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CENN - SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. BTC Co is not Disclosing Publicly its Environmental Obligations for
Borjomi Area Defined by the Conditions of Environmental Permit
2. Armenia Tree Project -- ATP Executive Director Addresses UN DPI NGO
Conference
3. German co. to pump $20-$25 mln into Armenian metals plant
4. Beekeeping Center Opened in Armenia
5. Armenian Government Purchase First 10,000 Tones of Nitric Fertilizers
6. Eco-Pages 2004
7. Open Society Institute Local Government and Public Service Reform
Initiative, Expert Database
8. Issue of the Atlantic, Colchis Sturgeon Species Protection
1. BTC CO IS NOT DISCLOSING PUBLICLY ITS ENVIRONMENTAL OBLIGATIONS FOR
BORJOMI AREA DEFINED BY THE CONDITIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERMIT
To: Mr. Jean Lemierre
President, EBRD
Mr. Peter L. Woicke
Executive Vice President, IFC
Mr. Ad Melkert
Executive Director, WB
Subject: BTC Co is not disclosing publicly its environmental
obligations for Borjomi area defined by the Conditions of Environmental
Permit
Dear Sirs,
September 19, 2004
Nearly a month ago we have sent you a letter where we asked the Lenders
of the BTC Project to clarify to us their position related to the
fulfillment of the Conditions of the Environmental Permit by the BTC Co.
We have not received any response from your side. Abovementioned letter
contains concrete questions regarding (significant) environmental
threats of the BTC pipeline in the most sensitive and valuable Borjomi
area. Meanwhile, having no response from you, as well as from BTC Co,
new questions are arising in that regard: this is related to information
disclosure policy of the BTC Co, awareness of international public and
awareness of Lenders about environmental obligations they assumed and
their denial of these obligations afterwards.
Information disseminated by BTC Co during last few months via mass media
or using their web-site brings us to the conclusion that BTC Co is
seriously misleading international society and the Lenders by concealing
the true facts about its environmental obligations, which have been
clearly set forth in the Conditions of the Environmental Permit issued
in 30 November 2002 by the Ministry of Environment Protection and
Natural Resources of Georgia and have been confirmed by BTC Co through
countersigning theses conditions (attachment 1). We should note that BTC
Co is quite creative in trying to misinform the public by speaking in
half truths and withholding information about other much more important
issues. For example, the General Manager of the BTC Project M.Townshend
has publicly told correspondents of the Georgian newspaper Rezonansi
that Georgian government has suspended construction activities in
Borjomi because the Georgian officials need time to read some additional
reports. But this is misleading. Everybody who has followed information
provided by the Georgian officials via mass media, and especially those
interested people, who have been acknowledged upon their request with
the letter of 21 July of the MoE addressed to BTC Co, know that real
reason for suspension of the activities in Borjomi was construction
works in legal violation with the Conditions of the Environmental
Permit. The main concern of the government was related to the
non-fulfilled obligations of BTC Co regarding pipeline environmental
security.
Other examples of misinformation practiced by BTC is provided below. In
the executive summary of the Supplementary Lenders Information Package
(SLIP) part C (Georgia), one can find the following statement: While
there are some further studies required by the ESIA approval conditions,
the route and the project have been approved as per the issuance of the
environmental permit. We know this is wrong. Within the another document
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline - Environmental and Social Action Plan,
which is part of the SLIP submitted to the Lenders for approval, BTC has
stated: The Georgian and Azerbaijani governments have attached certain
requirements for further work to their approval of the ESIAs. BTC Co.
will treat these requirements as if they were contained in the amended
Georgian or Azerbaijani ESIA, as applicable, and, as such, the
commitments will be implemented, monitored, and reported on in the
manner described below. This brief note and earlier quoted abstract from
the Executive Summary is the only information regarding Conditions,
which we have found in the SLIPs presented to the Lenders by BTC Co.
Reports and studies related to the Conditions of the Environmental
Permit have been placed in late August 2004 on the BTC Co web-site. This
has been done after suspension of the construction activities in Borjomi
by the Minister of Environment and following hard discussions in mass
media. In the BTC Bulletin of 31 August 2004 one can read following
comments on publication of the reports: Following the approval of the
BTC Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for Georgia in November
2002, BTC agreed with the government to undertake additional studies.
These 'Continuing Activities' provide extra assurance that the pipeline
will be constructed to the highest international standards.
It is part of the continuous process of misinformation employed by BTC.
All the above quoted information is seriously misleading, creating
perception as if only some additional studies and reports are required
by the Conditions, while in reality Best Available Technology, Best
Practices and multiple lines of protection and redundancy in design,
construction and operation to achieve as close to zero risk as possible
are required for the Borjomi section of the route. All these
requirements are above the highest international standards, so far as
highest international standards are not designed for pipelines to be
constructed in environmentally sensitive areas like Borjomi. In
particular, serious reevaluation of risks, change of design to meet the
criteria described in the Environmental Permit and following approval by
the Georgian government is required according to the Conditions.
BTC Co has disclosed thousands of pages of environmental and contractual
documents (like HGA, ESIAs, SLIPs, Continuing Activities and Studies for
BTC in Georgia) via their web-site. The only missing environmental
document is the Environmental Permit with abovementioned Conditions - 9
pages document entitled Continuing Activities Under the Environmental
Permit for the BTC ESIA. This is the major environmental document.
According to the internationally accepted approach regarding ESIA linked
binding documents, these documents should be publicly disclosed in the
same way as it has been done in case of major texts of the ESIA.
Publication of only part of the text, different fragments of which are
disseminated and lost within the pages of large reports, could not be
considered as equivalent to publishing entire document. The way how
the fragments of the Conditions of the Environmental Permit have been
published by BTC Co demonstrates the will to hide this major document
rather than to disclose it. This reminds us the well-known aphorism of
the G.K. Chesterton's Father Browne : Where does wise man hide a leaf?
In the forests.
