Towards COP27: UNECE Regional Forum on Climate Initiatives to Finance Climate Action and the SDGs

Regional cooperation on enhancing sustainable management and financing for the critical raw materials required for low-carbon transitions

17 October 2022 9:00 - 17:30

Palais des Nations Geneva Switzerland

Ahead of COP27, the UN system, leveraging its convening power, network of experts and influencers at regional levels, will partner with the incoming Egyptian Presidency of COP27 and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions for COP26 and COP27 to organise a series of five regional forums on “Towards COP27: Regional Forums on Climate Initiatives to Finance Climate Action and the SDGs” bringing together key stakeholders from public and private sectors, to catalyse additional private sector investment in climate mitigation and adaptation in line with the SDGs. Participants, including public and private financial institutions and countries, initiatives and organisations preparing projects will work together to identify and address financing bottlenecks, to showcase and learn from success stories of private sector investment and share investment-ready climate initiatives in Member States to spur further investment.

The event will take place in a hybrid format at the Palais des Nations and via Zoom on Monday 17 October 2022 from 9:00 to 17:30 hrs.

Register for in-person participation

Register for online participation 

UNECE Resource Management Week 2022 - 13th Session of the Expert Group on Resource Management (rescheduled)
25 October 2022 (10:00 - 18:00)
Palais des Nations, Geneva and online

The rescheduled 13th session of the Expert Group on Resource Management (that was due to be held 25-29 April as part of the UNECE Resource Management Week 2022) will now be held as a one-day meeting on 25 October 2022 in Geneva and online.

At its 13th Session, the Expert Group will continue its work to develop and implement the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) and the United Nations Resource Management System (UNRMS) for the sustainable management of resources including minerals, petroleum, renewable energy and nuclear fuels, as well for anthropogenic resources, geological storage and groundwater.

The meeting will focus on the following topics:

•    Discussion on possible realignment of the Expert Group.
•    Delivering the Sustainable Development Goals: Development, maintenance and implementation of UNFC and UNRMS. 
•    Application of UNFC and UNRMS in different geographical contexts.

The meeting will be held in hybrid format (in-person and Zoom) with simultaneous interpretation in English, French and Russian. Subject to the COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time, participation will be possible in person in Geneva. Registration is mandatory for all participants. All registered participants will be provided with the Zoom connection details closer to the event.

Registration and participation

For participation in person, please register here.

For online participation, please register here.

The REN21 UNECE Renewable Energy Status Report 2022: renewables and energy efficiency offer an opportunity for a secure and sovereign energy supply in the region.

Released on 14 September, the UNECE Renewable Energy Status Report 2022 was prepared jointly by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). It provides the latest update on the status of renewables and energy efficiency in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.  

The region has seen an unprecedented growth in renewable electricity since 2018. The transport and heating and cooling sectors have not seen such increases. Public and private investment in renewables across the focus countries remains modest compared to global growth trends. Countries of the region need significant investment in renewables.

Between 2017 and 2021, 17 countries of South-East and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, plus Kosovo, saw an unprecedented growth in renewable power capacity. Over this period, they cumulatively added 21 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, for a total installed renewable power capacity of 106 GW. For the first time, this growth was driven mainly by solar photovoltaic (PV) (58%) and wind power (25%) additions. The region’s wind power capacity grew by more than a factor of 7 and solar PV capacity by more than a factor of 10 between 2017 and 2021.

The report highlights how renewables and energy efficiency offer an opportunity for a secure and sovereign energy supply in the region, which continues to depend heavily on fossil fuel sources and relies on a limited number of energy exporters. Breakthrough growth in renewables in South-East and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia must be accelerated to end fossil dependency and boost energy security.

The REN21 UNECE Renewable Energy Status Report 2022 is available HERE.

The report was launched on 14 September 2022.