About Us – Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP)

A Global Commitment to Bioenergy

GBEP was established to implement the commitments taken by the G8 in the 2005 Gleneagles Plan of Action to support “biomass and biofuels deployment, particularly in developing countries where biomass use is prevalent”.

Following a consultation process among developing and developed countries, international agencies and the private sector, the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) was launched at the 14th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD- 14) in New York on 11 May 2006.

From 2006 to 2013 GBEP received a renewed mandate by the G8 and from 2013 to 2016 a recognition and support by the G20. The recent G20 Beijing Summit stated: “IRENA, together with interested G20 members and other organizations, such as IEA Bioenergy, should support implementation of the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) sustainability indicators and other actions and tools for expanding modern, reliable and sustainable use of bioenergy”. (G20 Voluntary Action Plan on Renewable Energy)

Purpose and Objectives

  • GBEP provides a forum to develop effective policy frameworks to:
  • Suggest rules and tools to promote sustainable biomass and bioenergy development;
  • Facilitate investments in bioenergy;
  • Promote project development and implementation;
  • Foster R&D and commercial bioenergy activities.

GBEP’s main functions are to:

  • Promote global high-level policy dialogue on bioenergy and facilitate international cooperation;
  • Support national and regional bioenergy policy-making and market development;
  • Favour the transformation of biomass use towards more efficient and sustainable practices; foster exchange of information, skills and technologies through bilateral and multilateral collaboration;
  • Facilitate bioenergy integration into energy markets by tackling specific barriers in the supply chain.

Partners and Membership

GBEP brings together public, private and civil society stakeholders.

GBEP Partners now comprise 23 countries and 14 international organizations and institutions: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Fiji, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Mauritania, Mexico, Netherlands, Paraguay, Russian Federation, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, United Kingdom, United States of America, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), European Commission, FAO, IDB, IEA, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), UNCTAD, UN/DESA, UNDP, UNEP,UNIDO, UN Foundation, World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE) and European Biomass Industry Association (EUBIA).

A further 28 countries and 12 international organizations and institutions are participating as Observers: Angola, Australia, Austria, Cambodia, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gambia, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malaysia, Morocco, Mozambique, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe, African Development Bank (AfDB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), European Environment Agency (EEA), Global Environment Facility (GEF), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Organization of American States (OAS), Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA), World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), World Bank and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Chair: Francesco La Camera, Director General, Ministry for the Environment Land and Sea, Italy.

Co-Chair: Reinaldo Salgado, Director General, Ministry of External Relations, Brazil.

The GBEP Secretariat, hosted at FAO Headquarters in Rome, is the coordinator of communications and activities.

Programme of work

The Partnership focuses its activities in three strategic areas: Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Food and Energy Security.

In line with GBEP’s Terms of Reference and the state of the international debate on bioenergy, GBEP Partners selected the following priority areas for the immediate programme of work:

Facilitate the sustainable development of bioenergy.

In December 2011 GBEP published its report on sustainability indicators for bioenergy, providing an invaluable resource in helping countries assess and develop sustainable production and use of bioenergy. The 24 relevant, practical, science-based, voluntary sustainability indicators and their respective methodology sheets are intended to guide any analysis undertaken of bioenergy at the domestic level with a view to informing decision making and facilitating the sustainable development of bioenergy and, accordingly, shall not be applied so as to limit trade in bioenergy in a manner inconsistent with multilateral trade obligations. The GBEP indicators are currently in the implementation phase. This report is the result of the work of the Task Force on Sustainability that GBEP established in June 2008 under the leadership initially of the United Kingdom and then (since November 2010) of Sweden.

Testing a common methodological framework on GHG emission reduction measurement from the use of bioenergy.

In January 2011 GBEP released the “GBEP Common Methodological Framework for GHG Lifecycle Analysis of Bioenergy – Version One” for the use of policy makers and stakeholders when assessing GHG emissions associated with bioenergy and to make GHG lifecycle analyses (LCAs) more transparent. This report is the result of the work of the Task Force on GHG methodologies that GBEP established in October 2007 under the joint leadership of the United States and the UN Foundation. The common methodological framework is in the implementation phase also through the GBEP’s online GHG LCA clearinghouse.

Facilitate capacity building for sustainable bioenergy

The GBEP Working Group on Capacity Building for Sustainable Bioenergy (Working Group) was established in May 2011 to promote the dissemination, use, and implementation of the outcomes of the GBEP Task Forces on GHG Methodologies and on Sustainability through activities and projects. It aims at raising awareness of the potential benefits of sustainable modern bioenergy through multiple means, including workshops, study tours, public forums and other ways to present sustainable practices and assess resources. The activities and projects developed within the Working Group are country driven.