Turning back to the issue of awareness of Lenders about environmental
obligations of BTC Co, we have to note following: We have not found in
the published audit reports of the Environmental Consulting companies
hired by the Lenders (e.g. Apollonia) to execute monitoring of the BTC
project any information regarding fulfillment of the Conditions. The
construction activities in extremely environmentally sensitive Borjomi
area have started but the Lender's auditors are reporting only about
standard constructing activities, while the major issues described in
Conditions are not addressed. Let us remind that the major environmental
issue is that the Borjomi route has been approved by the Government and
accepted by population (part of the population, by the way) only in case
of complete fulfillment of all relevant Conditions of the Environmental
Permit. Reviewing Lender's consultants reports we have impression that
they are dealing only with BTC Co and have no contacts with the
Government, governmental advisors or civil society groups. This may be
one of the reasons that they have one-sided information, which does not
represent an accurate picture.
Considering all the abovementioned, we have impression that BTC Co is
misleading international society and Lenders regarding its commitments
defined by the Conditions of the Environmental Permit and special design
and operational solutions (exceeding those required by the best
international standards) requested for 17 km of Borjomi area in
particular conditions: 1,2,4,9 (f,g)).We have following reasonable
questions to the BTC Co, as well as to the Lenders:
o Well, public has not been informed, but has BTC Co provided complete
text of the Environmental Permit with Conditions at least to the
Lenders? We assume not, otherwise the Lenders would request the status
and fulfillment.
o Are the Lenders fully aware that without fulfillment of the mentioned
Conditions the Environmental Permit is not valid for Borjomi section of
the pipeline?
o What is the Lender's reaction in regard with environmental and
security noncompliance issue, because of which the pipeline construction
was stopped by the Georgian Government?
o Are the Lenders not obligated in this circumstance to act under their
own charters?
Once again, we would like to stress: we appreciate the importance of
this project providing that it will be beneficial and will not bear
unacceptable risks for Environment. In 2002 we have supported compromise
solution of crossing the extremely sensitive Borjomi area only with the
condition that all requirements of the environmental permit should be
implemented. Our concerns are related to the fact that most important
Conditions of the Environmental Permit are not yet fulfilled, the design
still is not adequate, serious risk of environmental catastrophe is
still there, and information regarding the progress is not publicly
disclosed and properly delivered even to Lenders.
We are aware that additional design measures to make risks manageable
could be implemented without causing the risk of the pipeline operations
For your convenience we are attaching references to the relevant
publications in English.
Looking forward to your prompt reply,
Sincerely,
Keti Dgebuadze - International Information Center of Social Reforms
Irakli Kaviladze - International Center of Investigation and Restoration
of the Environment.
Nino Lomidze - Union of Forest Explorers (Borjomi)
Nugzar Buachidze - ECASA
Irma Shvelidze - Journalists for Save Borjomi (Borjomi)
Additional information: http://www.cenn.org/info/BTC EnglishESIA Permit
conditions COMBINED WB PRES[1].doc
http://www.cenn.org/info/References.doc
====Keti Dgebuadze
Director of the International Information Center of Social Reforms
Executive Secretary of the Second ECA NGO WG on the World Bank
Tbilisi 380086, Georgia #5, Mindeli Str
Tel/Fax: (995 32) 537161, Mob: (995 93) 301632
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
2. ARMENIA TREE PROJECT -- ATP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ADDRESSES UN DPI NGO
CONFERENCE
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
617-926-8733
[email protected]
www.armeniatree.org
For Immediate Release
September 10, 2004
WATERTOWN, MA -- Armenia Tree Project (ATP) Executive Director Jeff
Masarjian participated this week in a panel held as part of the 57th
annual United Nations Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental
Organization Conference at the UN headquarters in New York. The
conference, titled "Millennium Development Goals: Civil Society Takes
Action," is taking place from September 8-10.
The focus of the conference is the role of NGOs as well as civil society
and governments for implementing the eight Millennium Development Goals
adopted by the UN in 2000. ATP was invited to participate in the
conference by the Armenian General Benevolent Union in association with
Rotary International, NGO Committee on Human Rights, Peace Action, and
the World Federation for Mental Health.
At the September 8 panel discussion with representatives of two other
NGOs, titled "Overcoming Obstacles to Economic Growth and Community
Development: The Role of Civil Society," Mr. Masarjian outlined the ways
that ATP reforestation efforts are addressing many of the UN Millennium
Development Goals. The following is an abridged text of Mr. Masarjian's
speech:
ATP Programs Contribute to Fulfillment of UN Millennium Goals in Armenia
By Jeff Masarjian, Armenia Tree Project Executive Director Armenia Tree
Project was founded in 1994 in response to the massive felling of trees
for fuel during the harsh winters of the early 1990s. The mission of
Armenia Tree Project is to improve the human, economic, and
environmental conditions of Armenia through the planting of trees,
aiding those with the fewest resources first.
Forests and trees are important and necessary components for maintaining
the environmental and economic infrastructure of a nation. They clean
the atmosphere, absorbing carbon dioxide and pollutants, while
simultaneously releasing oxygen. They attract and retain moisture, both
in the air and the soil, helping to regulate and stabilize the climate.
They prevent erosion and landslides, while retaining precious topsoil,
which is otherwise washed away with the rain, becoming silt in rivers,
streams and lakes, choking plant and animal life.
Forests also provide habitats for a diverse array of flora and fauna.
Armenia is home to over 3,600 species of flowering plants, many of which
are endangered and exist only in the ecosystems provided by the
dwindling forests.
>From 1994 - 2002, Armenia Tree Project focused its activities on
creating jobs through re-greening public spaces, many of which were
littered with the stumps of sacrificed trees. ATP works closely with the
residents of local institutions, such as schools, senior centers,
hospitals, and orphanages, as well as neighborhoods.
Once accepted as an ATP site, residents receive the training and tools
they need to plant and tend the trees. The relationship is based upon a
contract between ATP and the recipient institution or group, which
agrees to replace the trees at its own expense if less than 70 percent
survive.
By appealing to residents' self interest, and using informal incentives
to promote compliance with the agreement, ATP is fostering a growing
respect for the environment through traditional value systems and needs
of the community. Residents--who had previously been plagued with
despair, while expecting the government or others to do something for
them to improve their lot--are now in a position of taking action to
make a direct impact on their immediate environment.
To date, ATP has assisted community residents in planting over 375,000
trees at 477 sites in every region of Armenia through our Community Tree
Planting program. ATP works closely with community schools to develop
environmental lessons, which are not typically part of the standard
curriculum.
