The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) supports developing countries to improve energy efficiency and increase their use of renewable energy, as part of their efforts to achieve low-carbon and climate-resilient development pathways.
Energy efficiency: the game changer
UNEP has a big energy efficiency portfolio, focusing in particular on the transport, building, lighting, district energy and appliances sectors. Together with its partners, UNEP contributes to strengthening the business case for energy efficiency: (i) in developing countries and emerging economies - enabling them to reap economic, environmental and poverty alleviation benefits – as well as (ii) for the private sector through market transformation and enhanced business development opportunities.
UNEP contributes to the energy efficiency goal of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative (SEforAll). Through multi-stakeholder partnerships, it aims at contributing decisively to the SEforAll’s energy efficiency goal of doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030. UNEP co-leads four of SEforAll’s Energy Efficiency Accelerators through its projects on efficient lighting, appliances and equipment, transport, and district energy.
Renewables on the rise
In parallel with its energy efficiency efforts, UNEP supports the rapid uptake of renewables through a number of projects, including the African Rift Geothermal Development Facility project. This project supports the development of the large untapped geothermal resource potential by providing technical assistance for the exploration of geothermal prospects in East Africa. Besides in-country programmes, analysis and research efforts supported over the years include the annual REN21 Renewables Global Status Report and the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment Report. Produced in tandem with the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the Global Trends report provides finance data broken down by region and technology. It is a tool recognized and used as a reference by the finance sector globally to ground its investment strategies and get a better understanding of best practices
For more information, see UNEP's work on energy.
