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Final Activity Report
Reporting period: August 2004 - April
2005
The current project consists of five
modules (see
for details). Below key project activities undertaken during the second
part of the fellowship year are outlined.
- Data collection from literature sources
In the second half of the fellowship year collecting primary data from
literature sources to
achieve research objectives continued. The focus of the desk studies
was on information, characterizing i) five determinants of the national
EI system (EI system context, EI legislation, EI methodology, EI system
institutional capacity, and EI practice), ii) practice of EI promotion
in the selected case regions. The Fellow used resources of libraries of
the Moscow State University (Moscow), the RAS Market Economy Institute
(Moscow), and environmental policy e-libraries (e.g. Ankil Publishers),
online Consultant Plus legal database, and Russia in Figures
statistical database.
- Consultations with experts, interviews and
questionnaires
Extensive consultations with national EI experts were undertaken. In
the framework of the national component of the research a survey
targeting representatives of EI stakeholders were carried out. A
questionnaire aimed at exploring the current state of the national EI
system were distributed among the members of the EI policy community
interested in the research. As an alternative to filling the
questionnaire, participants are invited to give an interview.
Altogether 10 people took part in the national-level survey. The data
collection at the regional level (for EI promotion case studies and the
needs analysis for the pilot region) involved interviews with EI
experts and/or regional EI stakeholders as well as group discussions at
the multi-stakeholder workshop (see below).
- Regional case studies
The experience on EI implementation at regional level in Russia was
analyzed. Based on consultations with national EI experts four regions
considered as 'advanced' in practical application of environmental
insurance were selected for review: the Moscow Region, the Nizhny
Novgorod Region, the Leningrad Region, and the Bashkortostan Republic.
In
the course of case studies the emphasis was put on interviews with
experts involved in EI promotion activities. Literature and legislation
review were of secondary sources of data.
- The regional pilot
The research project includes a regional pilot aimed at developing
recommendations on implementing insurance into regional environmental
policy. The Vologda Region was selected to be a pilot region.
The preliminary baseline analysis found out that previous initiatives
on EI promotion in the region did not result in considerable
achievements in the field of environmental insurance. Based on this
conclusion, the following objectives for the pilot project were
developed:
- Raise the awareness of the EI benefits among
regional EI stakeholders,
- Undertake needs analysis to make sure that the
idea to develop environmental insurance in the region is supported by
the regional EI stakeholders,
- Discuss possible approaches to EI development in
the Vologda Region (policy options),
- Develop recommendations on starting EI promotion
activities in the region for the Vologda Region Department of
Technological and Environmental Management of Rostehnadzor.
The initial schedule for the regional pilot included two workshops
targeting key policy stakeholders (see for details). In between, the
Fellow was to visit the region three times to consult regional EI
stakeholders. Consequently, the fellow was advised to conduct one large
workshop instead of the two and invite EI experts from regions
'advanced' in the EI promotion.
Large-scale administrative reforms, which have been carried out in
Russia in the second part of the 2004 did not encourage public
officials to participate in such activities and established unfavorable
context for policy discussions. Following consultations with the
Individual Mentor and the Group Mentor, the workshop was postponed to
2005.
The idea to organize such an event was supported by the Vologda Region
Legislative Assembly and the Vologda Region Department for
Technological and Environmental Supervision of the Federal
Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Supervision Service
(Rostehnadzor).
The two-day multi-stakeholder workshop was held on March 3-4, 2005 at
the Vologda Region Legislative Assembly. The first day was
parliamentary hearings on environmental insurance, which gathered
together about sixty participants from Vologda and other regional
municipalities. They represented insurance companies, deputies of the
regional Legislative Assembly, state competent authorities responsible
for ensuring environmental security, regional Government, local
governments, industrial enterprises, and research institutions. In the
second day, the workshop on environmental insurance as a policy tool to
ensure regional environmental security was conducted, which was
attended by thirty participants. Nine EI experts from other Russian
regions as well as representatives of the Federal Assembly of the
Russian Federation presented at the hearings and the workshop.
This two-day event had profound awareness-raising effect and helped
reveal opinions of regional EI stakeholders on environmental insurance.
Presence of EI experts from other regions who shared experience on EI
promotion made discussions on possible approaches to EI development in
the Vologda Region vivid and stimulating. Participants of hearings and
the workshop developed recommendations on further development on
environmental insurance in Russian and in the Vologda Region in
particular.
The Fellow visited the pilot region five times to consult
decision-makers responsible for developing regional environmental
policies on the current state of the regional EI system and strategy
for EI promotion, as well as organize the multi-stakeholder workshop
(see above). The travel schedule was modified according to changes in
the calendar of the regional pilot: the fourth and fifth visited took
place in March and April 2005 respectively.
- Publications
During the fellowship year the Fellow presented findings of the
research in the .
Based on this report, the following papers were produced:
- A research paper on the current state of
the EI national system in the Russian Federation (in Russian) (to be
published in Environmental Economics journal in December 2005). The
paper targets members of the Russian EI policy community: professionals
working for various sectors but interested in the same issue: what
impedes EI system development in the Russian Federation.
- A promotional booklet on the concept of
environmental insurance in the Russian Federation and its policy
functions (250 copies). The booklet was disseminated at the regional
multi-stakeholder workshop held on March 3-4, 2005 in Vologda and
beyond. The leaflet targeted the wide audience of EI stakeholders.
- Handouts for participants of the
multi-stakeholder workshop on history of EI development in Russia,
and the current state of the national EI system.
- A policy brief on environmental insurance
as a policy tool to strengthen environmental security in the Vologda
Region. The paper provides arguments for EI development in the region
and presents policy recommendations on EI promotion, which target the
Vologda Region Department for
Technological and Environmental Supervision of Rostehnadzor, one
of the key actors in the regional
environmental policy-making. Initially, it was planned to develop the
Concept (Policy) for Development of Environmental Insurance in the
Vologda Region to serve these goals. However, in the course of pilot
project implementation, the Fellow reconsidered its policy advocacy
strategy. It was concluded that wider participation of EI experts and
participation of regional EI stakeholders is required to develop a
comprehensive strategic document on EI development. Therefore,
following the approval of the Individual Mentor, the Fellow decided to
produce a policy brief instead of a lengthy policy study and invest
more efforts into awareness raising and information dissemination
activities to pave the way for actual steps on EI promotion in the
region. The draft policy brief was presented at the multi-stakeholder
workshop and then circulated among regional EI stakeholders as well as
EI experts for comments. The final policy brief is planned to be used
as a background paper for the Taskforce on Developing the Concept for
Development of Environmental Insurance in the Vologda Region (see
Section 6).
- Project follow-up
At the multi-stakeholder workshop the issue of establishing the
Taskforce on Developing the Concept for Development of Environmental
Insurance in the Vologda Region was raised. In late April 2005 the Department
of Natural Resources of the Vologda Region Government officially
approved this proposal. Three regional environmental authorities has
currently negotiated the list of candidate Taskforce members and its
work schedule. This strategic document will proceed the Program for
Environmental Insurance Development in the Vologda Region. The Fellow
plans to participate in the work of the Taskforce on Developing the
Concept for Development of Environmental Insurance and contribute to
producing a clear and concise document that would meet international
requirements to policy paper writing on one hand, and regional context
and clients' needs on the other hand.
1
The list of policy options on EI promotion at the regional level in
Russia was an outcome of the national and regional components of the
research (see )
2 Establishing this Taskforce
is among the policy recommendations on EI promotion in the Vologda
Region (see ).
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