The restoration of urban green spaces is the goal of ATP's Coppicing
Program, which employs several hundred Armenians each year in seasonal
work. Coppicing is a forestry technique by which tree stumps withintact
root systems are trimmed of shoots, leaving the strongest one to grow
into an exact replica of the original tree.
To date, ATP staff has supervised the restoration of 760 acres of land
at several sites, including the Armenian Genocide Memorial, Botanical
Gardens, Victory Park, and Paros Hill, all located in Yerevan. Over
155,000 trees have been restored through ATP's coppicing program since
1999.
The trees ATP supplies to community sites are propagated from seeds and
cuttings in our two state-of-the-art nurseries, founded in 1996 and 1998
in the refugee villages of Karin and Khatchpar. The nursery sites were
chosen specifically to provide employment opportunities for Armenian
refugees from Azerbaijan who are supporting extended families, and who
would otherwise have no source of income. The nurseries' 29 employees
are responsible for the production of 50,000 trees each year for
planting at community sites.
The 53 species of trees growing in our nurseries are all-indigenous to
Armenia, and were chosen for their hardiness in surviving Armenia's
harsh climate. With the opening of the new Michael and Virginia Ohanian
Environmental Education Center at ATP's nursery in Karin village,
students from the State Agricultural Academy and elsewhere will attend
multi-media seminars and receive hands-on field practice with our staff.
In 2001, in response to a growing body of evidence published in
documents by the UN, the World Bank, and other sources regarding the
immediate and critical state of Armenia's deforestation and path towards
desertification, ATP initiated a series of strategic planning sessions
to devise new interventions that might have a greater impact for the
people and land of Armenia.
We realized that we needed to devise innovative new programs which would
not only plant considerably more trees, but also address the widespread
poverty and despair suffered by nearly half of all Armenians. Many
Armenians live in rural villages, and are forced to strip the
surrounding forests of trees for heating and cooking fuel, as well as
for sale to commercial interests.
In Fall 2002, ATP met with the leaders of Aygut, a small, slowly dying
Armenian refugee village, comprised of 290 families. Youth and young
adults would routinely leave seeking opportunities elsewhere, and elders
longed for their lost homes and villages in Azerbaijan.
The school principal spoke of a plot of land near the river, which she
had hoped, would someday be an orchard, supplying income to purchase
badly needed school supplies. ATP agreed to provide technical assistance
and 500 fruit and nut trees for the site, if residents could collaborate
together to clear the land, build irrigation channels and a road to the
site, and fence it in for protection from livestock. ATP also developed
an environmental curriculum for the school and trained teachers in
presenting it.
The members of the Aygut community succeeded in completing their part of
the contract within weeks of our initial meeting. By Spring 2003, 500
fruit and nut trees were planted by school children and adults, assisted
by the US Ambassador to Armenia, John Ordway, and other invitees, who
celebrated Earth Day at the new Aygut School orchard on April 22. I'm
very happy to report that I observed the first cherries blossoming on
the trees this summer.
Seventeen families also signed up to participate in a pilot project
whereby they would be trained to propagate several thousand tree seeds,
collected locally, in newly developed backyard nurseries. For each
surviving seedling that the participant will then plant in the forest,
ATP will provide a set payment.
Seven species of local tree seeds are currently being propagated, and
some have already reached a height of 12 inches and may be out planted
this fall. In this, the pilot phase of the project, 20,000 seedlings are
being grown; we hope to increase this 10 fold over the next two years by
expanding this micro-enterprise opportunity to more residents in Aygut
and other villages.
This project can potentially increase the annual income of participating
families several times over, without negatively impacting the amount of
land needed for subsistence farming. In addition, because the trees are
grown using a short-term rotation cycle of 12-18 months, the per-unit
cost is less than in our traditional nurseries, creating a win-win
situation for everyone.
There are 13 villages in the river valley where Aygut is located,
comprising 6,000 people. ATP plans to replicate programming in three new
villages in 2005, using the same methodology to promote economic,
ecological, social, and cultural development. We expect that the fruit
produced in this valley will not only contribute to residents' food
security, but also attract the interest of businesses involved in fruit
juice production and export.
Early on in our involvement with the residents of Aygut, it became clear
that the humanitarian and development needs of this village were far
beyond ATP's individual capacity. We took a very collaborative approach
to our work in the village, inviting other international aid
organizations and NGOs to visit the village and observe the progress
achieved over the past year.
Organizations such as UN World Food Program, UNDP, Heifer International,
Project Harmony, USDA, Peace Corps, Satsil, and Jinishian Family
Foundation, among others, have contributed expertise and support in
furthering the social and economic development of Aygut.
The Mayor recently reported that since ATP initiated programming there,
emigration from the village has halted, there has been a noticeable
improvement in the overall demeanor and perspective of villagers, and
there was even a record number of births, all indicators of a growing
sense of hope and optimism.
In addition to this innovative community development and reforestation
programming, ATP this year partnered with a local environmental NGO,
called Tsiatsan, in the city of Vanadzor, to build a six hectare
reforestation nursery that has the capacity to produce over one million
trees each year beginning in 2006. These trees will be used to reforest
the devastated hillsides around the city, which have become subject to
serious erosion and landslides over the past 13 years.
In conclusion, Armenia Tree Project is implementing its mission to
protect and restore Armenia's forests through a unique combination of
programming that aims to plant a growing number of trees each year,
while providing opportunities for employment, sustainable economic
development, training and education.
Our goal is to empower residents to become stewards of their environment
while also enhancing their standard of living and hopes for their
children's future. It is our hope that our decentralized approach to
developing an environmental ethic based on education, action, and
self-determination will eventually lead to a national and even regional
commitment to environmental protection and enforcement of sustainable
practice.
3. GERMAN CO. TO PUMP $20-$25 MLN INTO ARMENIAN METALS PLANT
Source: Interfax, September16, 2004
Germany's Cronimet intends to invest $20 million-$25 million in the Pure
Iron works in Yerevan, which processes molybdenum concentrate.
The money should reach the plant in 2005-2006, in accordance with an
investment program, Genrik Karapetian, the plant's director, told
Interfax.
