Photo above: Fishermen's homes in Nha Trang, Vietnam, 2003.
Æquilibrium Consulting's experience: Asia
Selected projects and activities implemented or led by Æquilibrium Consulting's Principals include:
Country
Year
Project
Client
Jordan
2008
Advised and assisted a USAID project supporting the Government of Jordan to create a new national Environmental Fund; reviewed, revised and prepared wide range of documentation required for all aspects of the establishment and operation of the fund which will finance environmental protection projects in Jordan.
UNDP
India
2007
Environmental Finance Expert for Urban Environmental Infrastructure in India. Participated in a Project Appraisal Mission for GTZ to identify priorities in urban environmental infrastructure in India. Responsible for examining and recommending options for the sustainable financing of urban environmental infrastructure and the use of economic/financial instruments for covering the costs of environmental infrastructure services and for reducing negative impacts on the environment.
GTZ
European countries, Caucasus and Central Asian countries
2006 - ongoing
Based on a mandate from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), elaboration, publication and maintenance of a website information resource service about the "Environment for Europe" process. The website features detailed information on the sixth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference held in Belgrade, Serbia, in October 2007, as well as information on the history of the Environment for Europe process, current mandates and organizational arrangements of implementing institutions, and summaries of completed and ongoing work implemented in various work areas of the process. View website.
FOEN
Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries (EECCA), and South East European countries (SEE)
2006- 2007
Elaboration of a report on experience with Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) in EECCA and SEE countries. This report was published as part of a larger UNEP/EEA report on Sustainable Consumption and Production in EECCA and SEE. The report was submitted to the sixth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference, which was held in Belgrade, Serbia, in October 2007. As part of the work, several case studies on experience with SPP in EECCA and SEE countries were carried out. The report also highlighted barriers to implementing SPP in EECCA and SEE and proposed measures to overcome such barriers. View report (8.8 MB).
UNEP
Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries (EECCA), and South East European countries (SEE)
2006 - 2007
Elaboration of a report on progress with Sustainable Industrial Production (SIP) in EECCA and SEE countries. This report was published as part of a larger UNEP/EEA report on Sustainable Consumption and Production in EECCA and SEE. The report was submitted to the sixth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference, which was held in Belgrade, Serbia, in October 2007. As part of the work, several case studies on experience with SIP were carried out in EECCA and SEE countries. The report also highlighted barriers to implementing SIP in EECCA and SEE countries and proposed measures to overcome such barriers. View report (8.8 MB).
UNEP
Vietnam
2005 - 2006
Feasibility of a new “Green Credit Line and Trust Fund” in Viet Nam. The scheme would provide a credit line of about 15 million USD (offered by up to 6 Vietnamese commercial banks), as well as a trust fund of about 5 million USD (capitalized partially by Seco). The scheme would finance environmentally sustainable technology in industrial companies, whereas the Trust Fund would provide both loan guarantees (in selected cases) and investment grants. Investment grants would be paid after successful installation of the technology. The level of grant payments would depend on the actual degree of pollution reduction or resource use reduction of each financed investment.
Seco
Kazakhstan
2005 - 2007
Field Operations Manager for the Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation Component of a major World Bank sponsored project to Regulate and Conserve the North Aral Sea and Syr Darya River. Responsible for supervising a team of local environmental specialists (8-10) engaged in field research to monitor the environmental effects of several large hydro-construction works along the Syr Darya River and North Aral Sea in Kazakhstan; prepare terms-of-reference for consultants, oversee their work and provide quality control on their output; coordinate involvement of expat experts, liaise with client and key stakeholders in the community, conduct environmental audits of construction sites and camps.
SWK, World Bank
Vietnam
2004 - 2005
Advice to the Ho Chi Minh City Investment Fund for Urban Development (HIFU) and the Ho Chi Minh City Industrial Pollution Minimization Fund (IPMF). The work included advice on restructuring the HIFU and the IPMF taking into account best international practice in operating environmental funds, as well as the identification of international sources of finance, which could be used to further capitalize the HIFU and/or the IPMF. In addition, the work included an assessment of the environmental financing market in Vietnam.
