EBRD-NGO NewsletterKeeping you up-to-date with the EBRD

March 2011 EBRD-NGO Newsletter 1

The EBRD Public Information Policy (PIP) presents how the Bank discloses information and consults with its stakeholders so as to promote better awareness and understanding of its strategies, policies and operations. The Bank is guided by the underlying assumption that, whenever possible, information concerning the Bank’s operational and institutional activities will be made available to the public in the absence of a compelling reason for confidentiality. The PIP establishes clear lines of demarcation to distinguish information which is made publicly available from information which may not be disclosed on the grounds of it being confidential. This is to ensure that mutual trust is maintained between the Bank, its business clients and other partners.

This year the EBRD is undertaking a scheduled review of the 2008 Public Information Policy and will conduct an inclusive stakeholder consultation process. In addition to receiving guidance from the Bank’s 63 shareholders, and facilitating policy dialogue with the authorities of the countries of operations, the Bank seeks to benefit from advice from a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including civil society, and public opinion at large. The Bank will also take into account

the views of its clients, which will be collected through a client survey.

Public consultation process

Starting in December 2010 the Bank invited comments to be provided on the basis of the existing Policy (2008). This first stage in the process has now closed and the received comments are being reviewed. Where appropriate, the comments will be incorporated in a revised PIP and the draft revision will be posted in English and Russian on the EBRD web site for 45 calendar days for further comments.

In parallel, two consultation workshops with civil society representatives and other external stakeholders will take place to ensure that as many interested stakeholders as possible are given an opportunity to take part in the review of this important document. The workshops will be held in Moscow on 27 April 2011 and London on 10 May 2011. Civil society organisations wishing to attend any of the workshops should contact the EBRD Civil Society Engagement Unit on cso@ebrd.com.

A summary of public comments received and staff responses to these will also be posted on the EBRD web site following the final Board discussion at a later date.

EBRD Public Information Policy under review

Welcome to the NGO Newsletter 23

In this issue you will read about the undergoing review of the EBRD Public Information Policy and find details of the upcoming Civil Society Programme at the Bank’s Annual Meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan.

You will also read an interview with Jan Fischer, Vice-President for Operational Policies, who shares his experience in the Bank since he took up the post in September.

As always, we keep you up-to-date with the Bank’s latest policy and country strategies dialogue with civil society organisations and recent projects.

March 2011In this edition

For more information visit: www.ebrd.com/pages/about/policies/pip/invitation

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Interview àFor more information visit: www.ebrd.com/pages/about/who/structure/executive/fischer

Interview with Jan Fischer, EBRD Vice-President for Operational Policies

What was your motivation to take up the position at the Bank?It is not an easy question to answer without being trivial. The immediate attraction for me was that the EBRD has a clear “value added” to the region in which it operates. Through its investments, the Bank plays an important role in fostering transition to open market economies. At the same time, the EBRD has a strong commitment to sustainable development and good governance, which are of particular professional and personal interest to me.

Part of my remit as a Vice President includes maintaining high level relations with the authorities of the countries where the EBRD invests as well as with the European Union and other multilateral development banks and international organisations. I also have overall responsibility for the formulation and delivery of the Bank’s policies regarding the areas of environmental, social and governance issues, promoting gender equality in our operations and relations with civil society and other stakeholders. I see these issues as part of the core business of the EBRD and key to the Bank’s mandate.

How do you see your role as a Vice-President in the context of the Bank’s relations with civil society? I am a firm believer in the importance of civil society engagement and the constructive relationships between civil society groups and the Bank. Civil society provides a valuable expertise on a wide variety of issues. I recognised that the dialogue with civil society has already been well developed in the Bank and we have good instruments and procedures in place for the continued engagement with CSOs. As a way forward, I intend to engage more with civil society organisations at the local level and provide them with additional opportunities to have their voices heard with the Bank beyond the formal consultation process on our projects and policies.

