Global Network of Sustainable Energy Centers: A Success Initiative

The UN policy compilation report Accelerating SDG-7 Achievement highlights the centres of the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centres (GN-SEC) as "success story" and an important contribution to accelerate the uptake of integrated and inclusive sustainable energy technology markets.

The report emphasizes that "Strengthening cooperation at the regional and sub-regional levels is critical to address different areas, unique challenges, and to promote innovation, investment, enhance cross-border connectivity, capacity building, south-south cooperation and synergetic actions to advance energy, climate change, environment and other SDGs simultaneously."

The Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centers (GN-SEC) is an innovative south-south and triangular multi-stakeholder partnership established by UNIDO in partnership with sub-regional economic communities/organisations (RECs) and their Members States (MS), to accelerate the energy and climate transformation in developing countries. Since 2010, UNIDO assists RECs in the establishment and operation of sub-regional sustainable energy promotion centres.

The gradually expanding partnership comprises a sub-network of centers for the African and the Arab region and a sub-network for Small Island Developing States. Currently, the network is expanding to Central America, Central Asia and the Himalaya-Hindukush region.

A presentation on the current status of the GN-SEC is available here.

Operating Centres:

ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) in partnership with ECOWAS
Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) in partnership with the Arab League
SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) in partnership with SADC
East African Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE) in partnership with EAC
Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE) in partnership with SPC and SIDS DOCK
Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) in partnership with CARICOM and SIDS DOCK

Centres in the preparatory phase:

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Centre for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (REEECH), in partnership with ICIMOD
SICA Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SICREEE) , in partnership with SICA
ECO Clean Energy Centre (ECEC), in partnership with ECO

The GN-SEC is currently becoming a formalized global platform to advocate for SDG#7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG#9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) and SDG#13 (climate action) and joint interests in international policy processes. The platform is hosted by UNIDO in Vienna, Austria and it provides a "virtual" maker-space for south-south cooperation activities and joint project proposals. The platform provides also an interesting forum to exchange experiences and lessons learned on methodologies related to sub-regional cooperation and institution building.

To know more about GN-SEC please read here.