renewables 2004: Organisers Seek Active Participation
On-line discussion about to start � Suggestions for International Action Plan

2 March 2004. Public involvement wanted: In the preparation of issues to be addressed at the International Conference for Renewable Energies, renewables 2004, as of today the general public are also being invited to contribute suggestions and proposals. At www.renewables2004.de/en/cd/forum.asp, concerned persons can express their ideas and comments for drawing up the Conference Issue Paper.

The Conference Issue Paper is the central document in the process of preparing renewables 2004 and will be handed out to all those attending the Conference. It describes the principal challenges governments will confront in the energy and environment sectors in the 21st century. At the same time, it reflects the core themes of the Conference, which is aimed at developing stronger markets for renewable energy: formation of enabling policy framework conditions, bolstering private and public financing, building institutional and human resources, and coordinating and intensifying research and development. The Conference Issue Paper serves as a set of discussion guidelines for the conferees and integrates renewables 2004 into the broader political discourse and the process of sustainable development. The gateway to the on-line discussion, conducted in English, will stay open for four weeks. In April the final version of the Conference Issue Paper will appear.

Active participation is also sought in formulating the Conference outcomes: a worldwide call for actions and commitments was recently issued to governments, the UN and other international organisations, and to the private sector and civil society. The Conference organisers hope this appeal will bring in further suggestions for the International Action Plan. Such proposals, which can include expansion of goals as well as innovative financing instruments, will aim at substantially increasing the proportion of modern renewable energies used in both industrialised and developing countries. More detailed information can be found at www.renewables2004.de/en/2004/outcome.asp

The International Conference for Renewable Energies will be held in Bonn from June 1 to 4, 2004, at the invitation of Chancellor Gerhard Schr�der. The Conference is being organised for the German government by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). More than 1000 participants are expected. All United Nations member countries and representatives of international organisations have recently been invited to the Conference. Stakeholder organisations, non-governmental organisations and private enterprises can nominate representatives for Conference accreditation until the end of March: www.renewables2004.de/en/participation/application-stakeholder.asp.