1. Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM)

Created in 2010, the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is a global forum where major economies and forward leaning countries work together to share best practices and promote policies and programmes that encourage and facilitate the transition to a global clean energy economy.

1. As of March 2022, there are 29 member countries in CEM: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States and the European Commission
2. 18 wide ranging CEM work-streams (initiatives and campaigns) help drive the global clean energy transition. These are yearlong activities which are led by one or more CEM members with coordination with one or more departments within the countries.
3. As of March 2022, India is part of following initiatives and campaigns of CEM

21st Century Power Partnership (21CPP) Initiative (Co-lead):

Representing a multilateral effort of the CEM, it aims to accelerate global transformation of power systems. It serves as a platform for public-private collaboration for advancing integrated policy, regulatory, financial, and technical solutions for large-scale deployment of renewable energy along with energy efficient and smart grid solutions.

International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) Initiative (Co-lead):

It is an international platform that involves developing and exchanging knowledge pertaining to smart, clean, flexible and resilient electricity grids. Making use of its high-level government participation and technology innovation, it supports national ambitions of developing smart grids in member country markets.

Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative (Co-lead):

Members of this initiative work towards strengthening and accelerating design and implementation of energy efficient policies pertaining to appliances. It is facilitated through knowledge sharing, research and policy support directed towards driving ambition to action. The voluntary collaboration promotes manufacturing, purchase and use of energy efficient appliances and equipment. SEAD has also contributed towards developing tools, conducting technical analyses and providing member countries with access to high quality research.

Bio-future Platform Initiative (Co-lead):

Launched as part of CEM 11, the initiative leads global action for accelerating development, scaling-up and deploying sustainable bio-based alternatives to conventional fossil fuels, chemicals and materials. It provides a platform for policy dialogue and enables collaboration among countries, academia and the private sector. Some of the goals of the platform include – (a) fostering consensus on biomass sustainability, availability and governance, (b) promoting policy best practices, (c) enabling supportive financing mechanisms and (d) promoting cooperation on policy, regulation and technology.

Industrial Deep Decarbonization (IDDI) Initiative (Co-lead):

The initiative focuses on stimulating demand for low carbon industrial materials by way of (a) encouraging governments and the private sector to purchase low carbon cement and steel and (b) sharing data for preparing common standards and targets. Over the course of the next three years, the initiative aims to encourage at least ten governments for making public procurement commitments for low carbon products.

Bio-future Campaign (Co-lead):

The campaign aims to enable GHG emission reduction and supports a circular economy framework by showcasing pathways that countries may adopt for substituting bio and waste-based fuels, chemicals and materials for their fossil fuel counter parts. For the purpose of fostering ambition, the campaign aims to implement the ‘bio-based substitution challenge’, wherein signatories work towards substituting bio and waste-based fuels, chemicals and materials for 10% of the fossil fuel equivalent in relevant sectors and products by 2030.

Power System Flexibility (PSF) Campaign:

Launched as part of CEM 9, the campaign provides a foundation for government and industry commitments pertaining to smart electricity grids, storage and demand side management. It focuses on augmenting system flexibility of the power system by way of contributing towards cost efficient and reliable electricity supply.

Electric Vehicles Initiative (EVI):

Launched in 2010, it focuses on accelerating worldwide adoption of EVs. Some of its goals include (a) strengthening opportunities offered by electric mobility to achieve numerous policy goals, (b) improving awareness of the drivers of EV deployment for supporting country level policies and implementation, (c) bolstering policy action and improving visibility of national policy efforts, (d) mobilizing policy action and strengthening the impact of measures and much more.

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Initiative (CCUS) Initiative:

The initiative aims to accelerate CCUS as a viable carbon dioxide mitigation option, encourage knowledge sharing on technologies policies and regulations for encouraging near-and-long term investments. Its primary goal is to ensure that carbon dioxide emissions from industry and energy be fully utilized through the adoption of CCUS technologies.

Hydrogen Initiative (H2I):

It focuses on advancing policies and programs for accelerating commercialization and deployment of hydrogen fuels and technologies. It emphasizes on the pivotal role hydrogen will play in clean energy while ensuring sustainability, resilience and energy security. The work under this initiative involves (a) ensuring successful deployment of hydrogen in industrial applications, (b) enabling deployment of hydrogen technologies within the transport sector and (c) assessing the role of hydrogen in meeting energy demand.

