East Asia and Pacific

Infrastructure Regulatory Forum

Dr. Katharina Gassner, Nima Heschmat, The World Bank

MENA Regional Conference on Infrastructure Reform and Regulation

Amman, December 7-8 2009

About EAPIRF

Established in 2003

Initial support of the World Bank and PPIAF, later AusAID

Mission

The mission of the EAPIRF is to enhance regulatory decision making in the

EAP region through the exchange of experience and information in

infrastructure regulation, and through the promotion of training programs

focused on regulatory issues common among the countries.

Members

50 members from 24 countries in the EAP Region

All infrastructure sectors (electricity, water and sanitation, transport and

telecoms)

Includes autonomous regulatory institutions and ministerial units in charge

of infrastructure service delivery

History

Bangkok 2003: first meeting of infrastructure regulators and other

stakeholders to discuss infrastructure regulation at regional level

Manila 2004: formal establishment of EAPIRF and agreement on key

features of the Forum

Singapore 2005: presentation and agreement of strategic plan

How was the Forum idea implemented?

To facilitate the formal establishment of the Forum, a Guiding

Committee was established on volunteer basis after the first meeting.

An interim Secretariat was recruited with support of donors to

develop a strategic plan

propose an organizational structure and decision making process

conduct a training needs and opportunities assessment

prepare the 2005 meeting in Singapore

Organization of EAPIRF

EAPIRF Constitution

Defines decision making process

Confirmed by vote from all core members (regional regulators)

Executive Committee

Provides strategic direction and operational decisions for the forum

Decides on issues to be voted upon by core members

Oversees Secretariat functions and financial flows

Seven member committee appointed through vote by all core members

Four year terms, with elections staggered in two year intervals

Secretariat

Tasked to execute operational activities of the Forum

Responsible for organizing annual meetings and training courses

Responsible for continuous information sharing and website management

Funded by The World Bank, AusAID and PPIAF

Membership Structure

Core Members

Exclusive to East Asia and Pacific Regulators (incl. Australia and NZ)

Eligible to vote in the Annual General meeting

Affiliate Members

Regulators from other regions, NGOs, Ministries, etc.

Achieving the Forum Objectives

1. Promote the exchange of information and sharing of experience

in infrastructure regulation

Annual General Meetings (AGMs)

Knowledge Sharing Workshops

Knowledge based collaborative website

2. Facilitate the development of training and capacity building

opportunities for infrastructure regulators

Delivery of core, advanced and specialized training programs in juncture

with AGMs

Assist in twinning arrangements

Partner and promote exchange with other regional regulatory forums,

academic institutions and training providers

Key Characteristics

Diverse Membership

Ranging from large East Asian and small Pacific countries with diverse structures

and different degree of advancement

Professional Secretariat

International consulting firm selected via international tender process

Technical focus

Controlled and targeted membership

High quality agenda preparation

Agreement on knowledge sharing topics and case studies by Secretariat and ExCom

EAPIRF Training activities

Core training program for newly-recruited regulatory staff

Advanced training for experienced regulators

Specialized training on high-profile topics (e.g. renewable energy)

Guidance on other available training and conferences via website

Annual General Meetings and Training Programs

Opportunity for face-to-face meeting of member representatives

Executive Committee Meeting to decide on key issues

General Meeting to update members and discuss Forum‟s progress in the

past year, involving all members in the decision making process

Knowledge platform to meet, network and share experiences

Core and advanced training programs as capacity building measures

The structure of the annual events successfully implements the

three-tier strategy of

Promoting a sense of ownership in EAPIRF members through decision

making at the Annual General Meetings

Engaging high level infrastructure regulators in the knowledge workshops

on advanced regulatory themes and topics

Providing core and advanced regulatory training to both mid-level as well

as experienced regulatory staff

Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building

Thematic Knowledge Sharing Workshops

2009 – Hanoi, Vietnam – Financial and Economic Crisis, Regulating SOEs

2008 – Cairnes, Australia – Tariff Setting Process and Challenges

2007 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Competition Policy and Regulation

2006 – Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Universal Service Obligations

2005 – Singapore – Regulatory Accountability

2004 – Manila, Philippines – Protecting Consumer Rights

Core Training Program

One week core course on regulatory principles and economics of infrastructure

regulation targeted at new regulators

Accompanied by case study and role playing sessions

Advanced Training Program and Specialized Knowledge Sessions

Newly introduced training opportunities for experienced regulators

Hands on 2-day clinic on tariff setting process as applied case study

Specialized knowledge session, eg on renewables energy

Sharing Success as well as Failures

The exclusive forum fosters remarkable candidness among

participants in the discussion of achievements and mistakes.

