UN-Energy, the United Nations’ mechanism for inter-agency collaboration in the field of energy, was established in 2004 as a subsidiary of the Chief Executive Board, reporting to the High-Level Committee on Programmes, to help ensure coherence in the United Nations system’s multidisciplinary response to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), and to support countries in their transition to sustainable energy.
Mission
UN-Energy main mission is to be the primary agent within the UN for promoting system-wide collaboration in the area of energy, since there is no single entity in the United Nations system that has dedicated responsibility for energy. UN-Energy:
1 . Promotes coherence in the UN system’s multi-disciplinary response to WSSD by:
- Acting as a gateway for sharing information, knowledge, experiences and good practices as well as initiatives in all aspects for implementing the JPOI;
- Maintaining an overview of ongoing and planned work within the system and building/strengthening synergies among independent initiatives at the national, subregional, regional and global levels;
- Promoting joint programming, harmonization and cooperation in the energy-related activities of the organizations of the system;
- Building on and drawing lessons from past experience in inter-agency collaboration on energy;
- Employing dynamic and action-oriented approaches to coordination with extensive use of information and communication technologies.
2. Promotes interaction with other stakeholders by:
- Developing a data base on the roles, potentials, strengths and programmes of relevant stakeholders;
- Developing and maintaining dynamic and interactive mechanisms for information exchange and dissemination among all partners; and
- Organizing a regular exchange of views on policy in the field of energy and related activities, as well as developing partnerships.
3. Focuses on substance and collaborative actions both in regard to policy development in the energy area and its implementation as well as in maintaining an overview of major ongoing initiatives within the system based on the UN-Energy work programme at global, regional sub-regional and national levels. In addition, it is:
- A system-wide network open to all concerned organizations and entities;
- A mechanism for the system’s interaction with non-UN stakeholders
- A collaborative arrangement with rotating chairmanship at a high policy level and vice chair at the expert level; both for a period of two years.
Activities
- coherent advice on behalf of UN system to support inter-governmental deliberations, e.g. SDG open working group, High-level Political Forum, and SDG monitoring and indicators.
- global advocacy and outreach e.g. joint high level events on energy and its nexus with other SDGs during UN Summits, UNGA, UNFCCC, HLPF.
- knowledge sharing and capacity building, e.g. through expert group meetings with delegates and experts on SDG7 targets and means of implementation
- accountability and monitoring, e.g. through annual UN-Energy reports on UN system’s activities on energy and periodic reporting to CEB/HLCP
- Video conferences or face-to-face meetings with members (three per year on average) to coordinate activities, exchange knowledge and discuss progress.