18 December 2008: At a side event held during the 14th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, held in Poznań, Poland, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) launched the Global Energy Efficiency 21 (GEE21) project.

The event, held on 10 December 2008, was entitled “Energy Efficiency in the post-2012 Framework: Key Issues and Challenges.” The project’s main objective is to develop a more systematic exchange of experience on capacity building, policy reforms and investment project finance among countries of the other regions of the world through strengthened cooperation among the UN regional commissions in order to: promote self-financing energy efficiency improvements that raise economic productivity; diminish fuel poverty; and reduce air pollution, such as greenhouse gas emissions. The Government of the Russian Federation is financing an initial phase of three years. [UNECE Press Release] [UNECE Sustainable Energy Division Website]