Promoting Energy Efficiency in Central Asia & Beyond Borders

The International Energy Efficiency Forum in Kazakhstan this week combines an assessment of energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) policy and legislative frameworks with the analysis of international best practices. The geographical focus of the Forum will be on countries of Central Asia and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). It is back by UN agencies. Pictured is a Normal Foster -designed building in the capital Astana.

UN Report from Geneva (24 September 2010): 

The International Energy Efficiency Forum will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan on 28-30 September 2010.

The Forum will be held in parallel to the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development for Asia and the Pacific and is organized jointly by the Government of Kazakhstan, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The Forum will combine an assessment of energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) policy and legislative frameworks with the analysis of international best practices. The status and potential of EE and RE in various economic sectors (industry, fuel and energy, housing and communal services, public buildings, construction, transport, etc.) will also be reviewed.

Emphasis will be given to energy efficiency in the residential and municipal sector, as one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions with large potential for improvements in energy efficiency. The main focus of the Forum will be on ways and means of financing EE and RE investments.

The geographical focus of the Forum will be on countries of Central Asia and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). However, the Forum will have a global outreach as it will offer opportunities to share experiences in overcoming barriers to energy efficiency from other regions of the world.

For instance, a number of countries from South-Eastern Europe participating in the UNECE Financing Energy Efficiency Investments for Climate Change Mitigation (FEEI) Project will be represented. In the framework of the UNECE Global Energy Efficiency 21 (GEE21) project, representatives from other regions are expected to participate. In addition to the Central Asian countries, ESCAP region will be represented by experts and officials from China, India, Japan, Mongolia, and Thailand.

The plenary sessions will feature presentations of high-level officials from Governments of the countries of the UNECE and ESCAP regions, representatives of United Nations and other intergovernmental organizations, financial institutions, business sector and energy efficiency experts.

The second day of the Forum will consist of two parallel workshops:

* The Workshop on Investments in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects will focus on policy reforms to promote investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and on potential for such investments with specific examples of project proposals.
* The Green Buildings Workshop, jointly organized by the UNDP Global Environment Facility (UNDP-GEF) and UNEP’s Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative (UNEP-SBCI), will focus on policies, technologies and know-how for the building sector specifically highlighting the significant benefits that buildings offer with regard to energy efficiency, climate change mitigation, and green growth. .

On the third day, the 18th session of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Working Group on Water and Energy Resources and the Baku Initiative Workshop will be held.

Source: www.unece.org