Clean Energy Solutions Centre Initiative:

The initiative aids governments in designing and adopting policies and programs that support deployment of low carbon technologies. It also offers clean energy policy assessments that are free of cost, via its global network of experts comprising of government policy makers and technical institutes, trainings and webinars, and peer-to-peer learning that help generate solutions tailored to the needs of each country.

Green Public Procurement:

The United Kingdom, India, Germany, Canada, and the UAE have pledged to adopt green procurement principles and will work together to develop a set of targets for 2030 to be launched by mid-2022. GPP has a goal of 10 countries participating by 2023.

CEM Investment and Finance Initiative:

The primary aim of the initiative is to support countries in developing policies and frameworks that are suitable for mobilizing investments, specifically from private sources, with respect to clean energy. It endeavours to address both upstream (policies and regulations) and downstream (business and financing models) influencing clean energy investment attractiveness. The idea is to develop a partnership model involving governments, technical experts, public and commercial financial, investors and industries.

EV30@30 Campaign:

Redefining the ambition of CEM EVI, the campaign aims to achieve a 30% share in sales for EVs by 2030, which will form the benchmark for measuring performance by member countries across various modes. The market for electric passenger cars, light commercial vans, trucks and buses are supported by the campaign. Additionally, deployment of charging infrastructure for powering vehicles is also one of the focus areas.

Several of the world’s best technical expert organisations (such as IRENA, IEA, UNEP, UNIDO, NREL, LBNL, etc.) lend their technical assistance and advice to support the work of the CEM.

The 11th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM11), hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, convened at a critical moment to consider the role of clean energy in supporting a rapid, sustainable recovery, and the role of the CEM community in shaping the next clean energy decade.

The theme of CEM11 was “Supporting the Recovery, Shaping the Future”. It’s unofficial mantra was “bring actions not words”. The guiding principles for CEM11 were to have positive and inclusive event that strengthened and showcased our community.

Co-located with the G20 Energy Ministerial for the first time, the CEM11 programme included 16 high-level pre-events and culminated with its Ministerial Plenary. CEM11 was all-virtual, all-livecast, and open to all viewers for the first time.

CEM12 was hosted by the Government of Chile under the theme “We work together to move the world towards a clean energy future”. The 12th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM12), was hosted by the Republic of Chile. CEM12 focused on the theme of “ambition into action – turning a year of clean energy ambition into a decade of delivery” bringing CEM’s global clean energy community together to show leadership through insight, inspiration, and impact.

2. BRICS

The BRICS forum consists of 5 member countries namely, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In 2006, the four countries initiated a regular informal diplomatic coordination, with annual meetings of Foreign Ministers at the margins of the General Debate of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). This successful interaction led to the decision that the dialogue was to be carried out at the level of Heads of State and Government in annual Summits. At the First Summit, held in Yekaterinburg in 2009, the depth and scope of the dialogue among the Members of BRIC – which became BRICS in 2011 with the inclusion of South Africa – was further enhanced. More than an acronym that identified countries emerging in the International economic order, BRICS became a new and promising political-diplomatic entity, far beyond the original concept tailored for the financial markets

India has been the active member of the BRICS forum and enjoys very special status in its agenda and dialogue undertaken by the BRICS member countries. India assumes BRICS presidency in 2021.

Russia after assuming the Presidency of BRICS in April, 2015 proposed to initiate cooperation in the field of energy, efficiency and sustainable development. In this regard, a representative from member countries met at the BRICS High-Level Meeting on Energy Efficiency in Merida, Mexico, on 26th May, 2015 to coordinate their actions in response to increasingly unfair competition in international energy markets and artificial restrictions on the free movement of capital and energy-efficient technology trade. As part of meeting, the Russian side circulated copy of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Energy Savings and Energy Efficiency promotion for consideration of BRICS member countries.

The MoU was signed on 20th November, 2015 at Russia during the first meeting of the Energy Ministers of BRICS member countries. Under the framework of this MoU, a Working Group on Energy Savings and Energy Efficiency was established. The first Working Group meeting on “Energy Savings and Energy Efficiency” was held in Vizag on 5th July, 2016.The second meeting of Energy Ministers was held in Beijing China on 7th June, 2017.

As a pe-cursor to the 3rd Ministerial Meeting, a Third Working Group meeting on Energy Savings and Energy Efficiency was held at Cape Town, South Africa on 17th and 18th May, 2018.The purpose of the meeting was to engage into high level (ministerial) discussions and endorsements towards the outcome of Energy Efficiency Working Group actions and deliberations. The high-level engagements by the ministers of member countries pushed forward joint collaboration and the knowledge sharing in the field of energy efficiency as well as Renewable energy programmes.

