Michael Hofmann (BMZ; left) and Norbert Gori�en (BMU; right) talking to Everton Vieira Vargas (Brasil; center) Photo: Gloger/JOKER

On 10 June 2003, Minister J�rgen Trittin, the German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, welcomed the nearly 50 members of the International Steering Committee (ISC) to the first meeting in Bonn. "Our aim is to bring together a whole range of different experience and interests," said Mr Trittin. Erich Stather, State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), echoed these sentiments: "The participation of all stakeholders is indispensable to achieving concrete results."

Over the course of the following two days, members from governments from all over the world, international organisations, the private sector, NGO and the knowledge community voiced the expectations they have of renewables 2004, which is to be held in June 2004 in Bonn, and discussed the themes to be addressed at the conference.

Reception by the Lady Mayor of the City of Bonn, B�rbel Dieckmann Photo: Gloger/JOKER

Members welcomed the list of themes presented by Manfred Konukiewitz and Norbert Gorissen on behalf of the organisers, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). Based on this paper, the ISC members were invited to express their opinions on which key topics and issues should be selected as a focus of the conference and what the key deliverables of the conference should be.

By the time the chairmen of the Steering Committee, Mr Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes (BMU) and Mr Michael Hofmann (BMZ) closed the meeting late afternoon on 12 June, four points had become very clear:

1. renewables 2004 is not to be a one-off event, but should instead mark the start of an ongoing process.
2. Attention should primarily be devoted to establishing enabling policy environments, showing business opportunities for renewable energies as well as to removing market barriers.
3. Capacity and institution building should be another core theme of the conference.
4. Members strongly recommended that care should be taken to avoid giving the impression that renewables 2004 aims to impose global targets and timetables using a top-down approach. Instead, the conference should � in a bottom-up approach - provide those wishing to assume a progressive role the opportunity to do so.

B�rbel Dieckmann, Lady Mayor of the City of Bonn, talking with Tsutomu Higuchi, Japan Photo: Gloger/JOKER

At the end of the first ISC meeting, members thanked the organisers for preparing the meeting. According to one member, "The discussion here was more fruitful than at many other previous meetings and conferences."

The second meeting will take place in Germany on 15�16 December 2003.