APEC Project Database

Project Title

Green Initiative Workshop II

Project Year

2011

Project Number

SME 1

Project Session

Session 3

Project Type

Standard

Project Status

Completed Project

Project No.

SME 08 2011A

Project Title

Green Initiative Workshop 2

Project Status

Completed Project

Fund Account

APEC Support Fund

Sub-fund

ASF: Energy Efficiency

Project Year

2011

Project Session

Session 3

APEC Funding

127,850

Co-funding Amount

15,000

Total Project Value

142,850

Sponsoring Forum

Small and Medium Enterprises Working Group (SMEWG)

Topics

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Committee

SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE)

Other Fora Involved

Not Applicable / Other

Other Non-APEC Stakeholders Involved

Not Applicable

Proposing Economy(ies)

Korea

Co-Sponsoring Economies

Indonesia; Chinese Taipei

Expected Start Date

30/11/2011

Expected Completion Date

31/12/2012

Project Proponent Name 1

Jung Bae PARK

Job Title 1

General Manager

Organization 1

Small and medium Business Corporation

Telephone 1

+82 2 769 6706

Email 1

aha@sbc.or.kr

Project Proponent Name 2

Mr. Kun Bok LEE

Job Title 2

Not Applicable

Organization 2

Not Applicable

Telephone 2

Not Applicable

Email 2

mailto:kunlee64@sbc.or.kr

Declaration

Not Applicable

Project Summary

At the 2010 APEC SME Ministerial Meeting in Japan, the Ministers stressed that “the Daegu Initiative has successfully completed its first cycle (2006-2010). We welcomed the ‘Green Initiative’ as the second cycle and look forward to the participation and support of APEC member economies.”

Under the mandate set by the statement, Korea is successfully leading the Green Initiative. The first Green Initiative Workshop will be hosted in December 2011 in Thailand. And the Green Initiative Workshop II, to be held in April 2012 on the margin of the 34^rd APEC SME Working Group Meeting in Brunei, is expected to further develop the Green Initiative. As a follow-up to the First Green Initiative Workshop, the Project will discuss GAPs for areas not covered in the previous workshop, and share best practices. The “GAPs” submitted by member economies will be compiled and recommendations will be made to facilitate further discussion among member economies as well.

The project will go a long way towards the successful implementation of the Green Initiative by encouraging contributions and support from member economies.

Relevance

The recent economic downturn and natural disasters remind us of the importance of environmental protection and the need for new growth potential. The heightened awareness, in turn, has put “green growth” in the spotlight. Indeed, it is a global issue that transcends national borders. Because carbon emissions effects of environmental degradation affect everyone regardless of nationality in such a severe manner, international cooperation toward a global response is required. APEC is uniquely positioned to encourage international cooperation and partnership to protect the environment and initiate international green growth cooperation.

Many economies, including those in APEC, have incorporated the values of such "Green Growth" into its public, economic, environmental and welfare policies. For example, Korea presented 'low carbon green growth' as a new national vision for the next 60 years. Since then, Korea has been aggressively pursuing green growth through establishing and implementing new government policies and goals designed to facilitate green growth.

These new circumstances render the APEC WorkshopⅡ all the more important, as it is aimed at green transformation and green growth of small businesses in the APEC region. Green growth is often seen as presenting a potential threat to SMEs, but it can be viewed as an opportunity. To turn it into a valuable opportunity, the government should spare no effort in policy development. The project provides a venue for member economies to discuss green policies and share best practices to come up with ways to spur the growth of SMEs in the APEC region.

Objectives

As part of the Korea-led Green Initiative, the workshop seeks to discuss and share the GAPs submitted by the member economies. Areas not examined in the first workshop meeting(Area C and D) will be covered at this second meeting, and participating member economies will share best practices on green innovation policy. The project will present a valuable opportunity to compile the research findings and disseminate them among member economies.

Through the workshop, we ultimately aim to have the APEC economies share best practices on green SME policies and upgrade their SME policies to incorporate more "green" elements, so that APEC economies can strengthen mutual understanding as well as facilitate cooperation on SME-related green policy issues and green-related business cooperation.

Alignment

Beneficiaries and Outputs

The direct project beneficiaries would be SME policy development officials in the APEC region. The Workshop will provide them with valuable information on SME policies and best practices. The information would also help them monitor local business environments and developing support policies conducive to green SMEs.

The end beneficiaries, however, could only be the SMEs of member economies. They would be able to reap the fruits in the form of a green-friendly business environment and government support policies.

The project aims to strengthen cooperative ties between SMEs and APEC SME development officials. In the Green Initiative Workshop Ⅱ, which is scheduled for April 2012, GAPs and best practices are shared for the purpose of expanding business cooperation potential and developing more advanced green policies for SMEs. GAPs, best practices and other outputs will be published on the APEC SME Innovation Center website.

Dissemination

·          Hard copies of presentation files, reports, and other relevant materials will be
      disseminated on the day of the workshop. For reasons of economy, the hard
      documents will be produced in a limited number of copies.

· The final reports will be uploaded to the APEC website for wider distribution.

· The target audience includes SME policy development officials and SMEs in
the APEC region.

