Progress report for
Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centers for Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Achievement at a glance
Since 2014 laudable progress has been achieved and the partnership has proven to be durable and genuine in line with the SAMOA Pathway and good practice of energy multilateralism. The complex technical and political establishment processes for the centres in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific were successfully completed by UNIDO in partnership with SIDS DOCK and the regional economic communities, including ECOWAS, CARICOM, SPC, SADC, ECCAS and SICA.The Thirty-Sixth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), held in Bridgetown, Barbados, 2 to 4 July 2015, endorsed the establishment of the CCREEE as the implementation hub for sustainable energy activities and projects within the region. Based on a competitive selection process, the offer of the Government of Barbados to host the centre in Bridgetown was accepted. After receiving a sufficient number of ratifications, the legal agreement establishing the CCREEE went into force on 19 May, 2018. On 22 May 2018 the CCREEE Headquarters Agreement was signed between the Government of Barbados and the CCREEE.
The Second Meeting of Pacific Ministers of Energy and Transport, held from 2 to 4 April 2014, in Nadi, Fiji, endorsed the establishment of the PCREEE. Based on a competitive selection process, the offer of the Kingdom Tonga to host the centre in Nuku'alofa was accepted. The inauguration ceremony of PCREEE took place on 26 April 2017 in conjunction with the regional meeting of the Pacific Ministers for Energy and Transport, which took place between 24 to 28 April 2017 in Nuku'alofa.
Today, the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centres (GN-SEC) is covering thirty-four (34) of thirty-eight (38) SIDS in Africa, the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean. Coverage of SIDS have particularly, the (...):
• Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) in Barbados
• SICA Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SICREEE) in El Salvador
• Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE) in Tonga
• ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) in Cape Verde
• Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for Arab States (RCREEE) in Egypt
• SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) in Namibia
• Central African Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CEREEAC) in Angola
Initial long-term funding was provided by the Government of Austria through the Ministry of European and International Affairs (BMeiA) and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the Government of Spain joined the partnership as important core donors. UNIDO provided institution-building and technical program development support throughout the first operational phase of the centres.
In the meantime, all of them are operating independently and receive funding directly from various international partners, including EU, UN, AfDB, BMZ/GIZ, USAID and AECID. The applied approach puts the key principles of aid and development effectiveness (as defined in the Accra, Paris and Busan Declarations) into practice. It respects country ownership coupled with results-oriented partnerships, transparency and shared responsibility.
Under the GN-SEC platform, hosted by UNIDO in Vienna, Austria, the partners are facilitating SIDS-SIDS and triangular cooperation on common energy issues and adapted solutions. The GN-SEC platform offers a “makerspace” for joint coordination, learning, events and communication. There is a lot to learn from each other and plenty of opportunities for replication and upscaling.
Some of the centres have achieved important progress, to the benefit of SIDS. For example, PCREEE and CCREEE have developed regional policy frameworks on electric mobility for the Caribbean and Pacific and provide implementation support for national actions. To decouple industrial development from fossil fuel import dependency and greenhouse gas emissions, most of the SIDS are heading towards smart and integrated power systems that combine renewable energy, battery storage, electric mobility and innovative digital business models.
Another example are the energy information systems established by ECREEE and CCREEE. The ECOWAS Observatory of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (www.ecowrex.org) and the CARICOM Energy Knowledge Hub (https://cekh.ccreee.org) provide GIS based data on the renewable energy and energy efficiency status and concrete investment opportunities in SIDS. Both systems were the first of its kind in West Africa and the Caribbean. They provide important data and analytics to inform policies and regulations.
CCREEE is supporting Caribbean energy ministries and utilities in the development of Integrated Resources and Resilience Plans, which take climate change impacts on the energy system better into account. Moreover, CCREEE has established a dedicated Project Preparation Facility (PPF), which provides to support for the development and financial structuring of sustainable energy projects.
