Capacity-building and global forum activities

UNIDO has a strong emphasis on capacity-building, information dissemination and sharing, as well as policy support. UNIDO organizes a number of global forum activities in the areas of energy access, renewable energy and energy efficiency to bring together planners, experts, entrepreneurs, institutions and decisionmakers on a common platform in order to raise awareness, exchange current concepts and ideas, and to promote partnerships. Its capacity-building activities include institutional and regulatory, organizational, and human resource development. Some examples include: UNIDO’s assistance for National Energy Development Strategies, its support for the development of CDM markets, and the bioenergy Capacity-building Programme or the Eco City - Eco business Partnership Programme in India. Examples of global forum activities include: global, regional and national conferences, expert group meetings and related publications on renewable energy, on industrial energy efficiency, and in support of the development of a post-2012 framework. The following areexamples of tools developed: plan of action aimed at increasing access to modern energy services and energy security for economic and social development in Africa; common strategic vision for the development of biofuels throughout the continent; a methodology to prepare national energy strategies; a bio-energy training package focusing on key industrial sectors; and a database on biomass conversion technologies. The geographic focus of UNIDO’s related activities is on Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.