NATIONAL 4 - (Spotlight Weekly)

‘There Are Vast Opportunities For Regional Cooperation In Harnessing Energy'

— DON PRIESTMAN

DON PRIESTMAN, chief of party, South Asia Regional Initiative\Energy Training (SARI\E), a USAID project, was recently in Kathmandu. He spoke to KESHAB POUDEL on various issues related to regional cooperation in harnessing energy. Excerpts:

How do you evaluate the Academy of Education and Development seminars conducted over the last year?

I am very pleased with the way things have gone. We have been getting an excellent response from participants. We managed to get a real diversity of representation from various stakeholders and countries. We have been emphasizing country presentations, case studies and assignments, and what they have achieved is beyond my expectations.

What is your impression about the quality of the discussions in the seminars?

It is always a challenge to organize a training event for people from so many different countries. Obviously, there were some very experienced people. The challenge is not to bore the experienced ones and not completely lose the inexperienced ones. We have to put a lot of attention on appropriate selection and balance of the participants. As we don't want to aim too low, we would rather have experienced people.

You have conducted several rounds of training. How do you see the response of government officials?

Well, that is hard to say in a few words. It is up to the country to decide on the participants. The countries of the region are enthusiastically sending their participants. And the good number of participants indicates that the governments are quite happy. For example, Bhutan is a small country. But the participants from Bhutan are of very high quality in terms of their knowledge and position. This is just a small example of how the government supports the SARI\E concept. In the Indian context, up until recently, we did not have actual government approval for the SARI\E program. Now the Indian government has agreed to allow training programs to be organized in India and Indians to participate. This is a very encouraging sign, as India is a major regional player in terms of sharing energy.

How many seminars have you held?

In 2001,we originally hoped to hold 15 training events. But the unfortunate series of catastrophes and crises led to the cancellation, rescheduling or postponement of some events. In some cases, the training programs had to be rescheduled three or four times. That really created problems for the participants and organizers. Nevertheless, we have been able to hold nine training programs this year. In addition, we have been able to complete two distance learning events and produce CDs for them. We have also developed a good website on the SARI program. I think under the circumstances, we have accomplished a great deal. Yet there still remains a lot to be done.

Do you think you need to change the training programs?

We want to maximize the regional focus. We want to have greater regional relevance for the programs while also being able to talk about the international context. We want to turn the focus on South Asia, on what is happening and what could happen here. First of all, we want to maximize regional contacts and get participants as involved in training exercises as possible. That means having much more than simple lectures or conventional classroom instruction. Want to have more discussions, teamwork, presentation, case studies and field trips. In our experience, people get involved in such programs with enthusiasm. We want to create an environment in which greater achievements can be made.

As you said, India has recently endorsed the SARI\E. How do you see the possibility of regional cooperation in sharing energy?

That really is the big challenge. There is a fantastic opportunity for cooperation among the countries of the region. I am personally convinced that this is the direction to move, as cooperation in energy matters has worked to the common benefit of countries in Europe and Africa. I think it will also work here. What everybody has to do is to note the surpluses of energy potential in countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh and identify energy-deficit areas. Institutional reform, energy-sector reform, improved security of energy system and energy trade are vital. It would not take very much energy trade to make a significant difference to countries like Bhutan. As Bhutan is exporting a significant amount of energy to India, that is really helping to stimulate and strengthen the Bhutanese economy. Because of this, funds are available for social reform and education, health and infrastructure. We want to promote clean and renewable energy like natural gas and water. There are extensive opportunities for regional cooperation in which all countries can share the benefits.

South Asian countries are in the process of reforming the energy sector. How do you see the effort and the private sector's participation?

Most of the people I have spoken to agree that energy-sector reform is essential. Again, there are very few people who argue that the current situation is ideal. There are ample opportunities for improvement both in terms of organizational efficiency and structures. Most of the utilities in the region have been facing great difficulties in financial matters. There are problems with tariff, billing and collection. There are a host of challenges that would require a lot of restructuring. Most of the people involved in the energy sector recognize that reform and restructuring are essential.

What is the role of the USAID in the SARI\E program?

The USAID came up with the SARI concept and all of the funding for the project comes from the USAID. None of this would have been happened without the commitment and vision of the USAID. We are very fortunate that they saw the need and have pushed for the implementation of this project. The USAID is also involved on a day-to-day basis in numerous ways. There are frequent meetings between the USAID and participating countries.

Six South Asian countries have joined the program. When will the seventh, Pakistan, come aboard?

The sanctions against Pakistan have been lifted recently. So it is very early to say anything. As a general principle, Pakistan is a large country in the region in terms of economy and geography and energy. For the sake of completeness, it would be desirable to see Pakistan's formal representation. I think it will take time to achieve that. We have to be patient and move gradually toward that goal.

You visited Nepal more than three decades ago as a student. How do you see the transformation?

When I came here in the 1960s, I was just a young student trekking around the world. Along with Nepal, I visited 58 countries over two years. When my colleagues asked me which my favorite place was, I said Nepal, Kathmandu, in particular. This part of the world always has had a special place in my heart. Whenever I arrive in Kathmandu, I feel I am at home. I like the people and I like the feeling here. When I came back to Nepal after 35 years, I was shocked by the changes in Kathmandu, especially by your development. In the 1960s, there were only a few houses and empty green fields, a clean Bagmati river and environment. I was shocked in terms of what happened in the name of development. I wonder what the situation would be in another 35 years. I really hope that Nepal and Kathmandu will manage to control the effects of development. One has to balance economic and social development. Poverty, health and environment issues must be dealt with together.