In support of young local cleantech start-ups and entrepreneurs, PCREEE and SACREEE launched dedicated sustainable energy entrepreneurship facilities. The established BLOOM Cleantech Cluster in Barbados is currently replicated in other SIDS through a regional approach. ECREEE has formulated an internationally unique regional policy for mainstreaming gender into energy planning. It was approved by ECOWAS governments and is currently being implemented via national action plans, including in Cabo Verde and Guinea Bissau.
In 2021, UNIDO and SIDS DOCK launched the "Online Capacity Building Program on Sustainable Energy Solutions for Islands" under the GN-SEC. Composed of nine modules, the online training programme offers in-depth knowledge and practical exams on the following energy issues and technologies: solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, ocean energy, bioenergy, energy efficiency and thermal optimization in buildings, mini-grids, energy storage, e-mobility and climate change. The courses are free-of-charge and island experts can participate either through self-learning or guided training. Currently, the programme is available in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The course also applies a train-the-trainer approach, which helps national institutes to incorporate the tool into their curricula and contributes to the sustainability of the initiative. The course is available at: http://training.gn-sec.net.
In 2022, SIDS DOCK and UNIDO launched the Global Ocean Energy Alliance (GLOEA) at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon. The initiative is being supported by various Prime Ministers from the Pacific, Caribbean and Africa. The GLOEA is intended to build a bridge between the industry and research players which need to test new solutions in various climates and contexts, and the interest of SIDS to get access to technology and expertise. A major focus of the GLOEA will lie on the development and implementation of a pipeline of bankable ocean energy lighthouse projects in the Pacific, Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Africa. The GLOEA aims to establish a global community of vested interest with the capacity to develop a pipeline of bankable ocean energy projects. It will be implemented through a regional approach under the GN-SEC.
In 2022, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with funding of the Government of France, launched the International Network of Solar Technology and Application Resource Centres (STAR C) project. The overall objective is to enhance solar energy quality infrastructure frameworks in ISA member states. The first phase of the STAR C project focuses on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the East African Community (EAC) and the Pacific Community (SPC) and respective SIDS. To have more impact and to create economies of scale, the STAR C has adopted a regional approach, which aims at cross-border harmonization of solar product, service and qualification standards, shared resources and joint implementation on national level. The initiative builds on a strong partnership with the regional/national committees and the GN-SEC, particularly ECREEE in Cape Verde, EACREEE in Uganda and PCREEE in Tonga.
The undertaken UN review of partnerships during the SAMOA Pathway High-level Mid-term Review, highlighted the creation of the GN-SEC centres in the Caribbean, Pacific and Africa as important achievement and progress towards impact. The network of regional sustainable energy centres for SIDS and LDCs was highlighted in several UN and OECD reports a best practice example for energy multilateralism, public good and south-south and triangular cooperation. The centres are an important infrastructure in the support of the green and blue economy aspirations of SIDS, decoupling economic diversification and climate adaptation from expensive fossil fuel imports.
Challenges faced in implementation
The full legalization of the centres required the signing and ratification of complex intergovernmental agreements. Some of the processes took longer as expected. However, after going through these processes, the centres are well anchored in national and regional institutional structures and proceedings. Another complexity is the long-term financial sustainability of the centres. There is openness of international partners to support technical activities but reluctance to support staff and core costs of the centres.Next Steps
During the next years, UNIDO and SIDS DOCK will intensify their efforts to facilitate SIDS-SIDS cooperation on innovative energy island solutions and projects of common interest. There will be particular focus addressing the important green and blue economy nexus. Further information is available at: www.gn-sec.netBeneficiaries
The network of centres serves thirty-four (34) of thirty-eight (38) Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Africa, the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean. The main direct beneficiaries of the created regional centres are the economic communities and key institutional players of the energy sector in SIDS. The final beneficiaries are households and businesses, which benefit from more affordable, reliable and clean energy services. The reduction of fossil fuel import spending will free-up resources for essential social sectors, climate adaptation and economic diversification.