The Programme on Energy Connectivity in Central Asia and the Caucasus, a joint endeavour of the United Nations –Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) was launched on January 24, 2024.
The Programme will include a project titled “Energy connectivity for sustainable development – Enabling renewable energy resource sharing across borders”, which covers 10 ECO Member States and aims at establishment of multilateral power trading linked to the integration of renewable energy sources. The project is designed with a focus on the existing connectivity efforts, specifically the ECO Regional Electricity Markets (ECO-REM), which aims at harmonizing and merging the electricity markets of the ECO Region.
The meeting brought together the representatives from the UN System, other global and regional organizations, international financial institutions and government delegates. In his opening remarks, the ECO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Huseyin Avni Bicakli briefed the participants about the recent mainstreaming of sustainable energy transition in the overall energy agenda of ECO. Having apprised of the latest status of ECO-REM, Ambassador Bicakli expressed his hope that ESCAP’s support could be a breakthrough in launching this flagship energy project. He further highlighted the need for a continuous and proactive dialogue among the Member States to shape the regional electricity market.
