On the 26th of September 2012, Mr. O. P. Rawat, ICPE Council president and the Secretary of the Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India and ADG Mr. Janez Podobnik visited Vienna. In delegation was also Mr. Ashok K. Pavadia, Joint Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India and Mr. Nenad Stankovic, ICPE Representative in Vienna. The most of the working time they paid for the very successful visit to UNIDO where they met Dr. Pradeep Monga, Director, Energy and Climate Change as well as Mr. Jacek Cukrowski, Chief, Capacity-building Institute and Regional Analysis Unit SQA/DPR/UIR.
(From left) Mr. Puneet Agrawal, Counsellor, Embassy of India in Vienna, Mr. Ashok K. Pavadia, Joint Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India, Dr. Pradeep Monga, Director, Energy and Climate Change, UNIDO, Mr. O. P. Rawat, ICPE Council president and the Secretary of the Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India, Mr. Janez Podobnik, ICPE ADG and Mr. Nenad Stankovic, ICPE Representative in Vienna
During the meeting in UNIDO Mr. Rawat and Mr. Podobnik presented results and decisions of the 52nd regular session of ICPE Council, which was held on 25th September in ICPE headquarters in Ljubljana. They also presented new ICPE Programmes, informed about ICPE efforts to refresh some activities and underlined the high level of importance, which ICPE is giving to the cooperation with UNIDO in different technical-economic fields, including different kind of trainings, knowledge management and human capacity buildings. After the effective and successful discussion Dr. Monga and Mr. Cukrowski appreciated the meeting and proposed several ideas for possible cooperation, which have to be developed further. Dr. Monga expressed significant interest for developing strategic partnership and co-operation with ICPE. He also asked Mr. Cukrowski to give impact and active participation in creating concrete proposals for cooperation with ICPE in the fields of trainings and human capacity buildings. It was stressed that one of the mutual projects/activities could be creating regular two-week summer courses in Ljubljana in the field of Industrial Energy Efficiency, Policy and Clean Technologies. Such proposal raised by UNIDO was strongly supported and appreciated by ICPE delegation.
ADG of ICPE Mr. Podobnik also met Mr. Rachid Bencherif, Head, Grants Unit, Office of the Director-General, OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). In the meeting also participated Ms. Souhad Khriesat and Ms. Shirin Hashemzadeh, Technical Assistance Officers, Grants Unit, Office of the Director-General, OFID and Mr. Nenad Stankovic, ICPE Representative in Vienna.
During the meeting in OFID Mr. Podobnik presented new ICPE Programmes and results of the 52nd regular session of ICPE Council. He thanked OFID for giving three grants to ICPE in the previous period and expressed wish to reactivate collaboration with OFID. He also underlined the ICPE’s activities in organizing different kind of trainings and courses for the public/private managements in the least developing countries (LDCs) as well as in developing countries with transition economies. After very successful discussion Mr. Bencherif appreciated the meeting and confirmed OFID’s interest for co-operation with ICPE. He confirmed readiness to support ICPE in performing planned activities, especially in assisting countries and public sector in human capacity buildings in the area of managing energy access, improving energy efficiency, policy, services and utilities. Mr. Bencherif stressed that OFID works in cooperation with developing country partners and the international donor community to stimulate economic growth and alleviate poverty in all disadvantaged regions of the world. In this respect, he underlined that co-operation with ICPE would be more than welcome. It was agreed to continue dialogue and intensify exchanging of information with aim to define the most appropriate proposal for mutual co-operation.
(From left) Mr. Janez Podobnik, ICPE ADG, Mr. Rachid Bencherif, Head, Grants Unit, Office of the Director-General, OFID, Ms. Souhad Khriesat, Technical Assistance Officer, Grants Unit, Office of the Director-General, OFID and Mr. Nenad Stankovic, ICPE Representative in Vienna
During the stay in Vienna Mr. Podobnik and Mr. Stankovic met H.E. Ms. Blanka Jamnisek, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the United Nations, OSCE and other international organizations in Vienna and H.E. Mr. Aliyar Lebbe Abdul Azeez, Ambassador of Sri Lanka (Member State of ICPE). The main subject of those meetings was exchanging information after 52nd regular session of ICPE Council, possibility for creating mutual programs and developing cooperation in accordance with needs and requirements of the countries. Ambassadors appreciated received information and supported ICPE in efforts to establish closer cooperation with international organizations, countries and their responsible administrations. It was agreed to continue dialogue and intensify exchanging of information between ICPE and these embassies.
(From left) Mr. Janez Podobnik, ICPE ADG, H.E. Mr. Aliyar Lebbe Abdul Azeez, Ambassador of Sri Lanka and Mr. Nenad Stankovic, ICPE Representative in Vienna