The “Strategy for sustainable housing and land management in the ECE region for the period 2014-2020” and the “Programme of Work of the Committee on Sustainable Energy for 2016-2017”, complemented by international commitments such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, the Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable Housing, and the Astana Ministerial Statement on Sustainable Energy are guiding the joint work of the Committee on Housing and Land Management and the Committee on Sustainable Energy on energy efficiency standards in buildings in the UNECE region.
In 2015, both Committees endorsed the establishment of a Joint Task Force on Energy Efficiency Standards in Buildings to enhance market harmonization for products and technologies that increase energy efficiency in buildings and support the achievement of the global and regional commitments in the UNECE region. Representatives of member States, business community, academia, civil society and international organizations comprise the membership of the Joint Task Force. In order to support the objectives of this body, the secretariat has developed and started implementation of the project on Energy Efficiency Standards in Buildings in the UNECE region funded by the Governments of Denmark and the Russian Federation.
The first meeting of the Joint Task Force will take place on 30-31 October 2017. The meeting’s objectives are to operationalize the Task Force and to discuss the approaches and preliminary results of a study on mapping existing energy efficiency standards in buildings in the UNECE region. The Joint Task Force will also discuss and agree on the proposed activities to carry out until 31 December 2018.
The meeting will be held back-to-back with the Fourth Session of the Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency (31 October-1 November 2017).