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Public Participation and Communications

CORE International, Inc. is assisting the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Georgia in designing a communications and community outreach/public participation campaign in order to establish a constructive dialogue with the citizens of Georgia on a broad spectrum of energy issues. The specific goal of this initiative is to effectively communicate to the public the importance of energy sector reform, rational policy making, energy conservation, public responsibilities for energy security and financial stability, operations and maintenance of the energy systems, and the new role of the Ministry.

CORE is using various mass media channels and tools to implement an on-going communications and outreach and a public participation program on a variety of energy sector issues ranging from tariffs and electricity shortages to the government policy on energy sector reform and restructuring.

As part of this initiative, CORE has established a sector-wide Public Relations Working Group involving representatives of all key energy sector stakeholders. In order to reduce the social tension during the winter season caused by the increased shortages of electricity, especially on the regional level, CORE prepared a Winter Power Supply Communications Strategy and Implementation Plan and assisted the Ministry in implementing the specific provisions of the Strategy. The following are the essential drivers and components of the Communications Strategy of the Ministry.

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Low Public Trust in the Energy Sector Governance

While there are no definitive analyses available, all data point to a relatively low level of trust by the public in the energy sector organizations. Public opinion polling by Liberty Institute in spring 2004 indicated low trust and credibility of all energy organizations. Recent interviews by the Monitoring Center for Corruption indicate corruption is still seen as a major cause of the energy problems in Georgia . Public dialogues by Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), Liberty , and the Union of Young Power Engineers also reinforce these observations.

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Role of Public Participation in Energy Sector Reform and Governance

True public participation requires that the public have the opportunity to influence energy sector decisions through appropriate involvement with the policy making entities. Also, it mandates that the policy making bodies, in this case the Ministry of Energy in Georgia , actively seek public input through a variety of means in order to reflect public concerns and needs in policy reform. The International Association for Public Participation identifies five levels of public participation based on the intent or goal of the sponsoring agencies with regard to the potential level of influence of the public on the decision.

• Inform - provide the public timely and comprehensive information
• Consult - obtain and consider public input
• Involve - get the public directly involved in decision-making
• Collaborate - share decision-making power
• Empower - give decision-making power to the public.

Within the energy sector in Georgia , there do not appear to be any opportunities for the public to directly influence a specific action or decision. CORE is working with the Ministry officials and the public at the "inform" level of the five-step process outlined above by using a variety of outreach techniques to improve the current very low level of public trust and communication. In addition, CORE is working with the Ministry and other Government departments and agencies to build that capacity of the government and the public both to engage in more constructive activities over time.

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Goals of Public Outreach

The following key activities constitute a sound public outreach strategy being developed by CORE in cooperation with the Ministry and private sector organization:

• Increase public understanding of the energy sector
• Communicate a clear vision and strategy for the energy sector
• Demonstrate the commitment of the Ministry of Energy and the Government at large to sector improvements
• Coordinate decision making with sector organizations
• Develop a long-term relationship with the public
• Improve public trust

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Challenges Facing Effective Outreach

Effective public outreach is essential to improving energy sector governance and implementing reform. CORE is very familiar with the challenges that one faces in developing and implementing sustainable public outreach strategies including the following:

• Lack of a clear vision for the sector
• Lack of commitment to good public communication
• Difficulty in getting timely and accurate information to the public
• Complexity of messages related
• Lack of communication and trust across the sector
• Strong public mistrust of the Ministry
• Public's historical negative views of government
• Inability to reward good consumer behavior

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About the Project | Strategic Planning & Capacity Building | Public Awareness | Regulatory & Policy Framework
Projects Home