Most of the money will be spent making the plant more environmentally
friendly, introducing new technology and putting new products on line,
Karapetian said.
The Pure Iron works currently produces pure molybdenum but eventually
plans to make metal plates and special alloys, he said.
4. BEEKEEPING CENTER OPENED IN ARMENIA
Source: A1 Plus, September 16, 2004
Multi Agro beekeeping center was opened Thursday in Armenia. The center
is working with 2,567 beekeepers. This year 14 tones of honey were
produced but half of honey haul was taken to feed bees.
The center director Roza Tsarukyan says honey is to be exported in the
future. She said not only honey but pollen and medicines are planned to
be exported overseas.
5. ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT PURCHASE FIRST 10,000 TONS OF NITRIC FERTILIZERS
Source: Arminfo, September 15, 2004
The Armenian Government will purchase 10,000 tons of nitric fertilizers
for forthcoming autumn and spring sowing, said Armenian Minister of
Agriculture David Lokyan at the Armenian National Assembly today.
He said that should need arise, the Government will purchase a second
lot of fertilizes. Besides, another 2,500 tons of nitric fertilizers
will be imported to the country due to a Japanese grant from Voronezh.
In 2004 the ministry distributed 18 tons of fertilizersfor 3,700 drams
for one sack to the country's regions. However, after, the market price
of fertilizers rose and the Government allocated 72 mln drams dotations
to maintain stability of prices by the end of 2004. Lokyan said that
import of fertilizes in 2005 will become a serious problem, as "Azot"
plant in Georgia factually belonging to the ITERA International Group
intends to rise the price of its production to the international level.
The minister said that production of fertilizers in the country is
impossible in the nearest future, as the country's chemical industry is
not ready for it. He said that Vanadzor chemical plant belonging to the
Armenian-Russian company "Prometey-Khimprom" is able to produce only two
types of fertilizers.
6. ECO-PAGES 2004
The 1st ECO-PAGES 2004 Directory listing over 7,500 environmental
contacts from 140 countries is launched on 26 Jun 04 and provided free
of charge. ECO-PAGES is initiated by Hong Kong Sustainable
Communications Association (HKSCA) and supported by over 40 consulates,
trade associations, environmental organisation, private companies and a
group of volunteers. The contacts are well categorized under eight
ECO-CODES and sorted by country and company name for easy retrieval.
This includes Air Pollution Monitoring and Control Equipment; Water
Pollution Monitoring and Control Equipment; Noise Control Equipment;
Waste Management Equipment; Energy and Power Generation; Green products;
Environmental Consultancy Services and; Environmental Organizations and
Information
Should you want to reserve a complimentary copy of it, please completed
the requested form - Free Copy of ECO-PAGES 2004 via
http://www.eco-pages.org/frame_main/ep4requestforme.htm
7. OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM
INITIATIVE, EXPERT DATABASE
Nador utca 11, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
Tel: (+44 7947) 058875, Fax: (36 1) 327-3105,
http://lgi.osi.hu/experts
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are writing to you to introduce a free service of OSI- Budapest,
Local Government Initiative (LGI). LGI's mission is to support public
policy development in countries of Central and Eastern Europe and
Central Asia. Therefore we have built an online database of English and
Russian speaking experts in public administration, public sector and
public policy reform in transition countries.
Our database is designed to promote the participation of Central and
Eastern European experts in internationally funded technical assistance
projects and to support organizations both within and outside the region
in finding the best possible regional experts for their projects.
Our service is free of charge. We provide direct contact information of
experts and services for companies searching for partners. By using
LGI's expert database you can save time and resources in finding experts
for your projects.
What can you find in the Database? It contains a very broad range of
highly qualified experts, classified in the following fields:
o Administrative and legal reform
o Democracy and governance
o Economic and finance policy
o Environmental management and conservation
o Ethnic conflicts, minorities
o Health care and social services
o Infrastructure, public utilities
o Privatization, SME development
o Public education, public finances, financial management
o Public sector management and organizational development
o Urban, regional and rural development
The database is very easy to use - you search directly or we search for
you. You can visit us on http://lgi.osi.hu/experts and email your
requirements to [email protected] will provide you with full CVs of the
best experts from the region.
Experts who want to be entered in our register must have a minimum of
five years experience in their profession and should complete the
Curriculum Vitae electronically through our website:
http://lgi.osi.hu/experts
We would also be grateful if you could forward this letter to your
partners who might be interested in the LGI expert database. It is not
necessary to respond to this letter. We are looking forward to seeing
you in the LGI expert database or to helping you with consultants' CVs.
Best regards,
LGI Expert Database Manager
Website: http://lgi.osi.hu/experts
8. ISSUE OF THE ATLANTIC, COLCHIS STURGEON SPECIES PROTECTION
This fresh water fish of prey, the fish of precious kind, for some time
past spawned in small branch of river Rioni, spreads from there in the
seas and oceans of the world, especially in Atlantic Ocean. Their weight
sometimes is 450 kg.
In past ten years Georgian ichthyologists discovered that the number of
the Atlantic sturgeon decreased and the reason of this was the hard
socio-economical condition in Georgia. The population use barbarian
methods of bagging of the sturgeon.
Atlantic sturgeon have selected the small branch of river Rioni
centuries ago for its freshness, temperature regime and environmental
radiation background and spawned exactly in that place.
The initiators of Association `Colchis Medea', studied the number of
filling of world seas and oceans depths with tadpoles on the high
scientific level and have estimated that in the first ten years
approximately 10 billion of 3 months old tadpoles must be spread in the
natural zone, and afterwards, 6-7 billion per year. Three months old
tadpoles have well-developed keratinous sharp pimples on, which safely
protect them from predators.
The Association `Colchis Medea' have agreed to receive 10 hectares of
land to establish the necessary laboratory buildings and reservoirs
exactly on the place of spawn, also they have developed program to that
should be implemented in order to protect the Atlantic, Colchis Sturgeon
Species.
The Association is looking for the partners to implement this project.