In continuation to the first and second meeting of Energy Ministers held earlier, the 3rd Ministers meeting was hosted by South Africa in Gauteng Province in the city of Johannesburg during 28-29th June, 2018.

Further, the Senior Officers meeting in connection with 4th meeting of BRICS Energy Ministers was held on 8th November, 2019 in Brasilia, Brazil.

India assumed BRICS Chairship from January, 2021. During the Russian Presidency in 2020, a Road map for BRICS energy cooperation up to 2025 was prepared and agreed upon by the Member countries. The implementation of the roadmap is led and coordinated by the Committee of Senior Energy Officials of BRICS, which is entitled to take decisions, formulate proposals for the Ministers and report to them the results during the BRICS Energy Ministers Meeting.

Accordingly, India under its Chairship organized several meetings/ workshops over the course of it’s Presidency, namely the Workshop on Energy Efficiency & Clean Energy, First and Second Senior Energy Officials’ Meeting, Working Group meeting on Energy Efficiency.

As an outcome of the above meetings, Indian Chairship has prepared three reports namely (i) BRICS Energy Report 2021 (ii) BRICS Energy Technology Report 2021 and (iii) BRICS Energy Research Directory 2021 in consultation with the member countries an in accordance with the Road map for BRICS energy cooperation up to 2025.

3. G20 (Group-20)

The G20, or Group of 20, is the main international forum for economic, financial and political cooperation: it addresses the major global challenges and seeks to generate public policies that resolve them. It is made up of the European Union and 19 countries: Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, United States, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, Russia, South Africa and Turkey. Together, the G20 members represent 80% of the global GDP, 60% of the world population and 75% of global exports.

In 2021, for the first time in G20 history, Italy is hosting the G20 Summit. Italy assumed the rotating Presidency of the G20 for the period of 1st December, 2020 to 30th November, 2021. The approach of the G20 Italian Presidency hinges around “3 Ps”: People, Planet, and Prosperity, underlining, at the same time, the strategic nexus between energy and climate sectors, to accelerate the clean energy transition and to halt the climate change The Energy Transition Working Group and the Climate Sustainability Working Group work side by side with an objective to capitalise on the clear synergies existing between the agendas of the two Working Groups, allowing for both common meetings and parallel streams The first meeting of the G20 ETWG-CSWG was held virtually on 22-23 March, 2021. The G20 presidency outlines priority areas and accordingly the Italian presidency has circulated the following Priority areas prior to the first meeting:

• Foster the role played by sustainable, resilient and smart cities, for a future with net-zero emissions
• Advance towards a sustainable and green recovery, seizing the opportunities offered by innovative energy technological solutions
• Make use of the opportunities offered by the COVID-19 crisis to accelerate the alignment of global capital flows towards a green transition and energy inclusivity

G20 Indonesia Presidency is eager to set its priorities through three pillars on global health, digital economic transformation, and energy transitions envisaging more actionable results. These intentions are translated from the Presidency's main theme "Recover Together, Recover Stronger." Energy transition pillars acknowledges several emerging and challenging situations. As the world is progressing towards a more sustainable mindset and behaviors in its development pathways, energy transitions play a key role for efforts in climate mitigation and reducing carbon emission. The international communities have also addressed larger attentions for scaling up clean power generation and energy efficiency to achieve sustainable recovery.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted a wide range of sectors and even caused the global economic recession, as well as shaking up the global energy market. The needs to accelerate the progress on global target of energy access, mainly clean cooking and electricity, always be in place. The pandemic also creates a massive setback to the progress made in achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda. The UN Tracking 5067 Report (2021) has predicted that global population without adequate access to clean cooking will rise to around 2.6 billion, while 750 million of people will be living without electricity, unless progressive policy actions are made to reverse it.

India holds the Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023. The G20 Presidency steers the G20 agenda for one year and hosts the Summit. The G20 consists of two parallel tracks: the Finance Track and the Sherpa Track. Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors lead the Finance Track while Sherpas lead the Sherpa Track. The G20 process from the Sherpa side is coordinated by the Sherpas of member countries, who are personal emissaries of the Leaders. Finance Track is led by Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the member countries. Within the two tracks, there are thematically oriented working groups in which representatives from the relevant ministries of the members as well as from invited/guest countries and various international organisations participate. The Finance Track is mainly led by the Ministry of Finance. These working groups meet regularly throughout the term of each Presidency. The Sherpas oversee negotiations over the course of the year, discussing agenda items for the Summit and coordinating the substantive work of the G20. In addition, there are Engagement Groups which bring together civil societies, parliamentarians, think tanks, women, youth, labour, businesses and researchers of the G20 countries. The Group does not have a permanent secretariat. The Presidency is supported by the Troika – previous, current and incoming Presidency. During India’s Presidency, the troika will comprise Indonesia, India and Brazil, respectively.

