Report of First Session of UN-Energy
Paris, 2 July 2004

1. Following the decision taken by the Chief Executive Board (CEB) at the recommendation of the High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) to establish UN-Energy as a system-wide collaborative arrangement on energy, the first meeting of UN-Energy was held on 2 July 2004 at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France The agenda for the meeting and the list of participants are attached at Annex I and II respectively. On behalf of the group, the Chairman expressed appreciation to UNESCO for hosting the meeting.

2. The terms of reference for UN-Energy were prepared by an Ad Hoc Task Force on Energy held in Rome, 14-15 April 2004 at the initiative of the High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP), were adopted in the HLCP intersessional meeting of 31 May-1 June 2004 in Frascati, Italy, and serves as a basic reference for the group. The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI), along with Agenda 21 and decisions taken at the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, serve as a basis for UN activities related to energy and the implementation of activities to achieve sustainable development goals.

3. It was agreed that UN-Energy would meet no more than three times per year and use electronic means of communication for meetings and information exchange whenever possible. Meetings would be held in conjunction with energy-related events when feasible to minimize costs. It is important that participation be at the expert level and that each agency/organization contribute actively to preparations and necessary documentation to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the group. Moreover, the goals of the group should be realistic and achievable so that its contributions have an impact. The group will be held accountable for achieving its goals and participating agencies/organizations bear responsibility for their contributions. It was noted that additional resources may be required, but that each agency/organization is fully committed to working towards the success of the collaborative arrangement.

I. Work Program

4. It was agreed that the point of departure for the work programme of UN-Energy would be the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) and that it would initially focus on a limited number of activities that can be delivered on a timely basis. While UN-Energy will not set policy, it can provide options, strategies and analyses to support the implementation of the broad policy framework of Agenda 21, CSD-9 and the JPOI. UN-Energy can also serve as an important sounding board for measures under consideration by the international community to implement the JPOI. It was further agreed that the work of the group should focus on a finite number of activities that would have concrete and measurable impacts on efforts to achieve sustainable development.

A. Inputs to the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)

5. The fourteenth and fifteenth sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development will consider energy for sustainable development, atmosphere/air pollution, climate change and industrial development. Thus, CSD represents an important intergovernmental energy policy forum for the group and its contribution to its 14th and 15th sessions should be timely and appropriate with a view toward enhancing implementation of the JPOI. Salient issues include renewable energy, access to energy by the poor, energy efficiency and energy financing. The 14th session of CSD will begin at the regional level with the regional commissions taking a lead role in identifying barriers and constraints to the implementation of JPOI as well as needs and necessary actions to be undertaken. Agencies and organizations with national and regional activities and/or projects should consider active participation in the appropriate regional meetings to highlight successes and contribute to the analysis of success stories as well as failed efforts. The 14th session of CSD to be held in New York in 2006 will culminate the regional review process and provide an overall review of progress made in implementing Agenda 21, CSD-9 and the JPOI and identify areas where additional work is needed. The 15th session of CSD will be a policy session. Based on the results of the previous year’s review session, policies to further implementation will be decided at the 15th session of CSD to be held in 2007.

6. It was noted that UN-Energy is well placed to facilitate agency/organization inputs to the Secretary-General’s report on energy for sustainable development that will be prepared for the 14th session of CSD. This report will focus on areas identified in Agenda 21, CSD-9 and the JPOI and will identify gaps as well as barriers and constraints that impede implementation. The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is currently undertaking a scoping exercise on energy for sustainable development that will provide a basic guide for the preparation of the report, and will forward it to UN-Energy by its second meeting. Inputs to the Secretary-General’s report by agencies/organizations on its activities as well as on the identification of gaps, barriers and constraints will be particularly welcome since agencies/organizations often have a unique perspective from implementing projects at national and regional levels. UN-Energy will also have the opportunity to provide input on its accomplishments. UN-Energy can play a key role in facilitating inputs to the report, identifying integrated approaches to energy for sustainable development and assisting DESA as needed.. It can also facilitate agency/organization inputs to the 14th and 15th sessions of CSD as well as to the regional preparatory process.

B. Promoting Policy Coherence

7. While the underlying policies have been established by intergovernmental forums and are articulated in Agenda 21, the outcome of CSD-9 and the JPOI, UN-Energy can play a role in ensuring that measures and options for implementation are consistent and that there is no overlapping of activities or duplication of efforts within the UN system. Regular communications, including electronic communications, and regular updates on programmes and activities will be important in promoting policy coherence in the area of energy throughout the UN system. Identifying the interrelationships among various goals, including development goals and the MDGs, is also an important aspect of promoting policy coherence.

C. Galvanizing Inter-Agency Operational Cooperation

8. UN-Energy has a primary role in promoting effective cooperation on operational activities among and between agencies/organizations working in the area of energy, and a number of possible areas of work along with interested agencies/organizations were identified. These include bioenergy, renewable energy, raising awareness and capacity building, energy access, energy indicators, and tools for policy integration at the national level. It was agreed that short concept papers on these items would be prepared for the next meeting. Lead agencies and cooperating agencies for each item are identified in the matrix detailed in Annex III.

D. Information and Knowledge Management

9. A proposal for a UN-Energy website and internal electronic communications was presented in which the website would be for public access and would need to be updated regularly. DESA would maintain and manage the site but would rely on regular inputs from UN-Energy members to keep it relevant and interesting. It was agreed to initiate the internal electronic communications immediately and to circulate a test website for further review by the group. It was suggested that UN-Energy consider, as a longer-term project, providing an electronic based source of information on country-based energy projects financed and/or implemented by the United Nations.

II. Strategy for cooperation with non-UN partners

10. The World Summit on Sustainable Development and the resulting efforts to implement the JPOI provide a window of opportunity for working with non-UN entities and establishing effective links with stakeholders including energy partners dealing with research, advocacy and promotion activities. These links are an important aspect of UN-Energy work. Possiblities for cooperating with non-UN partners include 1) inviting significant actors to brief and/or interact with UN-Energy; 2) interacting with relevant stakeholders on individual items of the work programme; and 3) inviting stakeholders to participate in meetings on specific topics held immediately following UN-Energy regular meetings. It was noted that the WSSD partnerships could provide a source of potential interested partners, and that certain issues such as energy services and energy finance might be more conducive to broad participation by non-UN entities. It was decided to consider this item in greater detail at the next UN-Energy meeting with a view toward deciding on appropriate approaches to dealing with non-UN entities. A paper on collaboration with non-UN partners will be prepared as a basis for discussion.

III. Update on Agency Activities

11. Briefings were made on the International Conference for Renewable Energies held in Bonn, June, 2004, the UNEP Governing Council/GMEF held in Jeju, March 2004 and the Ninth International Energy Forum 2004 held in Amsterdam, May 2004. It was agreed that in the future briefings would be made using electronic communications.

IV. Adoption of the report of UN-Energy

12. The group agreed to adopt the report of the meeting as orally conveyed by the Chairman. It was agreed that the next meeting of UN-Energy would be held in late September/early October with New York mentioned as a possible venue.