16 June 2010: In statements made during his three-day official visit to Japan, Kandeh K. Yumkella, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Director-General, highlighted technology transfer as a key element of global energy efficiency and climate change mitigation efforts, and underlined Japan’s potential role in this respect.He noted that current energy systems were failing to meet the needs of the world’s poor and that lower-emission fossil fuel-based technologies continue to be an important energy source, particularly for developing countries. To advance the clean energy agenda, Yumkella stressed the need for “joint action from both the public and private sectors, as well as partnerships across national and regional boundaries.” He then stated that Japanese industries have shown “world-class energy intensities in several sectors,” and argued that through technology transfer, Japan can play a leading role in advancing energy efficiency and climate change mitigation.
Yumkella also expressed his optimism that progress was possible at the upcoming 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC to take place in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of 2010, on energy access, technology transfer and energy efficiency. During his visit, Yumkella also presented the report “Energy for a Sustainable Future,” prepared by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change, which he chairs. The report was presented at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo on 16 June. [UNIDO Press Release] [Climate Change Policy & Practice Story on the Report Energy for a Sustainable Future]