ECA to serve as Secretariat of UN-Energy/Africa

By Yinka Adeyemi, Communication Officer,SDD, ECA
28 May 2004

ECA has been elected the Secretariat of the newly established UN-Energy/Africa at an inter-agency meeting attended by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN-Habitat. The meeting also elected UNIDO as the Chair and UNEP as Vice Chair of UN-Energy/Africa.

According to its terms of reference submitted to the NEPAD Infrastructure Development Cluster Meeting which ended today in Addis Ababa, UN-Energy Africa will serve as a system-wide regional network for all interested organizations and a mechanism for the UN system to interact with non-UN stakeholders, including major actors from the private sector, NGOs, power utilities, research and academic institutions.

UN-Energy/Africa''s work programme is expected to build on the NEPAD energy initiatives and the work of the UN organizations who are its members.

In order to promote coherence in the UN system, UN-Energy/Africa is mandated to act as a gateway for sharing information, knowledge, experiences and good practices. It will also "employ dynamic and action-oriented approaches to coordination with extensive use of ICT."

It will promote interaction with non-UN stakeholders by developing a database on the roles, strengths and programme of relevant stakeholders as well as organize a regular exchange of views on policy in the field of energy and related activities.

Infrastructure Development Cluster Meeting which ended today in Addis Ababa, UN-Energy Africa will serve as a sytem-wide regional network for all interested organizations and a mechanism for the UN sytem to interrract with non-UN stakeholders, including major actors from the private sector, NGOs, power utilitieis, research and academic institutions.

UN-Energy/Africa''s work programme is expected to build on the NEPAD energy initiatives and the work of the UN organizations who are its members.

In order to promote coherence in the UN system, UN-Energy/Africa is mandated to act as a gateway for sharing information, knowledge, experiences and good pratices. It will also "employ dynamic and action-oriented approaches to coordination with extensive use of ICT."

It will promote interaction with non-UN stakeholders by developing a database on the roles, strenths and programme of relevant stakeholders as well as organize a regular exchange of views on policy in the field of energy and related activities.