Moving from Paper to Project

1. Moving from Paper to Project Operationalizing Opportunities Identified During Technology Needs Assessments CTI Side Event, SBSTA 18, 6 June 2003

2. Joint Regional Workshop on Climate Technology Information and Technology Needs Assessment – Dakar, Senegal Messages and Outcomes Mr. William Kojo Agyemang-Bonsu, Chair EGTT and Senior Programme Officer, Ghana Environmental Protection Agency

3. Collaborative Effort in Support of EGTT Programme of Work Organizing Partners - • Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) • UN Development Programme (UNDP) • UN Environment Programme (UNEP) • UNFCCC Secretariat • Environnement et Developpement-Tiers Monde (ENDA-TM) • US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

4. Broad Regional Representation • Over 40 participants, including 30 representatives from 15 different African countries • African participants included national climate change focal points, representatives of business, NGOs, and several technical experts. • Other participants included representatives from EGTT, UNFCCC Secretariat, UNDP, UNEP, and the CTI.

5. Major Messages - 1 • African participants clearly noted that, to be practical, technology needs assessments must be viewed primarily as a tool for accelerating the deployment of climate-friendly technologies and adaptive capacities in Africa, not as a stand-alone process.

6. Major Messages - 2 • African institutions and networks exist at both national and regional levels with substantial technical and organizational capacities. • This existing institutional capacity has been developed through years of locally-supported and donor-financed programs. • Through sustained and coordinated efforts these institutions and networks can provide firm foundation for future work on technology transfer.

7. Outcomes - 1 • Highly successful on creating a common understanding and in highlighting issues that are critical to successful technology transfer and diffusion in Africa. • Institutions and experts from within Africa need to work together to improve the coordination and impact of existing programs and resources, and to develop practical, realistic priorities for additional activities.

8. Outcomes – 2 • Attractive opportunities now exist to engage local stakeholders, improve information sharing, and develop realistic, practical strategies for clean technology deployment. • International participants recognized the need to improve coordination of existing programs and to focus additional resources in Africa.

9. Outcomes – 3 • All participants recognized that the more effective use of available technical and financial assistance programs will support substantial progress toward deployment of environmentally sound technologies in response to national needs. • This would allow for targeting of incremental resources available through the UNFCCC process to add value and address real priority needs and gaps. • All participants recognized that resources are limited and the needs are large so it is critical to draw upon existing expertise in the region to avoid duplication of efforts.

10. Recommendations - 1 • Development assistance agencies and international institutions interested in promoting the transfer of climate-friendly technologies to Africa should work to strengthen existing information-sharing, networking and technical assistance capacity of national and regional networks.

11. Recommendations - 2 • Development assistance agencies should support the outreach efforts of existing African institutions seeking to provide climate-related information to user communities at the national and regional levels. [International organizations might expand efforts to disseminate information to business and industrial users concerning ESTs, including current information on technology costs and performance, financing, and best practices relevant to the region.]

12. Recommendations - 3 • Development assistance agencies and international organizations should continue to improve international information systems on climate-friendly technologies and methods of enhancing adaptive capacities. • Information tools such as the CTI website, UNEP’s SANet, and the UNFCCC’s TT:CLEAR could be used for this purpose.

13. Recommendations - 4 • Development assistance agencies and international organizations should recognize the limitations of the information infrastructure in the region and develop methods and approaches to allow information sharing which accommodates these limitations. [Supplement Internet-based and other electronic media with print media and direct human interaction.]

14. Recommendations - 5 • Development assistance agencies and international organizations should support the establishment of a regional network of centers of excellence on sustainable energy and climate technology in Africa in order to facilitate the transfer of climate-friendly technologies and enhance the development of adaptive capacities. [Build on substantial existing expertise.]

15. Conclusions • A technology needs assessment is not an end in itself, but a means to achieve an end. • Opportunities identified under needs assessments are not always discrete projects, but can include capacity building, training, or regulatory needs. • Since these opportunities are time sensitive, it is key to engage the necessary financial and technical partners as quickly as possible. • One way to accelerate this matchmaking process would be to showcase these opportunities to potential partners using existing information clearing houses.

16. The next two speakers will discuss how these opportunities might be efficiently brought to the attention of potential financial and/or technical partners.Thank You