBRD established and strengthened relations with NGOs over the past eight years.

Comments and suggestions

We welcome your suggestions concerning issues and topics to include in the NGO programme for next year's Annual Meeting in London. Please contact the NGO Relations team at ngo@ebrd.com.

Please consult the NGO programme agenda at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Kiev with background material, including relevant policies, country strategies, interviews with staff and short presentations about the Bank and its different departments and teams.