More Detailed information is available on the following address:
Association `Colchis Medea'
13 a, 1 Kazbegi ave., Tbilisi
Tel: +995 32 37 13 46
Mob: +995 77 93 78
Contact Person:
Giorgi Gogia
--
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.cenn.org
Table of Contents:
1. BTC Co is not Disclosing Publicly its Environmental Obligations for
Borjomi Area Defined by the Conditions of Environmental Permit
2. Armenia Tree Project -- ATP Executive Director Addresses UN DPI NGO
Conference
3. German co. to pump $20-$25 mln into Armenian metals plant
4. Beekeeping Center Opened in Armenia
5. Armenian Government Purchase First 10,000 Tones of Nitric Fertilizers
6. Eco-Pages 2004
7. Open Society Institute Local Government and Public Service Reform
Initiative, Expert Database
8. Issue of the Atlantic, Colchis Sturgeon Species Protection
1. BTC CO IS NOT DISCLOSING PUBLICLY ITS ENVIRONMENTAL OBLIGATIONS FOR
BORJOMI AREA DEFINED BY THE CONDITIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERMIT
To: Mr. Jean Lemierre
President, EBRD
Mr. Peter L. Woicke
Executive Vice President, IFC
Mr. Ad Melkert
Executive Director, WB
Subject: BTC Co is not disclosing publicly its environmental
obligations for Borjomi area defined by the Conditions of Environmental
Permit
Dear Sirs,
September 19, 2004
Nearly a month ago we have sent you a letter where we asked the Lenders
of the BTC Project to clarify to us their position related to the
fulfillment of the Conditions of the Environmental Permit by the BTC Co.
We have not received any response from your side. Abovementioned letter
contains concrete questions regarding (significant) environmental
threats of the BTC pipeline in the most sensitive and valuable Borjomi
area. Meanwhile, having no response from you, as well as from BTC Co,
new questions are arising in that regard: this is related to information
disclosure policy of the BTC Co, awareness of international public and
awareness of Lenders about environmental obligations they assumed and
their denial of these obligations afterwards.
Information disseminated by BTC Co during last few months via mass media
or using their web-site brings us to the conclusion that BTC Co is
seriously misleading international society and the Lenders by concealing
the true facts about its environmental obligations, which have been
clearly set forth in the Conditions of the Environmental Permit issued
in 30 November 2002 by the Ministry of Environment Protection and
Natural Resources of Georgia and have been confirmed by BTC Co through
countersigning theses conditions (attachment 1). We should note that BTC
Co is quite creative in trying to misinform the public by speaking in
half truths and withholding information about other much more important
issues. For example, the General Manager of the BTC Project M.Townshend
has publicly told correspondents of the Georgian newspaper Rezonansi
that Georgian government has suspended construction activities in
Borjomi because the Georgian officials need time to read some additional
reports. But this is misleading. Everybody who has followed information
provided by the Georgian officials via mass media, and especially those
interested people, who have been acknowledged upon their request with
the letter of 21 July of the MoE addressed to BTC Co, know that real
reason for suspension of the activities in Borjomi was construction
works in legal violation with the Conditions of the Environmental
Permit. The main concern of the government was related to the
non-fulfilled obligations of BTC Co regarding pipeline environmental
security.
Other examples of misinformation practiced by BTC is provided below. In
the executive summary of the Supplementary Lenders Information Package
(SLIP) part C (Georgia), one can find the following statement: While
there are some further studies required by the ESIA approval conditions,
the route and the project have been approved as per the issuance of the
environmental permit. We know this is wrong. Within the another document
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline - Environmental and Social Action Plan,
which is part of the SLIP submitted to the Lenders for approval, BTC has
stated: The Georgian and Azerbaijani governments have attached certain
requirements for further work to their approval of the ESIAs. BTC Co.
will treat these requirements as if they were contained in the amended
Georgian or Azerbaijani ESIA, as applicable, and, as such, the
commitments will be implemented, monitored, and reported on in the
manner described below. This brief note and earlier quoted abstract from
the Executive Summary is the only information regarding Conditions,
which we have found in the SLIPs presented to the Lenders by BTC Co.
Reports and studies related to the Conditions of the Environmental
Permit have been placed in late August 2004 on the BTC Co web-site. This
has been done after suspension of the construction activities in Borjomi
by the Minister of Environment and following hard discussions in mass
media. In the BTC Bulletin of 31 August 2004 one can read following
comments on publication of the reports: Following the approval of the
BTC Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for Georgia in November
2002, BTC agreed with the government to undertake additional studies.
These 'Continuing Activities' provide extra assurance that the pipeline
will be constructed to the highest international standards.
It is part of the continuous process of misinformation employed by BTC.
All the above quoted information is seriously misleading, creating
perception as if only some additional studies and reports are required
by the Conditions, while in reality Best Available Technology, Best
Practices and multiple lines of protection and redundancy in design,
construction and operation to achieve as close to zero risk as possible
are required for the Borjomi section of the route. All these
requirements are above the highest international standards, so far as
highest international standards are not designed for pipelines to be
constructed in environmentally sensitive areas like Borjomi. In
particular, serious reevaluation of risks, change of design to meet the
criteria described in the Environmental Permit and following approval by
the Georgian government is required according to the Conditions.
BTC Co has disclosed thousands of pages of environmental and contractual
documents (like HGA, ESIAs, SLIPs, Continuing Activities and Studies for
BTC in Georgia) via their web-site. The only missing environmental
document is the Environmental Permit with abovementioned Conditions - 9
pages document entitled Continuing Activities Under the Environmental
Permit for the BTC ESIA. This is the major environmental document.
According to the internationally accepted approach regarding ESIA linked
binding documents, these documents should be publicly disclosed in the
same way as it has been done in case of major texts of the ESIA.
Publication of only part of the text, different fragments of which are
disseminated and lost within the pages of large reports, could not be
considered as equivalent to publishing entire document. The way how
the fragments of the Conditions of the Environmental Permit have been
published by BTC Co demonstrates the will to hide this major document
rather than to disclose it. This reminds us the well-known aphorism of
the G.K. Chesterton's Father Browne : Where does wise man hide a leaf?
In the forests.