What does that mean in practical terms?In practical terms, I have decided to start each of my visits to the countries of operations with a meeting with the civil society community to hear their views on the political and socio-economic landscape in their countries, the development of civil society and mechanisms of the dialogue with the authorities at a local and national level. Civil society perspectives on these issues can often be rather different from views expressed by the private sector, governments and by the Bank itself. However, it is important to take on board these perspectives as they keep the Bank “on its toes’”and help improve the performance at all levels.

In addition, VP for Operational Policies has a responsibility for coordinating country strategies and certain institutional policies affecting the countries of operations. I would like to encourage civil society to take a more active part in consultations on key policy issues - country strategies in particular - and in such a way increase their input in the strategic thinking of the Bank.

You have recently met with local NGOs in Podgorica and Skopje. What issues were discussed?During my meeting with civil society in Skopje we discussed issues ranging from the EU approximation, transparency and accountability to sustainability and environmental issues. In Podgorica, civil society organisations shared with me their views on the current socio-economic and political situation in Montenegro and the development of civil society dialogue with the government in the context of the EU integration process. In both countries we had fruitful and interesting discussions and I look forward to continuing my dialogue with civil society organisations at the Annual Meeting in Astana.

I intend to engage more with civil society organisations at the local level.

Jan Fischer

Jan Fischer joined the Bank on 1 September 2010 as Vice President, Operational Policies. In this interview he tells us how he sees his role in the context of the Bank’s relations with civil society.

I look forward to meeting more civil society organisations at the Annual Meeting in Astana.

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For more information visit: www.ebrd.com/pages/about/workwith/civil/newsàDialogue

March 2011 EBRD-NGO Newsletter 3

Annual Meeting 2011, Astana, Kazakhstan

As part of the ongoing dialogue with civil society, on 22 February 2011 the EBRD’s Ulaanbaatar Resident Office organised an information session for civil society to provide a mid-term update on the activities of the EBRD in Mongolia since the adoption of the EBRD’s (second) three year strategy in October 2009. Philip ter Woort, the Head of the Ulaanbaatar Resident Office, gave a presentation on the EBRD’s finance activities as well as its technical assistance programmes. His presentation also discussed the policy dialogue efforts undertaken, which in particular focused on the generated transition impact. The National Programme Director of Business Advisory Services (BAS) team in Mongolia, Ms Oyunjargal Tsenbazar also presented the activities and the work of the BAS team in the country. The presentations were well received and were followed by an open and constructive discussion with the participants including the future investment plans of the EBRD in Mongolia.

For more information visit: www.ebrd.com/pages/news/events/am_astana

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On 20-21 May the EBRD will bring its 2011 Annual Meeting and Business Forum to the capital of Kazakhstan to assess the latest political, economic and social changes in Central Asia and across the Bank’s countries of operations. Open discussion panel at the Civil Society Programme

Academics and civil society practitioners from the region, together with EBRD representatives, have been invited to discuss and evaluate the impact of transition on people’s lives during an open discussion panel entitled Life in Transition: civic engagement, governance, gender.

Informed by the results of the EBRD Life in Transition Survey 2010, the panellists will examine how transition has affected different aspects of society in various countries throughout Central Asia and Europe. The panellists will share their perspective on changes in the level of civic engagement and the role of civil society in building market economies, developing democratic policies, promoting good governance, transparency and accountability and advancing social policies. The panellists will also address the key priorities, aspirations, values and hopes for the future of individuals in the region, as outlined by the findings of the LiTS as well as the panellists’ own experiences working and researching in the countries. They will also discuss the effect that the transition to market economies and changing political systems has produced thus far on economic opportunities available to society at large, and particularly their effect on women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship.

Panel speakers will include representatives of NGOs, think tanks, social media, academics from the region and EBRD officials who will share their expertise and experience on the discussion topics and engage with the audience.

