About UN ECE
UNECE's major aim is to promote pan-European economic integration. UNECE includes 56 member States in Europe, North America and Asia. However, all interested United Nations member States may participate in the work of UNECE. Over 70 international professional organizations and other non-governmental organizations take part in UNECE activities.Activities by UN ECE
UN-Energy joint action on Digitalization
Global Belgium
Digitalization is a key enabler of the sustainable energy transition and a critical accelerator of progress toward ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. As a cross-cutting enabler, digitalization reshapes how energy systems are planned, operated and governed, alongside advancing inclusion, resilience, and accountability. The transformation is evident across three key, interrelated dimensions:
1. Systemic change: Digital technologies enable real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and increased systems durability, decentralised energy management, and integrated planning, including of hybrid systems and low-emissions mini-grids. These applications reduce energy losses, enhance reliability, and improve access and affordability of energy services. Particularly in areas where access to basic energy services is limited, the application of digital technologies enables collecting energy data, establishing baselines, optimizing energy solutions and minimizing adverse environmental, health, and financial consequences from indoor air pollution to stranded infrastructure, tracking energy consumption patterns, and supporting energy-efficient behaviours, and eventually of the energy sector.
2. Evidence-based policymaking: Enhanced availability of high-quality, real-time data and reliable and accessible online data monitoring platforms (Dashboards), enables policymakers to plan, implement, and track policy interventions more effectively. Digitalization also strengthens coordination across sectors, increases transparency, and supports investment by building trust and accountability.
3. Governance frameworks: Digitalization, and its evolution into a digital transformation, opens avenues for participatory governance, integrated service delivery, and institutional strengthening, scaling-up capacity-building programmes and deployment of successful projects. Robust digital governance facilitates harmonised data collection and management, and ensures long-term sustainability and equitable outcomes, anchored in principles of cybersecurity, data privacy, and interoperability.
To unlock the full potential of digitalization, it must be systematically integrated into national energy strategies, supported by regulatory innovation, investment in digital infrastructure, and development of human and technical capacity. UN-Energy will help reduce fragmentation by mapping current efforts, identifying common priorities, convening partners and supporting practical guidance, peer learning and capacity-building for inclusive and resilient digital transformation.
Development of recommendations for global Automated Driving System safety requirements, including methods for scenario generation and verifiable criteria, covering the corresponding principles.
Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States CanadaChinaGermanyJapanThis project developed and submitted recommendations for global Automated Driving System (ADS) safety requirements. Experts considered specific definitions and industry use cases, and adopted initial considerations on Artificial Intelligence in the context of road vehicles.
Activity Type Research/Reports/AssessmentsPolicy/Regulatory GuidanceNetworks/Mentorship/ExchangeReadiness for implementation of advanced metering infrastructure and building energy management systems in public buildings in selected countries of South-Eastern Europe. Technical and governance assessment for Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia
Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States Bosnia and HerzegovinaNorth MacedoniaThis report - under UNECE Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation - presents a comprehensive assessment of the governance, policy, and technical readiness of Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia for the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure and building management systems in public buildings. It evaluates the alignment of national legislation with the evolving European Union Energy Acquis, the maturity of institutional frameworks, and the capacity of existing energy management information systems to transition from manual reporting toward automated, real‑time digital energy management. Through comparative analysis, the study identifies key gaps, including legal fragmentation, data interoperability challenges, and uneven technical capacity, and outlines actionable recommendations to support the modernization of public‑sector energy governance. The report aims to provide policymakers, regulators, and development partners with a clear roadmap to accelerate digitalization, strengthen energy efficiency, and advance decarbonization across the public building stock in South‑Eastern Europe.
Activity Type Technical AssistancePolicy/Regulatory GuidanceRegulatory compliance of products with embedded artificial intelligence or other digital technologies
Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States Not ApplicableThis project has developed guidance based on its Recommendation L, which proposes a policy framework document to encourage harmonization of technical regulations through a voluntary mechanism called a common regulatory arrangement (CRA). The project has delivered a White Paper with base principles and the final CRA and Declaration.
Activity Type Research/Reports/AssessmentsPolicy/Regulatory GuidanceAwareness/AdvocacyNetworks/Mentorship/Exchange