Preparation of an OECD publication entitled “Financing Water and Environmental Infrastructure – The Case of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia”. The report contains analysis and data on the following subjects: environmental issues in EECCA; economic trends in the region; environmental expenditure; trends in demand for environmental finance; environmental financing strategies; public and private sector environmental spending; financing of municipal environmental infrastructure; foreign environmental aid to the region; environmental financing from capital markets.
OECD
Vietnam
2003
Preparation of an in-depth evaluation of the Vietnam National Cleaner Production Centre. The evaluation included the following aspects of the Centre’s operations: demand for the Centre’s services, relevance of the Centre, efficiency and effectiveness of the Centre’s operations, impact and sustainability of the Centre’s operations. Discussed the Centre’s work and performance with all relevant Vietnamese and international institutions and experts. Elaboration of recommendations on further improving the Centre’s operations.
Seco, UNIDO
Central and Eastern European countries, Newly Independent States (NIS)
Development economist for preparing ADB’s new Country Environmental Assessment (CEA) on Kazakhstan. Drafted parts of the new CEA and elaborated recommendations for possible TA and lending from ADB.
ADB, SWK
Russian Federation
2001 - 2002
Assistance to the Tomsk Provincial Environmental Protection Committee (Russia) on environmental expenditure reform to allow for more efficient and effective financing.
UK DfID, SWK
Lao PDR
2001
Feasibility and concept for a new National Environmental Fund in the Lao PDR to be established with proceeds from an ADB Loan.
Advisor for a OECD study on the use of economic instruments for environmental policy and natural resource management in the NIS. This involved advising and assisting the EAP Task Force Secretariat at OECD in preparing terms of reference and conducting a survey of economic instruments in 12 NIS.
Sourcebook on Environmental Funds in Economies in Transition. Conducted extensive surveys of over 20 environmental funds in CEE/NIS, and wrote a regional analysis of the funds, published jointly by OECD and the EU’s Phare Programme (1999). Prepared terms-of-reference for the survey, edited final report and oversaw collection of information from funds.
OECD, EU Phare programme
Turkey, countries bordering the Black Sea
1998
Feasibility Study of a Black Sea Environmental Fund. Responsible for assessing the feasibility of the fund, analysing and recommending possible revenue sources, legal basis, annual and longer-term programming, institutional arrangements and project cycle management for the fund.
Kommunalkredit Austria AG, European Commission (Phare/Tacis), the Global Environment Facility (through UNDP)
Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Uzbekistan
1998 -1999
Synthesis Study on four National JI and CDM Strategy Studies (Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, Slovakia and Uzbekistan). Lead a team of nine international consultants. Co-wrote and edited the synthesis report, which included, among others: a critique of current national greenhouse gas emission scenarios in the surveyed countries; an evaluation of the potential size of a global market for carbon emissions trading; an evaluation of the proposed JI or CDM project pipelines in the surveyed countries; an evaluation of the methodological procedures applied in the reviewed National Strategy Studies; a critique of perceived institutional and financial resource needs in host countries to participate in JI/CDM; an analysis of key policy issues for JI/CDM implementation in host countries.
CEE and NIS Environmental Fund Networks. Launched and co-ordinated these EAP Task Force Secretariat initiatives (OECD), later supported in CEE by EU’s Phare Programme. Supervised the organisation of several annual, region-wide meetings which brought together 50+ representatives of environmental funds, ministries of environment, international financing institutions, multi- and bi-lateral aid agencies, and independent experts to discuss issues of key importance for the funds and to facilitate institutional strengthening measures.
OECD, EU’s Phare Programme
Note: Ćquilibrium Consulting was founded in the year 2000. In the above list, all projects starting in 2000 or later were carried out under Ćquilibrium Consulting. Projects started earlier were carried out by Ćquilibrium Consulting's Principals for those clients (or employers) indicated in the column "Client".