· Media publicity as well as publication on the SBC and APEC Secretariat
website.

· Final output arising from the project will be disseminated via APEC SME
Working Group Members

Gender

There is a growing awareness that women play a very critical role in a low carbon, green growth economies. This is because businesses and production facilities can only do so much to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adopt eco-friendly practices. Indeed, committed households can make a great deal of difference in saving energy and reducing the carbon footprint. As such, the project explores ways to raise awareness and facilitate action among women.

Aware of the reality, the project will do what it can to promote women’s participation. More specifically, the APEC member economy delegation may include female CEOs of small businesses, and female participants can be encouraged to actively participate in workshops. In addition, we intend to bring together women and explore ways to promote green growth. In other words, we aim to elicit more awareness and participation in low carbon, green growth from the female circle.

Work Plan

Timeline	Description	Output	Remarks
January-February, 2012	Step 1: APEC member economies prepare GAPs and best practice reports. Ÿ Green policy experts and officials from APEC member economies are encouraged to draft Green Action Plans and best practices on designated policy areas (Area C and D)	Compilation report of Green Action Plans	Recommendations laid out via producing a compilation report
March 2012	Step 2: National Green Action Plans are compiled and a compilation report is prepared. · Korea compiles the GAPs submitted by member economies and drafts a compilation report, which includes summaries and recommendations.	Compilation report of Green Action Plans	Recommendations laid out via producing a compilation report
April 2012	Step 3: The Green Initiative Workshop is held in Brunei, where each economy shares its Green Action Plans and Best Practices · Green policy experts and officials from APEC member economies are invited to present and discuss each economy’s GAPs and its best practices. Step 4: Prepare a final report combining GAPs submitted by member economies, recommendations, feedback discussed during the Green Initiative Workshop Ⅱ · Korea compiles a final report combining reports and discussions shared at the workshop as well as feedback from Green Initiative researchers and advisors.	Workshop	The 34rd APEC SME Working Group Meeting
August 2012	Step 5: Submit a final report to the APEC SME Ministerial Meeting · Korea submits a final report to the APEC SME Ministerial Meeting held in Russia to share the outcome with member economies and seek endorsement.	Final Report	The APEC SME Ministerial Meeting held in Russia

Risks

· Low interest in participation or in using results

Faced with continuous oil price hikes and climate change, member economies are increasingly interested in energy efficiency improvement and green growth models.

Through the Green Initiative Study, experts from two member economies became involved at an early stage of research to ensure that its outcomes are both relevant and interesting enough for the majority of member economies. Built on this research base, the Green initiative Workshop II will be able to adequately reflect the policy environment and individual situation of member economies.

As an extension of the Green Initiative Workshop I, the upcoming workshop will be able to more easily gain the attention and participation of member economies.

· Delays or untimely preparation Member economies should submit best practices and GAPs on Area C and D by February 2012, which plays a crucial part in the workshop. As such, the APEC SME Innovation Center in Korea will encourage member ecconomies’ participation and actively respond to inquiries and support requests of member economies.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Workshop in April 2012 will use the GAP template and serve as a venue for member economies to present GAPs on two of the designated areas (area C and D) and best practices. A compilation report will be distributed at the meeting, and published on the website(www.apec-smeic.org) afterwards.

The workshop will also provide an opportunity for member economies to comment on quality and relevance of the project output. The feedback by participants of member economies at the workshop in April will be recorded and analyzed carefully to assess effectiveness of the project results.

In association with the APEC Green Initiative Study and Workshop, a project implemented by the APEC SME Innovation Center in Korea, project researchers and advisors will be invited to provide comments on GAPs and best practices of member economies.

Linkages

· Engagement: Through the previous APEC project of APEC SME Innovation Center, ‘Green Initiative Study and Workshop’, a preliminary stocktaking of projects relevant to green growth has been conducted and the result indicates that work of EWG, TELWG, ISTWG and SCSC could be particularly relevant. Therefore, the project outcomes will be shared with relevant APEC organizations to maximize benefits of the project and help other fora avoid duplication in their future projects.

· Previous Work: The importance of green growth has been continuously recognized in APEC fora. In 2011 APEC Leaders’ meeting, leaders declared: We are committed to advancing our shared green growth objectives. We can and must address both the region’s economic and environmental challenges by speeding the transition toward a global low-carbon economy in a way that enhances energy security and creates new sources of economic growth and employment. Also in the 23rd APEC Ministers meeting in Hawaii, Ministers stressed green growth stating the Green Initiative as a way of promoting SMEs’ engagement: We welcomed work in 2011, including the Green Initiative to promote engagement of small and medium-sized enterprises in green growth sectors, and instructed officials to continue these efforts in 2012 by sharing best practices and undertaking additional related activities.

The Green Initiative, including the project, is based on these recognitions of the importance of green growth. Continuous research lead to the development of the Green Initiative framework, which was shared at the APEC SME Innovation Conference−held in April 2011, Korea−and received feedback from member economies. An interim report and a template of the Green Initiative have been distributed to member economies, based on which member economies can write GAPs and best practices. The compiled reports, in turn, will be presented and shared in the Green Initiative Workshop Ⅰ to be held in December 2011, in Thailand.