4. IEA (International Energy Agency)

The cooperation between India and the IEA intensified and broadened significantly as a result India’s participation in the IEA 2009 and 2011 Ministerial meeting, and the endorsement of a joint statement by the Ministry of power, Government of India and the International Energy Agency (IEA) on both occasions during the November 2013 IEA Ministerial meeting.

In March 2017, after a series of intensive consultations with all the relevant ministries, India joined the IEA as an Association country. This was a major milestone for global energy governance and another major step towards the IEA becoming a truly global energy organization and strengthening ties with the key energy players. Since then, Indian delegations have actively participated in IEA committees, meetings and workshops.

In India, the IEA has been a long-standing partner in enhancing energy efficiency since 2014. The IEA has established strong relationships with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. IEA’s Energy Efficiency work in India has been broad and has included research and development of roadmaps, conducting workshops, and capacity building of professionals.

Under the ‘Energy Efficiency for Emerging Economies’ collaboration programme, the IEA and BEE have initiated projects on:

1. Roadmap for Mainstreaming on Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings in India
2. Developing a Policy Package for Unlocking the Energy Efficiency Potential in MSME Segment of Textile Sector in India
3. The IEA and the BEE co-hosted the two webinars, one international and one national on Textile sector in India
4. The IEA and BEE convened the workshop on Action on transport urban infrastructure and impacts to support social and economic recovery in India

The IEA and BEE are working together to highlight the significant progress in energy efficiency achieved by India and to share best practices developed by India internationally. Economic Advisor of the Ministry of Power delivered a presentation on Indian energy efficiency successes at the IEA 2019 Global Conference on Energy Efficiency.

As part of the strong relationship between BEE and IEA, on Energy Efficiency, the Director General of BEE participated in the Global conferences on Energy Efficiency and Working Party Meeting on Energy Efficiency organized by IEA in 2020 and 2021.

India as the Co-lead for the SEAD initiative of CEM is also engaging with the IEA to develop the ladder approach for energy efficient appliances covered under the initiative. The IEA along with the UK partners are also working with the BEE to strengthen the UK’s CoP-26 initiative on Product Energy Efficiency.

5. United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life for themselves. It provides expert advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries. It promotes technical and investment cooperation among nations.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet's most pressing environmental problems. The GEF unites 183 countries in partnership with international institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the private sector to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives. An independently operating financial organization, the GEF provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, sustainable cities.

UNDP in co-ordination with BEE has received clearance for Work Program Inclusion and Project Preparation Grant Approval to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Secretariat against project proposal titled “Accelerating adoption of super-efficient technologies for sustainable thermal comfort in buildings in India” for the Project Identification Form (PIF) for consideration under GEF-7.

6. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)

UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

UNEP works on delivering transformational change for people and nature by drilling down on the root causes of the three planetary crises of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. UNEP employs seven interlinked subprogrammes for action: Climate Action, Chemicals and Pollutions Action, Nature Action, Science Policy, Environmental Governance, Finance and Economic Transformations and Digital Transformations. Through its campaigns, particularly World Environment Day, UNEP raises awareness and advocates for effective environmental action.

UNEP works closely with its 193 Member States and representatives from civil society, businesses, and other major groups and stakeholders to address environmental challenges through the UN Environment Assembly, the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. Under GEF- 8 replenishment cycle programming BEE, UNEP is working on project titled "Delivering Integrated Solutions to Transform India to Green Net Zero Emissions Buildings".

The Proposed project will build on further strengthening a number of efforts already ongoing in India and enable the scale of the efforts required from Building and construction sector. This includes:

• Scaling up the mandatory implementation and enforcement of Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017 and ECBC-R
• Expanding the Code to integrate efficient use of green material to reduce GHG emissions building on
  1. Efforts on a building material directory and developing more materials to reduce embedded carbon as well as reduce energy requirement for operating the building.
  2. Strengthening further the National Building Code 2016 guidance on sustainable material for building construction
• Creating capacities in Private sector to scale up Green Energy Efficiency buildings building on BEE’s Efforts of creating ESCO markets as well as in medium and large construction companies.
• Scaling up digitization of data to enable raise to the top among private sector