Originally established by the UN General Assembly to review implementation of the outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and the progress in the implementation of Agenda 21, the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) is a division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, located in New York.
The GSEII was present in New York during the “Second Implementation Cycle” (2006-2007) of the UN-CSD, which corresponded respectively to CSD 14 and CSD 15.
And whose main theme encompassed “energy for sustainable development, industrial development, air pollution/atmosphere, and climate change”
With the support from GSEII’s partners, a number of island nations have developed aggressive policies and plans to achieve energy independence and seek to transform their energy systems from a fossil fuel base to renewable one, focusing on biofuels, geothermal, and energy efficiency technologies.
In May 2006, the GSEII organized a Special Event in the UN Headquarters, entitled Global Sustainable Energy Islands – Leading By Example, presented a vision of the energy future for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) based on existing practical examples of commitment and leadership.
May 2006: GSEII-UNF Special Event Report: Global Sustainable Energy Islands – Leading By Example
This report was prepared by Nina Rinnerberger.
In May 2007, the GSEII and its partners organized another side event during the Fifteenth Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UN CSD-15) entitled Island-to-Island Partnership on Sustainable Energy aimed at fostering Island-to-Island (I2I) partnerships on sustainable energy and at stimulating both North-South and South-South collaboration on scaling up sustainable energy investments in Small Islands Developing States (SIDS).
May 2007: GSEII-UNF Side Event Report: Island-to-Island Partnership on Sustainable Energy
This report was prepared by Magali Devic.