Among the topics discussed openly in the past are:

Shortcomings of a number of concession contracts implemented in

member countries

Failure on delivery of quality of supply / service in the water sector

Poorly negotiated power purchase agreements with IPPs

Judiciary and merit reviews of regulatory decisions challenged in courts

Regulatory decision making in absence of a clear policy framework

Using the Forum as Knowledge Pool

The active participation and commitment of more and less

advanced members leads to genuine knowledge exchange. For

example, in 2009,

the Australian regulator has shared

experience of revising the cost of

capital due to the global financial

crisis;

the Vanuatu regulator has illustrated

the establishment of procedures for

the first-ever tariff review in the

country;

the Philippines regulator has shared

the challenges faced by the

implementation of national

renewables targets.

Partnerships

EAPIRF has built valuable partnerships with other regulatory

associations and regulatory capacity building organizations

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)

Public Utility Research Centre (PURC)

International Energy Regulation Network (IERN)

Australian Centre of Regulatory Economics (ACORE)

South Asia Forum for Infrastructure Regulation (SAFIR)

Member of the Advisory Committee of the World Energy Forum

Through these partnerships, EAPIRF Members are informed of

relevant activities and training programs held by partner

organizations and have been invited to participate and share their

experience in partner organizations' meetings and forums.

Forum as Platform for Knowledge Exchange

Beyond Face-to-Face meetings

Formal Meetings occur only annually

Constraints on the number of participants

Limitations on the scope of topics discussed

› How is knowledge exchanged beyond annual meetings?

Twinning Arrangements

EAPIRF encourages and aids in the process of establishing twinning

arrangements between regulatory agencies

Interactive Website

Collaborative platform provides individual regulatory staff opportunity to

network and connect with peers

www.eapirf.org – An Interactive Platform

www.eapirf.org – Connecting with Regulators

www.eapirf.org – Exploring Common Ground

www.eapirf.org – Collaborating in Groups

www.eapirf.org – Discussing Trends

www.eapirf.org – Membership Outreach

Communicating the Message

Using the Forum to create Awareness

Forum as Platform for Knowledge Exchange

Knowledge strategy serving Forum members

Interaction between staff members beyond Annual Meetings

Opportunity to network with regulators

Option to discuss and exchange knowledge in more detail

Access to capacity building resources

Clear communication strategy driving Forum’s development

Membership outreach

Communicating issues to the public

Feedback on EAPIRF

Member voices from the 2009 Annual General Meeting

“Sharing knowledge and information is important for regulators who

help the government frame the right policy, especially in the current

economic situation, through their discussion with policy makers on the

lessons they have learnt from this forum.”

EAPIRF Chairman Thomas Abe

ICCC Papua New Guinea, to Viet Nam News

“After having followed the hands-on 2-day workshop on „How to run a

Tariff Review‟, I understand much better what a new regulator has to do

in terms of establishing processes and soliciting stakeholder

consultation to come to a well-balanced final decision.”

Participant from Kiribati

I found the 2007 EAPIRF competition policy

workshop a great success and indeed the most

successful so far. The way the workshop was

structured encouraged the participation of

members. I found that members were willing to

share experiences and tried to suggest solutions

to a variety of problems which were raised. I think

that after a number of years EAPRF members

have developed a degree of respect for the

institution and each other and we are seeing

increasingly more open and frank discussion as a

result. EAPIRF provides an opportunity for us all

to learn from each others' experiences

– Joe Dimasi

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

Feedback on EAPIRF

Some of the Challenges

Sector specificities

Increasing size of event vs. keeping technical focus

Discussion of fee structure vs. ‘public good’ argument

Maintaining independence vs. seeking sponsorship

Language

The Issue of Sustainability

Fees and Menu of member services

„Comprehensive package‟ fee

Membership fee + training fees

Menu of Member privileges

Multi-tier Sponsorship

Recognition of contributions on website, during meetings, etc.

Emphasis on avoiding conflicts of interest – contributions are on regional

basis and managed through Secretariat

Other Regional Forums

AFUR

set up with PPIAF support

permanent Secretariat

broader constituency

less training focus

Highlights from ADERASA (Latin America)

sector specificity: water and sanitation

e-learning

SAFIR

Etc…

Discussion