During the 4th Steering Committee held in Rome on Monday 12th November 2007, the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) welcomed Brazil and The Netherlands as new partners. GBEP brings together public decision-makers, representatives of the private sector and civil society as well as international agencies with expertise in bioenergy. Current partners are: Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States of America, FAO, IEA, UNCTAD, UNDESA, UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO, UN Foundation, World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE) and European Biomass Industry Association (EUBIA). Austria, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, the European Commission and the World Bank participated as observers in view of a formal membership.