"The World and Japan" Database (Project Leader: TANAKA Akihiko)
Database of Japanese Politics and International Relations
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS); Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia (IASA), The University of Tokyo

[Title] Declaration, International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation [IPEEC] (G8 Energy Ministers' Meeting)

[Place] Aomori
[Date] June 8, 2008
[Source] Agency for Natural Resources and Energy
[Notes]
[Full text]

Considering:

Declarations of the Gleneagles, St. Petersburg and Heiligendamm Summits, which emphasize the need for global cooperation in the field of energy efficiency.

Recognizing:

1. that improving energy saving and energy efficiency is one of the quickest, greenest, and most cost-effective way to address energy security, climate change, and ensuring economic growth;

2. that a comprehensive process has been launched to enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the UNFCCC through long-term cooperative action, now, up to and beyond 2012, in order to reach an agreed outcome and adopt a decision at the COP 15.

3. that all countries, both developed and developing, share common interests for improving their energy efficiency performance, there is abundant potential for international cooperation among them and developed countries need to play an important role in cooperation with developing countries, accelerating dissemination and transfer of best practices and efficient technologies and capacity building in developing countries, which will contribute to improvement of energy efficiency at global level;

4. that measures to increase energy efficiency can help achieve other objectives, such as reducing environmental pollution. These co-benefits can significantly increase the attractiveness of energy efficiency measures;

5. that many countries promote energy efficiency through nationally defined energy efficiency goals/objectives and action plans taking into account their technological and economic development;

6. that to improve energy efficiency it is necessary to understand fully the energy market situation, to indentify key energy consuming sectors, to analyze the potential for improving energy efficiency in these sectors, and to take necessary measures to realize this potential;

7. that accelerating the market uptake and affordability of the best applicable energy efficiency technologies should be supported through incentives, and regulatory, market and voluntary measures; research and development of cost-effective energy efficiency technologies should be fostered, through development of public/private partnerships and through expanded international cooperation;

8. that green and energy-efficient public procurement can generate significant benefits for the uptake of the energy efficient technologies, thereby stimulating competitiveness between companies, especially in those sectors where public purchases make up a relatively large share of total purchases;

9. that it is important and valuable to exchange information, experience and best practices on the most effective means for promoting energy efficiency, taking into account the activity developed among countries in the context of international organizations and agreements;

10. that cooperation among all countries that supports the dissemination of know-how and technology on energy efficiency can effectively promote global energy efficiency;

11. that reliable and high quality energy use data, statistics and information systems are prerequisites for effectively setting goals/objectives, implementing national action plans, and evaluating policies and measures;

12. that efforts to inform, educate and persuade individuals and stakeholders about energy efficiency should be strengthened;

13. that public-private partnerships in and across key energy consuming sectors can be instrumental for improving energy efficiency; and

14. that energy efficiency improvements require conditions that enable investment inflow, such as access to capital, stronger markets for energy services and market-based energy pricing.

Canada, the Peoples Republic of China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Community, represented by the European Commission, united by their common interest in promoting energy efficiency and energy savings decide to establish an International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation and will take the necessary steps to this end as follows:

Objectives

The purpose of the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation is to facilitate those actions that yield high energy efficiency gains. Participants in the Partnership choose to take action in the areas of their interest on a voluntary basis.

Scope

The International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation may include activities in the following areas:

a. supporting the on-going work of the Participants to promote energy efficiency including development of nationally-determined energy efficiency indicators, compile best practices, and strengthen national efforts to collect data;

b. exchanging information about measures that could significantly improve energy efficiency on sectoral and cross-sectoral bases such as, but not limited to:

- standards/codes/norms and labels for buildings, energy-using products and services with a view to accelerating the market penetration of best practice levels taking into account the circumstances of individual Participants

- methodologies for energy measurement, auditing and verification procedures, certification protocols and other tools to achieve optimal energy efficiency performance over the lifetime of buildings and industrial processes, relevant products, appliances and equipment

- enabling environment and tools for the financing of energy efficiency measures, and establishing principles for encouraging investments in energy efficiency

- public procurement policies for encouraging uptake of energy efficient products, services and technologies

- programs that help public institutions to become more efficient in building, vehicle, product and service purchasing and operations

- activities to increase the awareness of consumers and stakeholders through dissemination of clear, credible and accessible information on energy efficiency with a view to enabling well-informed decisions

- best practice guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of energy efficiency policies and measures

- public-private cooperation to advance energy efficient technology research, development, commercialization and deployment to accelerate deployment, diffusion and transfer of such technologies

- actions to accelerate dissemination and transfer of best practices and efficient technologies and capacity building in developing countries

c. developing public-private partnerships for improving energy efficiency in and across key energy consuming sectors building on relevant initiatives;

d. enabling joint research and development into key energy efficient technologies, specially for application in developing countries;

e. facilitating the dissemination of energy-related products and services that contribute to improving energy efficiency; and

f. other aspects as mutually decided upon by the Participants.

The Partnership will provide a forum for discussion, consultation and exchange of information. It will not develop or adopt standards or efficiency goals for the Participants.

The present declaration does not create any legal obligation for the Participants or represent an international treaty. The Participants take part in the activities of the Partnership in accordance with their internal procedures.

Organizational Arrangement of the Partnership

The Participants will determine the terms of their association at their first meeting by consensus, based on the principles of equitable and voluntary participation, by the end of this year.

Considering the importance of the Partnership, the need to ensure maximum international support and cooperation, and to be complementary with other international cooperative frameworks, it is envisaged that meetings of the Partnership will be of a high-level nature, and will meet as mutually decided, but in principle at least once a year.

The Partnership may be established on the pattern of an IEA Implementing Agreement.

At least once a year, the Partnership will make public a summary report on its activities and plans.