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
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…