Vienna Energy Forum 2015 (VEF 2015)

The Vienna Energy Forum (VEF) 2015 themed ‘Sustainable Energy for Inclusive Development’ was held from 18-20 June 2015 at the Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria. The event brought together participants from about 60 countries, including 24 ministers, as well as high-level dignitaries and senior representatives of international and non-governmental organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector. The event was organized by the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

VEF 2015 convened against the backdrop of three crucial events set to take place in 2015: the Third International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July; the UN Summit for the Adoption of the post-2015 Development Agenda taking place in New York, US, in September; and the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Paris, France, in December. VEF 2015 aimed to contribute to the post-2015 development agenda and climate processes by emphasizing their multiple co-benefits, and by showcasing best practices and actions on the ground.

The event consisted of high-level panel discussions and parallel sessions considering a range of issues, including energy efficiency, public-private partnerships (PPPs), sustainable transport and innovative financing mechanisms for sustainable energy. It also included a number of special events such as Energy Leaders’ Voices, Climate School, a networking session on Women for Sustainable Energy and an event on progress on the implementation of the outcomes of the Clean Energy Ministerial. A series of side events also took place throughout the three-day forum.

During the meeting, a number of initiatives and projects were launched, including the SE4All Global Tracking Framework, the Multi-tier Access Framework, the UNIDO-Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Global Green Growth Report and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st century (REN21) Renewables 2015 Global Status Report.

The meeting concluded with the presentation of the VEF 2015 Outcome Document consisting of eight key messages which will be transmitted to the three 2015 global processes.