United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

Set up by ECOSOC in 1947, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) aims to facilitate pan-European economic integration and cooperation among its 56 member States, while promoting sustainable development and economic prosperity.

Set up by ECOSOC in 1947, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) aims to facilitate pan-European economic integration and cooperation among its 56 member States, while promoting sustainable development and economic prosperity. Within the scope of this mandate the ECE provides analysis, policy advice and assistance to governments in the following sectors: environment; transport; statistics; sustainable energy; economic cooperation and integration; trade; timber and forestry; housing, land management and population.

The UNECE programme of work is focused on: (a) the negotiation of conventions, norms, standards and guidelines in the above-mentioned sectoral areas to facilitate international cooperation within and outside the region; (b) the provision of technical assistance (advisory services, capacity-building workshops, training courses, and study tours) to countries with economies in transition, aimed at building national capacity to implement UNECE legally binding instruments and standards, and supporting these countries in the achievement of internationally-agreed development goals; (c) the organization of policy debate, and the exchange of experience and best practices in the key areas of UNECE work; (d) the monitoring of and support to the regional implementation of outcomes of global United Nations conferences and summits.

Energy at UNECE

The UNECE’s work in the field of energy is built around the Sustainable Energy subprogramme, which is run by the Sustainable Energy Division, overseen by the Committee on Sustainable Energy and carried out by the Committee’s Subsidiary Bodies, Task Forces and Ad Hoc groups. The subprogramme works to promote a sustainable energy development strategy for the region, with the following objectives: sustained access to high quality energy services for all individuals in the region; security of energy supplies in the short-, medium- and longterm; facilitate a transition to a more sustainable energy future and introduce renewable energy sources to reduce health and environmental impacts resulting from the production,
transport and use of energy; well-balanced energy network systems across the whole of the UNECE tailored to optimize operating efficiencies and overall regional cooperation; sustained improvements in energy efficiency, in production and use, particularly in countries with economies in transition; and in the context of post-EU enlargement, the integration of energy restructuring, legal, regulatory and energy pricing reforms, as well as of the social dimension into energy policymaking. The subprogramme also addresses intersectoral issues, in particular in the field of energy and environment. It is also designed to take into account the goals of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, the outcome of the World Summit
on Sustainable Development, and the proposals emanating from the process on Strengthening the Organization, initiated by the Secretary General in 2002.

Services provided by UNECE include:

• Promoting convergence in the overall legal, regulatory and policy framework, including the development of classification systems and guidelines
• Promoting energy efficiency and conservation, notably in economies in transition
• Encouraging the greater use of natural gas as a “transitional” fuel to bridge the gap until “new” environmentally-benign energy sources are developed and commercialized
• Greening the coal-to-energy chain
• Addressing issues related to electric power network system interconnections
• Providing technical assistance to countries with economies in transition to help implement market-oriented energy policies and market-based energy reforms as well as to promote the development of the energy sector.