IIASA and UNIDO strengthen collaborations

The Director Generals discussed strengthening collaboration between IIASA and UNIDO through a new Memorandum of Understanding that envisages IIASA providing scientific support to UNIDO to achieve its goal of inclusive and sustainable industrial development. IIASA would assist UNIDO through developing analytical frameworks and tools to aid UNIDO’s projects.

In December 2013 UNIDO adopted a new vision, known as the Lima Declaration, to shape its future operations. This vision recognizes eradicating poverty as a multidimensional challenge covering economic deprivation, social inequality, and environmental degradation.  The new declaration focuses UNIDO on harnessing the full potential of industry’s contribution to the achievement of sustainable development and lasting prosperity for all.

The new collaboration between IIASA and UNIDO builds on recent successful partnerships in the area of energy research. UNIDO has been a strong supporter of IIASA’s research, most notably as a sponsor of and contributor to IIASA’s Global Energy Assessment and related energy access studies. Together, the two organizations host the Vienna Energy Forum which brings together over 1,500 energy experts to discuss sustainable energy every two years since 2009. And they both also regularly discuss and exchange views on key energy questions as members of the Vienna Energy Club.

Research Partners: IIASA and UNIDO

UNIDO was a key sponsor of the Global Energy Assessment (GEA) and a significant contributor via various lead authors to the assessment. GEA, which was published in 2012, defines a new global energy policy agenda—one that transforms the way society thinks about, uses, and delivers energy.  Coordinated by IIASA and involving over 500 specialists from a range of disciplines, industry groups, and policy areas, GEA research aims to facilitate equitable and sustainable energy services for all, in particular for around three billion people who currently lack access to clean, modern energy. UNIDO’s former Director General, Mr  Kandeh Yumkella, played an active role as a member of GEA’s governing council.  One outcome from the GEA was the adoption of GEA’s findings as the three key objectives of the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy For All (SE4ALL) initiative on energy access, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.

UNIDO and IIASA also worked closely with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) on the GEA and this collaboration led to the development of interactive Web-based scenario analysis tools to

• (1)assess multiple energy access policies (ENACT); and 
• (2)assess multiple energy objectives concurrently (ENE-MCA).

Vienna Energy Forum

Since 2009, IIASA has partnered with UNIDO to host the Vienna Energy Forum every two years. The most recent forum, in 2013, brought together over 1,500 policy makers, country delegations, experts and representatives from the private sector and civil society from 116 countries. Together, they explored ways to achieve a sustainable global energy system following Rio+20 (see forum summary report). 

The 2011 forum, which included a keynote speech by former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, called for bold steps and strategic public-private partnerships to guarantee universal energy access by 2030, including by expanding the use of renewable energy sources.

Vienna Energy Club

The Vienna Energy Club brings together nine Vienna-based international organizations dealing with energy, providing an informal platform for discussions and exchange of views. IIASA and UNIDO are members along with :  

• Energy Community (EnC)
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• International Peace Institute (IPI)
• OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID)
• Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

• Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP)
  
  

A delegation from UNIDO visited IIASA to strengthen collaborations between the two international organizations. From left to right: Mr Sarwar Hobohm, Director, Office for Strategic Planning, Coordination and Quality Monitoring, UNIDO; Mr Pradeep Monga, Director, Energy and Climate Change Branch, UNIDO; Mr Li Yong, Director General, UNIDO; Prof Dr Pavel Kabat, Director General and CEO, IIASA; Mr Chin-Min Lee, Special Advisor to the Director General & CEO, IIASA; Mr Luis Gomez Echeverri, Senior Research Scholar, Transitions To New Technologies Program, IIASA; Prof Dr Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Deputy Director General and Deputy CEO, IIASA.

Last edited: 22 August 2014