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Discussion on UNECE contribution to promoting energy efficiency in the region

Twenty representatives of Governments, international organizations and academia took part in the discussions at the preparatory meeting of the UNECE Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency on 1 September 2014 in Geneva. UNECE Executive Secretary Christian Friis Bach emphasized that to make green growth a reality, the direct relationship between economic growth and increase in energy consumption needs to be broken. UNECE, in cooperation with other organizations, can contribute by developing energy standards and norms and assisting countries in implementing them.


Representatives of the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC), the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (C2E2), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Energy Charter Secretariat shared their views on how to increase the uptake of energy efficiency in the UNECE region, their initiatives, and how they see UNECE’s value-added input.


Understanding the status quo, determining the right indicators, ensuring the quality and timeliness of data is the first step. The concept of energy efficiency accelerators, which is being developed by C2E2, as a concrete transformational initiative in support of the energy efficiency objective of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Initiative, was well received. Focus will be on specific economic sectors. Experience from successful case studies indicates that implementing energy efficiency measures by target sector has the highest impact, specifically if complemented by a menu of options for policy makers. Participants supported this course of action. Analyzing and sharing best practices in energy efficiency among countries can result in developing a regional action plan, which will then be followed by national action plans in interested countries.


The event proved to be a useful starting point for designing a concrete and action-oriented work plan for the newly established UNECE Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency, which will have its first session on 17-18 November 2014 in Geneva as part of the Sustainable Energy Week.


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