Coordinating communities of practises towards SD

REC’s experience Kenty Richardson

Director for International Relations & Strategic Development

Incheon SDTF, 11 April 2014

www.rec.org

Regional Environmental Center (REC)• An international organisation with a mission

to assist different interest groups in addressing environmental issues and promote sustainable development in CEE and beyond

• Legally based on a charter signed by 31 countries and the European Commission

• Offices in 17 countries, approx. 160 staff members

• 100% project-financed organisation• over 200 running projects• annual turnover 10-12 MEUR

• Operations in:• EU Member States in CEE • EU enlargement countries, candidate and

potential candidate countries• Eastern Partnership Countries • EU27• beyond the REC Country Office network

www.rec.org

Potential REC services – REC competencies• Coordination and management of complex environmental related projects (including international secretariats)

• Neutral platform• Mission driven approach• Transparent, flexible implementation

• Specific support in the drafting of national strategies and programmes for the implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy• Research

• National and regional coordination • Civil society support

• grants• capacity building

• Policy briefs; good practices; integrated policy guideline documents• Stakeholder involvement

• cross-sectoral governmental bodies and agencies, • e.g. ministries like environment, energy, housing, transport,

agriculture, health, water, climate change, forestry innovation & employment

• the business sector, the finance community• civil society• academia• media

• Capacity building • organisation of complex and comprehensive seminars and workshops

at the national and regional level

www.rec.org

Key Examples: Themis Network against environmental crime• Cooperation initiative for managing

natural resources and combating environmental crime, such as illegal logging, in South Eastern Europe

• environmental law enforcement units of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia

• increasing administrative capacities to tackle environmental crime and enhance regional cooperation in the context of approximation to EU environmental legislation

• funded by the government of Finland and the Austrian Development Cooperation

• REC serves as the Secretariat of the Network

www.rec.org

Key example: Sustainable Development Academy• A comprehensive (~ 1 month!) educational programme

about the “three pillars” of sustainable development initiated by the Italian Government

• Target groups• Key senior government officials • Media• Business associations

• Members of various ministries, agencies and the business examine the major approaches to sustainable development

• In four regions: • SEE• CEE • Black Sea Region• EECCA (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia,• Ukraine)

www.rec.org

Key examples from ENI South countries and MENA regionGreen Growth business platform The CEO Platform for Green Growth in MENA aims to leverage the experience and network of successful activities with the business sector. The CEO Platform will actively initiate long term policy discussion with the regional and national policy ‐makers generating a more reliable business environment and encourage sustainable investment conditions in the MENA region.

Working areas:• Green Finance • Innovation and Technology Transfer • Climate Resilience• Green Goods and Services

The activities of the CEO Platform will also transfer successful REC programs to the MENA region like the SDA or the cooperation with the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change.

www.rec.org

Final thoughts• Many more cross-cutting policies than before • Combine top down and bottom up and learn and

connect with grassroots living labs experiences including a clearing house of lessons learned

• Step by step approach to move fast on low hanging fruits and upscale them

• SD public policies should integrate all available tools from legislation, budget, spatial planning and public awareness raising

• SD transition should mainly focus “on connecting people” using the famous ad of this Finnish company and include much more new information technologies and more social media

www.rec.org

Thank you for your attention & Welcome to the REC!

www.rec.org