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The availability of natural resources is at the core of attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) is a global standard for the sustainable management of all energy and mineral resources in alignment with the objectives of
Micro-, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of the economy in the UNECE region and have been hard hit by the COVID-19 economic crisis. This stress in turn impacted the supply chains of many industries, especially those involved in supporting essential services required for the
Micro-, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are among the worst hit financially by the COVID-19 pandemic. They represent over 90 percent of all companies in most countries in the UNECE region and are responsible for over half of GDP. Therefore, the economic recovery depends to a large extent on
With almost half of the world under lockdown, the continued supply of certain critical raw materials needed for an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic has become a concern.
The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and excipients of several drugs, including antibiotics such
Improving energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective options for meeting growing energy demand, ensuring more rational use of energy, contributing to a better environment and to energy security in most countries, and securing economic well-being and improved quality of life.Today,
Renewable energy now accounts for around one third of global power generation capacity, with increases being led by investments in solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind energy. More than 180 GW of renewable energy were installed in 2018, of which 100 GW were solar PV. As the costs of renewables
Methane is a powerful short-lived climate pollutant. It is also the main precursor of tropospheric ozone (O3). Over a 20-year period, methane’s effect on global warming is 84 times greater than carbon dioxide. Fossil fuel production, including coal mining, accounts for 29% of human-made methane
The global climate emergency cannot be addressed without the rapid transformation of the energy system. Accelerating the shift to renewable energy sources and dramatically improving energy efficiency will play a crucial role. On the day of the UN Climate Action Summit 2019, UNECE has
UNECE and Pittsburgh’s Green Building Alliance (GBA) signed an agreement launching Pittsburgh’s International Centre of Excellence on High Performance Buildings. Pittsburgh joins New York City’s Building Energy Exchange as the 2nd Centre of Excellence in a global network of sustainability
Renewable energy-based electric generating capacity is rapidly growing and is expected to deliver up to 30 per cent of the world’s power demand by 2023. Solar energy will significantly contribute to this growth and play a major role in the energy mix of the future. To help accelerate this
The renewable energy industry has grown significantly in the last few decades, and today, supplies almost a fifth of total primary energy demand. The contribution of renewables at large, especially wind energy, will continue to rise over the coming years. In 2018, 171 gigawatts (GW) of renewable
Country after country in Europe is racing to put more and more electric cars on the road as Europe strives to position itself as a world leader in electric vehicle innovation, digitization and decarbonization. If electric vehicles are going to feature so prominently in a connected and automated
Sustainable development must be underpinned by sustainable energy systems. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country that is still heavily dependent on coal and large hydropower at 67% and 31% of total electricity production, respectively. Significant initiatives are emerging to use the country’s vast
Energy efficiency remains a challenge for countries in the UNECE region. Existing technologies can reduce energy consumption by 30 to 50 percent in buildings without significantly increasing investment costs. Moreover, improving the energy performance of a residential building goes hand-in-hand
The United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) is a universally acceptable and internationally applicable scheme for the sustainable management of all energy and mineral resources. It can harmonise data from different classification and reporting standards and also make a
UNECE and the European Commission jointly hosted two sessions looking at the policy and investment options and challenges for scaling up deployment in Renewable energy and Energy efficiency and at the same time for durably addressing energy poverty and improving quality of life during the 9th
Transforming the energy system will require creative and innovative shifts in policy and regulation. In many countries, the current political, regulatory, and industrial infrastructure is not yet ready for a deep and accelerated transformation of aging infrastructure. Countries are not prepared
Ukraine is a country richly endowed with mineral resources. The minerals-based industries contribute approximately 10% of the GDP of Ukraine. The value of exports of mineral products and metals make up about 39.6% of the value of total commodity exports. The mining and metals sectors will
The Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China and UNECE have collaborated on the development of bridging documents between China's resources and reserves classification system for minerals and petroleum and the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC).
Energy and mineral value chains usually involve the generation of large quantities of residues. These residues often end up as wastes and, if not properly managed threaten not only the environment but also the health and safety of the local populations. With energy and mineral production
The global transition to sustainable energy is among the major challenges of our time and is of cross-cutting importance to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly its Goal 7 which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
Mexico is one of the major petroleum producers in the western hemisphere. It has a long history of oil and gas production, yet a vast potential remains to be developed. The country has taken firm steps to bring some of its potential conventional and unconventional petroleum resources into
Buildings are central to meeting the challenges of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement. In the developed world, buildings consume more than 70 percent of the electrical power generated and 40 percent of primary energy. Additionally,
Sustainable resource management is increasingly recognized in Europe as a matter of singular importance to ensure the well-being of society. The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals hinges greatly on access to energy and raw material resources. UNECE and EuroGeoSurveys (EGS) will be
In 2014, the UNECE region accounted for 42% of global GDP, 40% of the world’s total primary energy supply and 34% of global carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion. It is the only region which has substantially increased the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix in the last