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As its first work theme the GNESD Steering Committee chose to
focus on the “Energy Access” issue. In early 2004, the Steering
Committee launched an "Energy Access theme along with an
assessment of the potential and possibilities of in contributing
to sustainable development. The second theme of the Network was
initiated in early 2005 Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs). The
EA theme and the RETs theme where both completed during 2006 and
2007.
At present the Network is occupied with two themes Urban Peri
Urban Access to Energy (UPEA) and Energy Security, ES. The UPEA
theme will be completed in the third half of 2008 and its findings
will be presented in the technical reports, the Summery for Policy
Makers (SPM) and in a special edition of the journal Energy for
Sustainable Development, September 2008. The Energy Security theme
will be completed in first half of 2009 Technical reports and a
summery for Policy Makers will be available on gnesd.org.
9 Member Centres are currently being contracted for work on the on
going themes including more than 25 researchers, covering Africa,
Asian and Latin America.
More on GNESD's theme Working Groups:
Following are the types of activities that can
be undertaken by the GNESD Centres of Excellence (the Members) and
Network Partners:
Building knowledge and sharing lessons learned:
 | assist in analysis of policies and business
models for energy for sustainable development |
| assist in evaluation of sustainable energy
technologies |
| promote activities that raise awareness and
disseminate information |
| create a global base of knowledge on policy
experience and ways to adapt that experience to specific
national circumstances, and |
| build communities of practitioners on
specific issue areas, such as power sector reform, policy and
governance issues in energy, development, environment,
interdisciplinary policies for energy for rural development,
application of information technology for promotion of
sustainable energy, and climate change mitigation, by means of
ad-hoc working groups. |
Improving capabilities (capacity development
on multiple levels):
| provide information and share knowledge and
advice |
| provide technical services to developing
country decision-makers |
| provide thematic support to governments and
the private sector on sustainable energy policies, approaches,
technologies, partners and programmes, and |
| develop capacity among major stakeholders and
share the lessons and knowledge acquired in formulating and
implementing sustainable energy approaches. |
Facilitating development of new approaches
and projects:
| help developing country governments
strengthen their policy frameworks as a necessary foundation for
sustainable energy projects, programmes and investments
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| help design or structure national and
sectoral energy planning studies |
| assist energy authorities in outlining
finance and investment strategies, including those involving
partnerships with private sector investors, assist project
developers and entrepreneurs in developing sound business
models, and |
| assess and provide advice on renewable
energy/energy efficiency policies and projects. |
Generating New Knowledge (through structuring
energy policy research projects):
| identify key research/study activities that
would fill gaps in knowledge |
| help apply knowledge where specific decisions
are needed on sustainable energy issues, and |
| structure and foster collaboration on applied
policy research studies that conceptualise and operationalise
approaches to sustainable energy policies, and analyse
experiences. |
Network Members and Network Partners
The Centres of Excellence - also called Network Members -
constitute the core of the activities of GNESD. Network Members
take part in the ad-hoc Working Groups and their activities are
funded by the GNESD Secretariat via individual contracts.
Network Partners are those parties in both developing and
industrialized countries that are able and willing to contribute
substantively to the goals of the Network and who have expressed
an interest in being partner to the GNESD. Partners are typically
from one of the following broad groups:
| Existing centres noted for their work on
energy for sustainable development (generally such partners will
also be Network Member Institutions). |
| Governments and government agencies, both
from developing and industrialized countries (including donor
governments) . |
| UN agencies and other multilateral
organizations. |
| The World Bank, regional development banks,
and other international financial institutions, including the
Global Environment Facility (GEF). |
| The private sector, including representation
through industry or trade associations . |
| NGOs with expertise in related policy,
technical, and project implementation areas, and |
| Existing sectoral networks for agriculture,
water, education, and rural entrepreneurship that are linked to
energy and sustainable development. |
Partners are not obligated in any way to
contribute financially to the Network nor do they receive funding
from the GNESD Secretariat for theme activities . Network Partners
are invited the the annual Assembly and a given early access draft
material for comments.
Read more about GNESD
Read more on the underlying rationale behind GNESD.
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