The second Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) Joint Seminar on Technology Diffusion in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) took place from 28-29 October 2004 at the Vienna International Centre, Austria. Organized by the CTI and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Seminar was attended by over 90 representatives from governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, business and industry groups, and academic institutions.

Focusing on linkages between climate change and energy efficiency, the Seminar aimed to review best practices for the deployment of energy-efficient technology and consider how policies such as energy security, market reform and social and rural development can create incentives for improving energy efficiency. It also sought to identify major barriers to the diffusion of energy-efficient technologies in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

During the two-day meeting, participants heard over 30 presentations addressing a range of energy efficiency issues in plenary and break-out sessions. On Thursday, 28 October, three plenary sessions were held to set the context of the Seminar, consider experiences and views from external donors and organizations, and hear about experiences and views from within Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. On Friday morning, 29 October, participants convened in two parallel groups, which considered the relation between energy efficiency and climate change on a sector-by sector basis. While the first group addressed power, heat and gas generation and supply, and the building, household and transportation sectors, the second group focused on industry. A third group met on Friday afternoon to discuss financing and emission trading.

The Seminar's report and conclusions will be presented at the meeting of the tenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2004, and it is expected that the two-day discussions will foster further dialogue and cooperation among stakeholders on the diffusion of environmentally sound technologies in the region and beyond. More.