Turning back to the issue of awareness of Lenders about environmental
obligations of BTC Co, we have to note following: We have not found in
the published audit reports of the Environmental Consulting companies
hired by the Lenders (e.g. Apollonia) to execute monitoring of the BTC
project any information regarding fulfillment of the Conditions. The
construction activities in extremely environmentally sensitive Borjomi
area have started but the Lender's auditors are reporting only about
standard constructing activities, while the major issues described in
Conditions are not addressed. Let us remind that the major environmental
issue is that the Borjomi route has been approved by the Government and
accepted by population (part of the population, by the way) only in case
of complete fulfillment of all relevant Conditions of the Environmental
Permit. Reviewing Lender's consultants reports we have impression that
they are dealing only with BTC Co and have no contacts with the
Government, governmental advisors or civil society groups. This may be
one of the reasons that they have one-sided information, which does not
represent an accurate picture.
Considering all the abovementioned, we have impression that BTC Co is
misleading international society and Lenders regarding its commitments
defined by the Conditions of the Environmental Permit and special design
and operational solutions (exceeding those required by the best
international standards) requested for 17 km of Borjomi area in
particular conditions: 1,2,4,9 (f,g)).We have following reasonable
questions to the BTC Co, as well as to the Lenders:
o Well, public has not been informed, but has BTC Co provided complete
text of the Environmental Permit with Conditions at least to the
Lenders? We assume not, otherwise the Lenders would request the status
and fulfillment.
o Are the Lenders fully aware that without fulfillment of the mentioned
Conditions the Environmental Permit is not valid for Borjomi section of
the pipeline?
o What is the Lender's reaction in regard with environmental and
security noncompliance issue, because of which the pipeline construction
was stopped by the Georgian Government?
o Are the Lenders not obligated in this circumstance to act under their
own charters?
Once again, we would like to stress: we appreciate the importance of
this project providing that it will be beneficial and will not bear
unacceptable risks for Environment. In 2002 we have supported compromise
solution of crossing the extremely sensitive Borjomi area only with the
condition that all requirements of the environmental permit should be
implemented. Our concerns are related to the fact that most important
Conditions of the Environmental Permit are not yet fulfilled, the design
still is not adequate, serious risk of environmental catastrophe is
still there, and information regarding the progress is not publicly
disclosed and properly delivered even to Lenders.
We are aware that additional design measures to make risks manageable
could be implemented without causing the risk of the pipeline operations
For your convenience we are attaching references to the relevant
publications in English.
Looking forward to your prompt reply,
Sincerely,
Keti Dgebuadze - International Information Center of Social Reforms
Irakli Kaviladze - International Center of Investigation and Restoration
of the Environment.
Nino Lomidze - Union of Forest Explorers (Borjomi)
Nugzar Buachidze - ECASA
Irma Shvelidze - Journalists for Save Borjomi (Borjomi)
Additional information: http://www.cenn.org/info/BTC EnglishESIA Permit
conditions COMBINED WB PRES[1].doc
http://www.cenn.org/info/References.doc
====Keti Dgebuadze
Director of the International Information Center of Social Reforms
Executive Secretary of the Second ECA NGO WG on the World Bank
Tbilisi 380086, Georgia #5, Mindeli Str
Tel/Fax: (995 32) 537161, Mob: (995 93) 301632
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
2. ARMENIA TREE PROJECT -- ATP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ADDRESSES UN DPI NGO
CONFERENCE
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
617-926-8733
[email protected]
www.armeniatree.org
For Immediate Release
September 10, 2004
WATERTOWN, MA -- Armenia Tree Project (ATP) Executive Director Jeff
Masarjian participated this week in a panel held as part of the 57th
annual United Nations Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental
Organization Conference at the UN headquarters in New York. The
conference, titled "Millennium Development Goals: Civil Society Takes
Action," is taking place from September 8-10.
The focus of the conference is the role of NGOs as well as civil society
and governments for implementing the eight Millennium Development Goals
adopted by the UN in 2000. ATP was invited to participate in the
conference by the Armenian General Benevolent Union in association with
Rotary International, NGO Committee on Human Rights, Peace Action, and
the World Federation for Mental Health.
At the September 8 panel discussion with representatives of two other
NGOs, titled "Overcoming Obstacles to Economic Growth and Community
Development: The Role of Civil Society," Mr. Masarjian outlined the ways
that ATP reforestation efforts are addressing many of the UN Millennium
Development Goals. The following is an abridged text of Mr. Masarjian's
speech:
ATP Programs Contribute to Fulfillment of UN Millennium Goals in Armenia
By Jeff Masarjian, Armenia Tree Project Executive Director Armenia Tree
Project was founded in 1994 in response to the massive felling of trees
for fuel during the harsh winters of the early 1990s. The mission of
Armenia Tree Project is to improve the human, economic, and
environmental conditions of Armenia through the planting of trees,
aiding those with the fewest resources first.
Forests and trees are important and necessary components for maintaining
the environmental and economic infrastructure of a nation. They clean
the atmosphere, absorbing carbon dioxide and pollutants, while
simultaneously releasing oxygen. They attract and retain moisture, both
in the air and the soil, helping to regulate and stabilize the climate.
They prevent erosion and landslides, while retaining precious topsoil,
which is otherwise washed away with the rain, becoming silt in rivers,
streams and lakes, choking plant and animal life.
Forests also provide habitats for a diverse array of flora and fauna.
Armenia is home to over 3,600 species of flowering plants, many of which
are endangered and exist only in the ecosystems provided by the
dwindling forests.
>From 1994 - 2002, Armenia Tree Project focused its activities on
creating jobs through re-greening public spaces, many of which were
littered with the stumps of sacrificed trees. ATP works closely with the
residents of local institutions, such as schools, senior centers,
hospitals, and orphanages, as well as neighborhoods.
Once accepted as an ATP site, residents receive the training and tools
they need to plant and tend the trees. The relationship is based upon a
contract between ATP and the recipient institution or group, which
agrees to replace the trees at its own expense if less than 70 percent
survive.
By appealing to residents' self interest, and using informal incentives
to promote compliance with the agreement, ATP is fostering a growing
respect for the environment through traditional value systems and needs
of the community. Residents--who had previously been plagued with
despair, while expecting the government or others to do something for
them to improve their lot--are now in a position of taking action to
make a direct impact on their immediate environment.
To date, ATP has assisted community residents in planting over 375,000
trees at 477 sites in every region of Armenia through our Community Tree
Planting program. ATP works closely with community schools to develop
environmental lessons, which are not typically part of the standard
curriculum.
