15 December: The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has announced that the 2009 Global Forum on Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency will be hosted by the Government of Mexico in the last quarter of 2009.

The 2009 Mexican Global Forum forms part of UNIDO’s energy activities in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, which were initiated in 2006 with the Iberoamerican Ministerial Meeting on “Energy Security in the Latin America Region: Renewable Energy as a Viable Alternative,” followed in May 2008 by the Global Forum on Renewable Energies, held in Brazil. The initiative also forms part of the Mexican Government’s commitment to promote energy efficiency and the development of clean and renewable energy sources.
The Forum aims to provide an opportunity to promote technical cooperation activities, and business and investment projects globally. It is also expected to increase commercial networking and bring successful experiences on renewable energies and energy efficiency to the international arena, highlighting those energy resources and techniques particularly promoted by Mexico. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Latin American Energy Organization are also expected to participate in organizing the Forum. [UNIDO Announcement]