As an extension of a series of these activities, the project is a crucial step in completing the Green Initiative. It addresses GAPs and best practices of member economies in Areas C and D, which is distinct from previous activities. To minimize duplication, the Green Initiative Study was preceded. The outcome is as follows.

The preliminary of APEC projects indicates that work of EWG, which focus on energy efficiency, is particularly relevant to the green growth initiative. Review of EWG and work of other relevant forums will be conducted in an early phase of the research. Preliminary research results will be shared with relevant forums to minimize duplication in the final research report. A review of OECD’s recent report on green growth will also be conducted to minimize duplication and build on the findings of previous studies.

· APEC’s comparative advantage: APEC is the largest group of economies, accounting for almost half of global production output and trade. Therefore, the impact of lessons shared and improved energy efficiency entail multiple effects. APEC is also an organization with member economies of wide ranging economic status with strong economic and business oriented objectives including a focus on trade liberalization, business facilitation, economic and technical cooperation.

Therefore, it stands a greater chance of demonstrating the economic and trade benefits of green growth compared to the European Union and OECD which often focus on improved the sustainability of advanced nations. With many developing member economies on board that aim to reach a higher level of economic development, its research and workshop results on green growth stand a better chance of being adopted as many member economies are not ‘locked into’ particular technologies, unlike more developed economies.

Sustainability

The preceding Green Initiative activities and the Green Initiative WorkshopⅡ will give policymakers an opportunity to compare their national green policies and best practices against other member economies.

Afterwards, compiled green policies and best practices are distributed to policymakers to help them develop better green policies down the road.

Implemented within the framework of the Green initiative, the workshop represents a critical step in the successful execution of the Green Initiative. The workshop outcomes, in turn, will be reflected in the Green Initiative final report and serve as a significant basis of green SME support policies.

After member economies SMEs assess the benefits of green growth policies, the demand for best practices in green growth areas is expected to increase, creating demand for another round of GAP sharing and exchange of experiences. The research result from the project will reduce cost of subsequent meetings as a ready-made template for exchange of policy framework and green action plans. It would also be possible to use web seminars for subsequent meetings and follow up of GAPs to minimize costs for future exchange among member economies.

Korea will continue to communicate success stories in Korea and other contributing member economies, using its own resource such as web sites and newsletters to stimulate interest and demand in the Green Initiative.

Direct Labour

Not Applicable

Are there any supporting document attached?

Project No.
Project Title
Project Status
Fund Account
Sub-fund
Project Year
Project Session
APEC Funding
Co-funding Amount
Total Project Value
Sponsoring Forum
Topics
Committee
Other Fora Involved
Other Non-APEC Stakeholders Involved
Proposing Economy(ies)
Co-Sponsoring Economies
Expected Start Date
Expected Completion Date
Project Proponent Name 1
Job Title 1
Organization 1
Telephone 1
Email 1
Project Proponent Name 2
Job Title 2
Organization 2
Telephone 2
Email 2
Declaration
Project Summary
Relevance
Objectives
Alignment
Beneficiaries and Outputs
Dissemination
Gender
Work Plan
Risks
Monitoring and Evaluation
Linkages
Sustainability
Direct Labour
Are there any supporting document attached?
hdFldAdmin
Project Number
Previous Fora
Secretariat Comments
Reprogramming Notes
Consolidated QAF
Endorsement By Fora
PD Sign Off
Batch
Forum Priority
Committee Ranking Category
Committee Priority
PDM Priority
Priority Within Funding Category
Monitoring Report Received
Completion Report Received
PMU Field 1
PMU Field 2
PMU Field 3
On Behalf Of
Proposal Status
Originating Sub-Forum
Approval Status
Attachments

Content Type: Standard Proposal

I. Reduction of Carbon Emissions
1. To introduce and implement a peer review mechanism on energy efficiency	EWG
2. To introduce and implement a peer review mechanism on non-fossil fuel energy related policies	EWG
3. To promote the dissemination of low-carbon technologies through the “Low-Carbon Model Town Project,”	EWG
4. To undertake activities to analyze and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful energy consumption	EWG
5. To promote energy conservation activities through the introduction of more energy efficient ICT devices and systems	TELWG
6. To exchange information on the impact of aviation on climate change and review systems for more effective and efficient transportation operations	TPTWG
7. To highlight sustainable development as a key action area and support related projects and action plans	ISTWG
8. To implement a project on Green Finance	SFOM
II. Promotion and Dissemination of Environmental Goods and Services (EGS)
1. To implement the APEC EGS work program	CTI
2. To provide the latest information on EGS through the APEC EGSIE (EGS Information Exchange) website	MAG
3. To develop activities to facilitate trade of energy efficient products through work on standards and conformance to such standards	SCSC
4. To conduct a mapping exercise on energy efficiency standards, labeling, and testing and measurement procedures for electric appliances	EGEE&C
5. To review and promote sustainable tourism measures	TWG
6. To promote ecotourism which serves to sustain the natural environment and prosperity of local communities	GOS/TWG