UNUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe

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Launch of Group of Experts on Global Energy Efficiency 21

Geneva, 11 June 2010 --


The first meeting of the Group of Experts of the Global Energy Efficiency 21 (GEE21) Project was held in Geneva on 10 June 2010.

Representatives from the five United Nations regional commissions adopted the programme of work of the group and mapped out future activities including the development of regional concepts on energy efficiency and elements for a Global Strategy for Energy Efficiency Market Formation to Mitigate Climate Change.

This strategy will reflect the experiences and lessons learned in financing investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, through the work of the UN Regional Commissions, the financial community and other energy sector stakeholders.

Note to editors

Drawing on the long history of energy efficiency activities at UNECE, the global forum Global Energy Efficiency 21 (GEE21) was set up to transfer the experience of UNECE in capacity building, policy reforms and investment project finance to other regions of the world through the United Nations Regional Commissions.

The aim of GEE21 is to promote self-financing energy efficiency improvements that raise economic productivity, diminish fuel poverty and reduce environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

GEE21 was introduced at a side event at the 14th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Poznan in December 2008.
The project’s first output – the publication entitled Financing Global Climate Change Mitigation:  Sources of Financing Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Investments http://www.unece.org/energy/welcome/pub/ense.html  was presented at COP15 in Copenhagen in December 2009.

The meeting held in New York on 28 April 2010 on Energy for Development  “Towards A Sustainable Global Energy Future”, organized jointly by UN-Energy and the Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change, highlighted the importance of tapping the expertise of the Regional Commissions as regional hubs to share best practice on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

On the basis of the recommendation to enhance UN-Energy and focus its future action on energy access and energy efficiency, it was proposed that GEE21 be part of the future UN-Energy work.

Ref: ECE/SED/10/P03