The restoration of urban green spaces is the goal of ATP's Coppicing
Program, which employs several hundred Armenians each year in seasonal
work. Coppicing is a forestry technique by which tree stumps withintact
root systems are trimmed of shoots, leaving the strongest one to grow
into an exact replica of the original tree.
To date, ATP staff has supervised the restoration of 760 acres of land
at several sites, including the Armenian Genocide Memorial, Botanical
Gardens, Victory Park, and Paros Hill, all located in Yerevan. Over
155,000 trees have been restored through ATP's coppicing program since
1999.
The trees ATP supplies to community sites are propagated from seeds and
cuttings in our two state-of-the-art nurseries, founded in 1996 and 1998
in the refugee villages of Karin and Khatchpar. The nursery sites were
chosen specifically to provide employment opportunities for Armenian
refugees from Azerbaijan who are supporting extended families, and who
would otherwise have no source of income. The nurseries' 29 employees
are responsible for the production of 50,000 trees each year for
planting at community sites.
The 53 species of trees growing in our nurseries are all-indigenous to
Armenia, and were chosen for their hardiness in surviving Armenia's
harsh climate. With the opening of the new Michael and Virginia Ohanian
Environmental Education Center at ATP's nursery in Karin village,
students from the State Agricultural Academy and elsewhere will attend
multi-media seminars and receive hands-on field practice with our staff.
In 2001, in response to a growing body of evidence published in
documents by the UN, the World Bank, and other sources regarding the
immediate and critical state of Armenia's deforestation and path towards
desertification, ATP initiated a series of strategic planning sessions
to devise new interventions that might have a greater impact for the
people and land of Armenia.
We realized that we needed to devise innovative new programs which would
not only plant considerably more trees, but also address the widespread
poverty and despair suffered by nearly half of all Armenians. Many
Armenians live in rural villages, and are forced to strip the
surrounding forests of trees for heating and cooking fuel, as well as
for sale to commercial interests.
In Fall 2002, ATP met with the leaders of Aygut, a small, slowly dying
Armenian refugee village, comprised of 290 families. Youth and young
adults would routinely leave seeking opportunities elsewhere, and elders
longed for their lost homes and villages in Azerbaijan.
The school principal spoke of a plot of land near the river, which she
had hoped, would someday be an orchard, supplying income to purchase
badly needed school supplies. ATP agreed to provide technical assistance
and 500 fruit and nut trees for the site, if residents could collaborate
together to clear the land, build irrigation channels and a road to the
site, and fence it in for protection from livestock. ATP also developed
an environmental curriculum for the school and trained teachers in
presenting it.
The members of the Aygut community succeeded in completing their part of
the contract within weeks of our initial meeting. By Spring 2003, 500
fruit and nut trees were planted by school children and adults, assisted
by the US Ambassador to Armenia, John Ordway, and other invitees, who
celebrated Earth Day at the new Aygut School orchard on April 22. I'm
very happy to report that I observed the first cherries blossoming on
the trees this summer.
Seventeen families also signed up to participate in a pilot project
whereby they would be trained to propagate several thousand tree seeds,
collected locally, in newly developed backyard nurseries. For each
surviving seedling that the participant will then plant in the forest,
ATP will provide a set payment.
Seven species of local tree seeds are currently being propagated, and
some have already reached a height of 12 inches and may be out planted
this fall. In this, the pilot phase of the project, 20,000 seedlings are
being grown; we hope to increase this 10 fold over the next two years by
expanding this micro-enterprise opportunity to more residents in Aygut
and other villages.
This project can potentially increase the annual income of participating
families several times over, without negatively impacting the amount of
land needed for subsistence farming. In addition, because the trees are
grown using a short-term rotation cycle of 12-18 months, the per-unit
cost is less than in our traditional nurseries, creating a win-win
situation for everyone.
There are 13 villages in the river valley where Aygut is located,
comprising 6,000 people. ATP plans to replicate programming in three new
villages in 2005, using the same methodology to promote economic,
ecological, social, and cultural development. We expect that the fruit
produced in this valley will not only contribute to residents' food
security, but also attract the interest of businesses involved in fruit
juice production and export.
Early on in our involvement with the residents of Aygut, it became clear
that the humanitarian and development needs of this village were far
beyond ATP's individual capacity. We took a very collaborative approach
to our work in the village, inviting other international aid
organizations and NGOs to visit the village and observe the progress
achieved over the past year.
Organizations such as UN World Food Program, UNDP, Heifer International,
Project Harmony, USDA, Peace Corps, Satsil, and Jinishian Family
Foundation, among others, have contributed expertise and support in
furthering the social and economic development of Aygut.
The Mayor recently reported that since ATP initiated programming there,
emigration from the village has halted, there has been a noticeable
improvement in the overall demeanor and perspective of villagers, and
there was even a record number of births, all indicators of a growing
sense of hope and optimism.
In addition to this innovative community development and reforestation
programming, ATP this year partnered with a local environmental NGO,
called Tsiatsan, in the city of Vanadzor, to build a six hectare
reforestation nursery that has the capacity to produce over one million
trees each year beginning in 2006. These trees will be used to reforest
the devastated hillsides around the city, which have become subject to
serious erosion and landslides over the past 13 years.
In conclusion, Armenia Tree Project is implementing its mission to
protect and restore Armenia's forests through a unique combination of
programming that aims to plant a growing number of trees each year,
while providing opportunities for employment, sustainable economic
development, training and education.
Our goal is to empower residents to become stewards of their environment
while also enhancing their standard of living and hopes for their
children's future. It is our hope that our decentralized approach to
developing an environmental ethic based on education, action, and
self-determination will eventually lead to a national and even regional
commitment to environmental protection and enforcement of sustainable
practice.
3. GERMAN CO. TO PUMP $20-$25 MLN INTO ARMENIAN METALS PLANT
Source: Interfax, September16, 2004
Germany's Cronimet intends to invest $20 million-$25 million in the Pure
Iron works in Yerevan, which processes molybdenum concentrate.
The money should reach the plant in 2005-2006, in accordance with an
investment program, Genrik Karapetian, the plant's director, told
Interfax.
