15 November 2012
Third International Forum on Energy Efficiency in Central Asia Agrees on Increased Energy Cooperation
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The Forum's Resolution stresses the need for cooperation to improve energy policies and the investment climate, and recognizes the importance of energy efficiency and clean energy for energy security, while also calling for a cost-effective energy mix and improvements in energy efficiency for buildings.

30 October 2012: The Third International Forum on “Energy for Sustainable Development, Capacity Building for Energy Efficiency and Access to Cleaner Energy in Central Asia and Neighbouring Regions,” took place at Issyk Kul Lake, Kyrgyzstan, on 12-14 September 2012. The Forum discussed energy efficiency financing and policies, and adopted a Resolution with recommendations for Central Asia and its neighboring regions.

In the Resolution on Energy for Sustainable Development, the participants call for: increased international cooperation on energy and improvements in the investment climate in the region; ensuring an appropriate energy mix, including cost-effective renewable energy and more efficient consumption of fossil fuels; improving energy efficiency in the housing sector, which can serve as an important driver of international cooperation; and the recognition that sustainable use of energy, improved energy efficiency and wider access to cleaner energy are important components of energy security and effective climate change mitigation.

The three-day Forum consisted of several segments, such as: a High-Level Roundtable on “Policy Reforms and Creating a Favourable Environment for Sustainable Energy;” plenary sessions on “Energy Efficiency in Buildings and the Housing Sector,” and “Financing Energy Efficiency and Cleaner Energy;” and workshops on “Legal and Regulatory Frameworks to Promote Energy Efficiency and Cleaner Energy in North and Central Asia,” “Energy Efficiency in Buildings,” “Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in Advanced Fossil Fuel Technologies,” and “Case studies on Energy Efficiency Financing and Promotion of Advanced Energy Efficiency Technologies.”

The Forum was co-organized by the government of Kyrgyzstan, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It was the third Forum in a series that also included previous meetings in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2010, and in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in 2011. [UN-Energy Press Release] [Third International Forum Resolution] [Summary of the Third International Forum] [Forum Website]

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