Since its establishment the Working Group has been focusing on the followings:

Sustainable Modern Bioenergy in the ECOWAS region. Five forums were organized: in Bamako (Mali) to initiate a regional dialogue to support the development of regional and national bioenergy strategies; in Rome to discuss biomass resources assessment and mapping; in Brasilia to discuss agricultural productivity and feedstock conversion, in order to further facilitate effective policy planning for a sustainable bioenergy sector in the region; in Berlin to draw conclusions of this activity; and in Praia (November 2013) to present results of this activity and share them with ECOWAS regional experts. This activity supported the development of a Regional Strategy on Bioenergy that was adopted by ECOWAS Ministers of Energy at the end of 2012.

Raise awareness and share data and experience on the implementation of GBEPindicators. Three workshops were organized to share very interesting experiences and lessons learned from the pilot testing of the GBEP sustainability indicators in various countries. These events highlighted that the indicators are useful tools to catalyze flow of data from the bioenergy sector to research and government, which will then use it to develop policies to guide the industry practices. Further work is now foreseen to work on an “Implementation Guide” to improve the practicality of the indicators and related guidance for users.

Study Tour for Capacity Building. A Bioenergy Week was held in Brazil in 2013, in Africa in 2014 and in Indonesia in 2015, consisting in short training courses analyzing technical and public policy aspects of bioenergy development, in line with GBEP 24 indicators of sustainability. Experts from developing countries in the Americas, Africa and Asia had the opportunity to learn from positive experiences in the sustainable production and use of bioenergy that could guide the design and implementation of bioenergy policies in their countries. In 2016 the FourthBioenergy Week was organized in Budapest, Hungary (21-24 June 2016) to discussbioenergy priorities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This event alsorepresented an opportunity for participants from all over the world to continue dialogue with private sector and stakeholders on ways to improve mutual cooperation towards a more sustainable production and use of bioenergy.

Sustainable modern wood energy development, to discuss sustainable production and use of wood energy for household and productive local uses, primarily in developing countries. A report was developed to give an overview of the status ofwood energy development in developing countries. In 2015 GBEP organized a webinar to discuss about the main challenges to sustainably manage the energy sector in developing countries and share stories of success in coping with these challenges including technological advancements in the conversion of wood into charcoal, regulatory frameworks, and tax systems.

Discussions on capacity building and activities on bioenergy mapping. GBEPdiscussed about the role of mapping to collect relevant information for the measurement of the GBEP indicators and contributed to populating the IRENA GlobalBioenergy Atlas. A final report of this activity has been developed on this work. Bioenergy and Water. Established at the end of 2014, it is working to identify and disseminate ways of integrating bioenergy systems into agriculture and forestry landscapes to improve sustainable management of water resources. This includes sharing knowledge and experiences on best management practices as well as on policies and instruments supporting bioenergy implementation that contribute positively to the state of water.

Bioenergy and Water. Established at the end of 2014, it is working to identify and disseminate ways of integrating bioenergy systems into agriculture and forestry landscapes to improve sustainable management of water resources. This includes sharing knowledge and experiences on best management practices as well as policies and instruments supporting bioenergy implementation that contribute positively to the state of water.

Awareness raising and information management.

GBEP’s awareness-raising and information management activities seek to increase the understanding of issues related to bioenergy development by focusing on the following areas:

Development of GBEP’s information material and update of the GBEP website promote information sharing on bioenergy and on GBEP’s activities and program work;

Participation in relevant international conferences and meetings focused on energy, and organization of specific GBEP events;

Organization of an international media campaign to promote GBEP activities and ofthe extensive media coverage of the GBEP’s activities in print and online formats.

What Makes GBEP Unique

GBEP aims to make a unique contribution to the sustainable development of bioenergy through its focus and membership:

A specific focus on bioenergy as a key renewable energy source.

Improved coordination on bioenergy both across sectors and between public, private and civil society parties.

Facilitating the engagement of the private sector.

Focusing on developing countries, where biomass use is prevalent, and facilitate an exchange of experiences and technologies not only North-South, but also SouthSouth, South-North, and North-North.

Raising the visibility of bioenergy opportunities and issues at the international level and including bioenergy in relevant development initiatives.

Reflecting and supporting the strong political commitment to promote bioenergy.

Additionally, GBEP works in synergy with other relevant initiatives, including: Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GACC), Global Methane Initiative (GMI), International Biofuels Forum (IBF); International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy (IPHE); Mediterranean Renewable Energy Programme (MEDREP); Partners for Euro-African Green Energy (PANGEA); Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21); Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP); Roundtable on SustainableBiomaterials (RSB); UNCTAD BioFuels Initiative, and Bioenergy ImplementingAgreements and related tasks of the IEA.

GBEP Secretariat

The GBEP Secretariat, hosted at FAO Headquarters in Rome with the support of Italy, is the principal coordinator of the Partnership communications and activities.

GBEP Secretariat
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN Climate,
Energy and Tenure Division
Tel: +39 06 57052834
Fax: +39 06 57053369
Email: [email protected]
www.globalbioenergy.org