In 2011, the Kyrgyz Fuel and Energy Sector Transparency Initiative (FESTI) started implementing 25 program activities designed to increase transparency in the fuel energy sector. 18 of these have already seen positive results, such as:
- Kyrgyz electricity distribution losses have been reduced from 39% to 22.3%
- More than $200 million in public funds have been saved on development projects
FESTI was initiated by President Roza Otunbaeva in the wake of the fall of the Kyrgyz government in April 2010, in part because of mismanagement of the energy sector and a loss of public trust in the government’s ability to provide essential services and to manage national assets. EGI Partner, Unison, was appointed to be the civil society co-chair of this initiative in January 2011. In September 26-27, a conference was co-organized by WRI’s Electricity Governance Initiative (EGI), in conjunction with EGI in-country partner Civic Foundation Unison, the Ministry of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the FESTI Supervisory Board.
The main purpose of the conference was the exchange of experiences in improving the transparency in the energy sector and in certain areas of governance - transparency of financial flows and investments, corporate governance, and access to information. Participants discussed the role of Fuel and Energy Sector Transparency Initiative (FESTI) in the system of energy governance, positive outcomes and barriers at the level of implementation and enforcement, as well as issues related to energy consumption and quality of customer service. International experiences were shared by EGI participants from five countries.
Please refer to the event page to download conference materials and presentations.
The final versions of the following key reports will be available shortly. Please contact Davida Wood (dwood@wri.org) if you would like to receive copies directly.
- Improvements in governmental procurement systems in the electric power sector
- Improving transparency and access to information through improving of corporate governance in energy companies
- Analysis of electricity losses in distribution companies
- Analysis of Centers of Quality Service Improvement
For more background information, please refer to the following posts:
Electricity Governance in Kyrgyzstan: An Asssessment
NEWS: Unison Appointed Co-Chair of FESTI Supervisory Board in Kyrgyzstan
FESTI International Conference Event Page Conference Report on Unison’s website
Contact: Davida Wood dwood@wri.org
