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New UN Energy Portal Launched For Asia Pacific

September 4, 2015

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BANGKOK: The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has launched an innovative new online portal that will provide unprecedented access to information on the energy policies of countries in Asia and the Pacific, and advance the sustainable energy agenda in the region. The Asia Pacific Energy Portal, offers member States powerful tools, including highly interactive data visualizations that enable rapid trends identification as well as policy tracking and search. The unique combination of data and policy information in one application will help improve analysis of the energy situation, policies and their development impact.

Alongside the portal, ESCAP also launched the first annual Regional Trends Report on Energy for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific. The Report provides an additional platform for member States to share their experiences through case studies regarding the energy sector and its future development.

Launching the report and the portal on the sidelines of the 71st Commission session in Bangkok, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP explained that the report and the portal are part of the three pillars of the Asia Pacific Energy Forum (APEF) Implementation Support Mechanism set up by ESCAP in 2013. The third pillar is an annual Policy Dialogue, which met for the first time in 2014.

“The portal will continue to evolve to further expand the knowledge base supporting both the regional and global agendas such as the Sustainable Energy for All initiative and the sustainable development goals,” said Dr. Akhtar. “Future development will include incorporation of more data and the creation of energy resource and infrastructure maps. The portal could also be linked in the future with the regional data repository on Sustainable Energy for All in the Pacific.”

Dr. Akhtar emphasized that APEF and its outcome documents demonstrate the commitment of ESCAP member States to cooperate on a common energy agenda that seeks a cleaner, more efficient, equitable, and secure energy future. “ESCAP is committed to support member State cooperation on a common energy agenda for shared prosperity, social equity and sustainability,” she added.