UNECE Resource Management Week 2023

The UNECE Resource Management Week 2023 “Assuring sustainability in resource management”, including the 14th session of the Expert Group on Resource Management (EGRM-14) will be held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 25-28 April 2023.

Register now!

Platform on Resilient Energy Systems

The time is now for countries to implement policies to build resilient energy systems that provide reliable and affordable access to energy, enhance quality of life and economic growth, and minimize the overall environmental impact of the energy sector.  

According to the UNECE Carbon Neutrality Toolkit, attaining net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is still achievable if we act now.  

A resilient energy system is one where energy makes an optimal contribution to a country’s social, economic, and environmental development. It consists of:  

1. Energy security allows reliable energy needed for economic development 
2. Affordability of green energy reduces the costs of electricity, heating, cooling, and transport while increasing systemic energy efficiency
3. Environmental sustainability lowers the carbon footprint across the energy supply chain

UNECE Expert Groups have united to create five recommendations to build a resilient energy system: 

1. Prioritize and maximize the implementation of energy efficiency solutions to drive down energy consumption. 
2. Digitalize the energy system and take advantage of increasing consumer digital literacy. 
3. Accelerate fuel switching to optimize the carbon footprint of end use energy and replace carbon intensive fuels where practical with low- and zero-carbon options.  
4. Manage resources effectively, sustainably, and with circular economy considerations, using the UN Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) and UN Resource Management System (UMRMS).  
5. Accelerate deployment of low- and zero-carbon technologies by scaling renewable energy, nuclear power and advanced fossil fuels with carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS). 

Documents 

• Five-Page Summary on Building Resilient Energy Systems in English / Russian
• Full Report on Building Resilient Energy Systems in English / Russian

2022 Accomplishments

Did you know that, between September 2021-2022, UNECE Sustainable Energy, in its support for the Committee on Sustainable Energy and through its regional advisory services:

• Organized the 31st session of the Committee, 5 expert group annual meetings, 73 Bureau meetings, and more than 30 workshops, trainings, and webinars, reaching more than 3000 professionals, nearly a third of which were women?
• Finalized more than a dozen papers, guidance documents, case studies and reports and a carbon neutrality toolkit that support decision making on how to achieve sustainable energy systems?
• Launched a new UNECE Sustainable Energy LinkedIn page, gaining more than 500 followers in just a few months?
• Conducted 19 missions in 10 member States - that involved more than 50 days of on-site support and 100+ meetings, workshops and trainings - resulting in the training of more than 1600 experts?   

Through activities like these, UNECE promotes international policy dialogue and cooperation, and builds capacity on sustainable energy among governments, energy industries and other stakeholders to improve access to affordable and clean energy for all and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint of the energy sector in the region.

Learn more about these accomplishments here.