UNISON

Civic Environmental Foundation

Country:	Kyrgyzstan
City:	Bishkek
Address:	Uliza Abdymomunova 145
Issues:	education, environment, energy, tourism
Home page:	http://www.unison.kg/
Email:

01.02.2008

UNISON was established in 2002 by professionals determined to advance the environmental situation in Kyrgyzstan. Since its foundation, UNISON has been hard at work creating, executing and managing environmental and energy efficiency projects, seminars and workshops throughout Central Asia.

From the beginning, UNISON has built strong partnerships with the European Union through project designed with Slovak and European Union organizations. Sharing their experience increased effectiveness of UNISON's activities. This became a focal point for realizing and creating projects aimed at ecological improvement of Kyrgyzstan.

Since its establishment, UNISON has successfully implemented several projects focusing on energy issues: ESCO-KYR, promoting energy performance contracting and consulting in the Kyrgyz Republic (2004-2006); BuildCer, developing building energy industry and the availability of biomass resources as a solution for decreasing energy import (2005-2006); FORES, uniting wide stakeholders' forum to analyze efficiency and limits of traditional energy sector structure in Kyrgyzstan as well as to discuss and address market barriers for renewable energy sources (2005-2007); and EnEff, installation of energy saving & CO2 emissions reducing technologies in schools in Omsk, Russia and educating schoolteachers on monetary savings attained by energy efficiency measures (2006-2007).

Successfully executed environmental projects and initiatives include Analysis and Evaluation of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Kochkor Province of the Kyrgyz Republic, investigating the treatment and storage of POPs, informing the local population and holding roundtable discussions with the government on the issue (2006) and the above mentioned public actions. During implementation of its projects, UNISON has produced scores of environmental, energy and economic analysis and has published a number of publications, reports, reviews, recommendations, articles and brochures increasing the level of environmental and energy education of Kyrgyz population, contributing to information access on challenges in Kyrgyz environmental and energy sector and offering viable solutions applicable in Kyrgyz context.

Further, UNISON has organized a number of trainings, workshops, roundtable discussions, seminars and conferences, involving local and international experts and officials with a multiplication effect on knowledge transfer, capacity building, networking and increasing information level on the environmental and energy issues of all stakeholders. Among others, UNISON organized Central Asian European Forum on Climate Change CAEFOCC (2006), National Conference Fostering Renewable Energy Market Development in Kyrgyzstan (2006), workshop Sustainable Tourism: Theory or Reality (2007), trainings Instruments of Sustainable Tourism Development and Training for Trainers in Ala-Archa National Park (2007).