Most of the money will be spent making the plant more environmentally
friendly, introducing new technology and putting new products on line,
Karapetian said.
The Pure Iron works currently produces pure molybdenum but eventually
plans to make metal plates and special alloys, he said.
4. BEEKEEPING CENTER OPENED IN ARMENIA
Source: A1 Plus, September 16, 2004
Multi Agro beekeeping center was opened Thursday in Armenia. The center
is working with 2,567 beekeepers. This year 14 tones of honey were
produced but half of honey haul was taken to feed bees.
The center director Roza Tsarukyan says honey is to be exported in the
future. She said not only honey but pollen and medicines are planned to
be exported overseas.
5. ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT PURCHASE FIRST 10,000 TONS OF NITRIC FERTILIZERS
Source: Arminfo, September 15, 2004
The Armenian Government will purchase 10,000 tons of nitric fertilizers
for forthcoming autumn and spring sowing, said Armenian Minister of
Agriculture David Lokyan at the Armenian National Assembly today.
He said that should need arise, the Government will purchase a second
lot of fertilizes. Besides, another 2,500 tons of nitric fertilizers
will be imported to the country due to a Japanese grant from Voronezh.
In 2004 the ministry distributed 18 tons of fertilizersfor 3,700 drams
for one sack to the country's regions. However, after, the market price
of fertilizers rose and the Government allocated 72 mln drams dotations
to maintain stability of prices by the end of 2004. Lokyan said that
import of fertilizes in 2005 will become a serious problem, as "Azot"
plant in Georgia factually belonging to the ITERA International Group
intends to rise the price of its production to the international level.
The minister said that production of fertilizers in the country is
impossible in the nearest future, as the country's chemical industry is
not ready for it. He said that Vanadzor chemical plant belonging to the
Armenian-Russian company "Prometey-Khimprom" is able to produce only two
types of fertilizers.
6. ECO-PAGES 2004
The 1st ECO-PAGES 2004 Directory listing over 7,500 environmental
contacts from 140 countries is launched on 26 Jun 04 and provided free
of charge. ECO-PAGES is initiated by Hong Kong Sustainable
Communications Association (HKSCA) and supported by over 40 consulates,
trade associations, environmental organisation, private companies and a
group of volunteers. The contacts are well categorized under eight
ECO-CODES and sorted by country and company name for easy retrieval.
This includes Air Pollution Monitoring and Control Equipment; Water
Pollution Monitoring and Control Equipment; Noise Control Equipment;
Waste Management Equipment; Energy and Power Generation; Green products;
Environmental Consultancy Services and; Environmental Organizations and
Information
Should you want to reserve a complimentary copy of it, please completed
the requested form - Free Copy of ECO-PAGES 2004 via
http://www.eco-pages.org/frame_main/ep4requestforme.htm
7. OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM
INITIATIVE, EXPERT DATABASE
Nador utca 11, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
Tel: (+44 7947) 058875, Fax: (36 1) 327-3105,
http://lgi.osi.hu/experts
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are writing to you to introduce a free service of OSI- Budapest,
Local Government Initiative (LGI). LGI's mission is to support public
policy development in countries of Central and Eastern Europe and
Central Asia. Therefore we have built an online database of English and
Russian speaking experts in public administration, public sector and
public policy reform in transition countries.
Our database is designed to promote the participation of Central and
Eastern European experts in internationally funded technical assistance
projects and to support organizations both within and outside the region
in finding the best possible regional experts for their projects.
Our service is free of charge. We provide direct contact information of
experts and services for companies searching for partners. By using
LGI's expert database you can save time and resources in finding experts
for your projects.
What can you find in the Database? It contains a very broad range of
highly qualified experts, classified in the following fields:
o Administrative and legal reform
o Democracy and governance
o Economic and finance policy
o Environmental management and conservation
o Ethnic conflicts, minorities
o Health care and social services
o Infrastructure, public utilities
o Privatization, SME development
o Public education, public finances, financial management
o Public sector management and organizational development
o Urban, regional and rural development
The database is very easy to use - you search directly or we search for
you. You can visit us on http://lgi.osi.hu/experts and email your
requirements to [email protected] will provide you with full CVs of the
best experts from the region.
Experts who want to be entered in our register must have a minimum of
five years experience in their profession and should complete the
Curriculum Vitae electronically through our website:
http://lgi.osi.hu/experts
We would also be grateful if you could forward this letter to your
partners who might be interested in the LGI expert database. It is not
necessary to respond to this letter. We are looking forward to seeing
you in the LGI expert database or to helping you with consultants' CVs.
Best regards,
LGI Expert Database Manager
Website: http://lgi.osi.hu/experts
8. ISSUE OF THE ATLANTIC, COLCHIS STURGEON SPECIES PROTECTION
This fresh water fish of prey, the fish of precious kind, for some time
past spawned in small branch of river Rioni, spreads from there in the
seas and oceans of the world, especially in Atlantic Ocean. Their weight
sometimes is 450 kg.
In past ten years Georgian ichthyologists discovered that the number of
the Atlantic sturgeon decreased and the reason of this was the hard
socio-economical condition in Georgia. The population use barbarian
methods of bagging of the sturgeon.
Atlantic sturgeon have selected the small branch of river Rioni
centuries ago for its freshness, temperature regime and environmental
radiation background and spawned exactly in that place.
The initiators of Association `Colchis Medea', studied the number of
filling of world seas and oceans depths with tadpoles on the high
scientific level and have estimated that in the first ten years
approximately 10 billion of 3 months old tadpoles must be spread in the
natural zone, and afterwards, 6-7 billion per year. Three months old
tadpoles have well-developed keratinous sharp pimples on, which safely
protect them from predators.
The Association `Colchis Medea' have agreed to receive 10 hectares of
land to establish the necessary laboratory buildings and reservoirs
exactly on the place of spawn, also they have developed program to that
should be implemented in order to protect the Atlantic, Colchis Sturgeon
Species.
The Association is looking for the partners to implement this project.
More Detailed information is available on the following address:
Association `Colchis Medea'
13 a, 1 Kazbegi ave., Tbilisi
Tel: +995 32 37 13 46
Mob: +995 77 93 78
Contact Person:
Giorgi Gogia
--
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.cenn.org