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Strengthening Energy Policies of Countries with Special Needs to Build Back Better from COVID-19

UNECE is an implementing partner in the UN Development Account project “Strengthening energy policies of Countries with Special Needs to build back better from COVID-19” led by ESCAP. There are eight beneficiary countries of the project: Armenia, Sri Lanka, Federated States of Micronesia, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Maldives, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan. Three of them are member States of both UNECE and ESCAP: Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. UNECE is responsible for implementing project activities in these countries. The project aims to improve the capacity of policymakers by supporting them to develop SDG 7 roadmaps which enable the delivery of both the sustainable energy transition and the economic recovery from COVID-19.

The project will engage stakeholders at the national level through consultation workshops in each participating country. The workshops will be used to explain the customized methodology used to develop the SDG 7 roadmaps and to identify the relevant national context and strategies related to the SDG 7 targets, nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and COVID-19 recovery. ESCAP has developed the National Expert SDG Tool for Energy Planning (NEXSTEP), an integrated and innovative approach to policy decision-making which combines technical, economic and socio-environmental analysis using a methodology that has been peer reviewed by a panel of external experts. Planners and policymakers will be trained in the use of the NEXSTEP tool and will be supported in its implementation to incorporate the country’s broader goals and green economic recovery strategy. Applying this tool, planners and policymakers will have the capacity to produce a national SDG 7 roadmap for each country, highlighting the key findings and recommendations arising from the work.

The project also aims to identify mechanisms for attracting private investment for implementing the priorities identified in the roadmap and initiate engagement between governments and the private sector for this purpose. In three of the countries (to be selected on the basis of their energy systems’ good prospects for private investors), the project will support deepening of these relationships with a programme of work including activities such as the facilitation of start-up accelerators, demo days and investment pitches. There is an expectation that one of these countries will be selected among Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

Outcomes of the project will be carried forward by national policymakers and stakeholders alike, feeding into national energy policy and economic development policy and supporting the ongoing energy transition. Lessons learned will be disseminated globally through the convening of an inter-regional seminar, allowing project participants to share their experiences and to explore opportunities and synergies with related international efforts.

National Stakeholder Consultation Workshop, 25 November 2022, Yerevan, Armenia

National Stakeholder Consultation Workshop, 31 January 2023, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 

National Stakeholder Consultation Workshop, 2 February 2023, Astana, Kazakhstan

Inter-regional seminar Sharing lessons learned and best practices from the development of SDG 7 Roadmaps, 8 November 2023, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Second National Stakeholder Consultation Workshop, 9 November 2023, Astana, Kazakhstan