The Open-ended Consultations on UNECE Work on Sustainable Energy offer the possibility for member States to review progress of the implementation of the programme of work 2014-2015 in preparation of the twenty-fourth session of the Committee. The informal Open-ended Consultations are addressed to dedicated experts from capitals with an appetite to shape future work that addresses in practical, concrete ways the challenges faced by member States. A strategic vision might include – but is not limited to – elements for systems thinking that can enable cross-sectoral integration, cost-effective development of integrated electricity systems, smart integration of variable renewable resources into the energy mix, deployment of carbon capture and storage to mitigate the unrelenting rise in coal use, guidelines for methane management, and implementation of the Hammamet Declaration.
The meeting is an opportunity to examine the interconnections between capitals and the work of the Committee and to reinforce what remains fundamentally important in any undertaking: a solid strategy based on a vetted approach built on good data and indicators and well-chosen strategic alliances and partnerships between organizations and public–private engagement. In the end it is about successful examples that can be replicated and scaled up and about building long-lasting and impactful, sustainable systems.
Member States are invited to explore their impressions of the work of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies, and to provide honest and constructive feedback about the value added of the subprogramme, what works and what does not, and why, so that relevant actors can deliver according to expectations.
The results from a workshop on “Scenarios for Sustainable Energy”, to be held on 26 May 2015, will inform the discussions of the Open-ended Consultations. The workshop will target twenty to thirty international energy experts interested in developing an instrument for transparent model-based analysis of scenarios for sustainable energy in the UNECE region. Please contact the secretariat if you would like to participate.
The second Geneva Energy Conversation precedes the meeting. You are invited.