Closed sessions

As always, the Programme will include a series of closed sessions where participating civil society organisations will have an opportunity to discuss the EBRD’s projects, policies and developments over the past year with the Bank’s senior management, the Board of Directors and the President, Thomas Mirow.

Business Forum and other events

The two days of strategic Business Forum discussions will be launched under the general theme Supporting Markets – Asia meets Europe and will bring together prominent investors, senior business executives and policy-makers from around the globe for a series of high-level panel discussions, country presentations and networking and social events.

We look forward to welcoming you to Astana!

For more information visit: www.ebrd.com/pages/country/mongolia/strategy

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Mid-strategy update: Mongolia Country strategy mission: Kyrgyz Republic

On 8-11 March 2011 Olivier Descamps, EBRD Managing Director for Turkey, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, joined by other EBRD officials, visited the Kyrgyz Republic in light of the upcoming scheduled review of the EBRD country strategy for that country. The delegation met with existing and potential EBRD business partners, donors, representatives of other IFIs and civil society to assess the latest economic and political developments in the country. EBRD officials reinforced the Bank’s strong commitment to helping various sectors of the Kyrgyz economy, supporting private enterprises and encouraging sustainable and transparent development of the country’s crucial natural resources sector. The results of these meetings will be reflected in the Bank’s new country strategy for the Kyrgyz Republic, which is planned for publication in autumn 2011.

For more information visit: www.ebrd.com/pages/country/kyrgyzrepublic/strategy

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Palace of Independence, Astana

For more information visit: www.ebrd.com/pages/about/workwith/civil/workingàIn brief

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Recent projects Key dates and contacts

Transport I Arkas I Turkey

The EBRD is providing a senior loan for up to €21.4 million equivalent to Arkas Group, a leading Turkish transportation company to support the company’s efforts to renew its transportation fleet and enhance the safety and environmental standards.

Total project value: up to €37.7 million

Power and energy I Cernavoda Wind Farm I Romania

The EBRD is providing a senior loan to finance the construction and operation of the Cernavoda (138 MW) wind farm, located in the Dobrogea region. Through this project, the Bank will assist the expansion of the renewable energy market in Romania and support the country to increase its renewable energy capacity to meet the European Union’s green energy quotas.

Total project value: €197.5 million

For general information about the EBRD visit: www.ebrd.com/pages/aboutà

Board approval of country strategies

Ukraine 13/04/2011

Kyrgyz Republic 13/09/2011

Latvia 27/09/2011

Board Consultation Visits

Serbia 20/06/2011 – 23/06/2011

Russia 3/07/2011 – 8/07/2011

Turkey 3/10/2011 – 7/10/2011

Armenia 17/10/2011 – 21/10/2011

Mongolia 31/10/2011 – 4/11/2011

Contacts

Civil Society Engagement Unit

Biljana Radonjic Ker-Lindsay Head of Civil Society Engagement Unit

Olga Filippova Civil Society Adviser Tel: +44 20 7338 7765

Anna SolovevaNGO AdviserTel:+44 20 7338 6091 Fax: +44 20 7338 6102 Email: cso@ebrd.com European Bank for Reconstruction and DevelopmentOne Exchange Square London EC2A 2JN United Kingdom Web site: www.ebrd.com

Today the EBRD uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in countries from central Europe to central Asia.

26 April 2011 will mark the 25th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. A new web site which provides comprehensive information about the international efforts to transform Chernobyl into an environmentally safe site has been launched. The web site provides an overview of the activities in Chernobyl since the 1986 accident and an outlook on works that remain to be done. It demonstrates the work of the government of Ukraine and the international donor community since the accident.

To commemorate the anniversary, a number of events will be organised in Ukraine throughout April, including an international conference in Kiev “Twenty-Five Years after the Chernobyl Disaster. Safety for the Future”. Details of the event are available on the dedicated web site.

For general information visit: www.chernobyltwentyfive.org

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For more information on EBRD projects visit: www.ebrd.com/pages/project

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At a glance25th anniversary of Chernobyl accident