News

Brussels: During the European Hydrogen Week, UNIDO and Clean Hydrogen Mission of Mission Innovation signed a Joint Declaration to strengthen collaboration in advancing hydrogen technologies and solutions. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:✅ 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 & 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 – Identifying and promoting cutting-edge hydrogen technologies.✅ 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 – Enhancing dialogues between hydrogen pioneer countries and developing countries.✅ 𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 – Creating training materials and organising joint webinars.✅ 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 & 𝑷𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 – Supporting enabling regulatory frameworks. ✅ 𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑹𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 – Disseminating knowledge on clean hydrogen and its application in hard-to-abate industries in emerging economies.✅ 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 – Sharing expertise on financing mechanisms and internationally funded technical assistance/innovation initiatives.By fostering the dissemination of innovations to developing countries and economies in transition, the cooperation aims to make clean hydrogen solutions more accessible and scalable—driving sustainable industrial development while aligning efforts with global climate goals.The declaration was signed on behalf of UNIDO by Christophe Yvetot and on behalf of Mission Innovation by Piero Venturi. 

We are committed to empowering partner countries to leverage green hydrogen and ammonia for sustainable industrial development - including the fertiliser industry.At the World Without Hunger Conference in Addis Ababa (November 5-7, 2024), our team hosted a side event on green ammonia and low-carbon fertilizers, highlighting the critical role of sustainable agriculture in ensuring food security across Africa.Our work includes green ammonia training sessions (for example, this year, we organized training with Groupe Chimique Tunisien in Gabès) and a planned study to assess the economic viability and industrial potential of green ammonia and low-carbon fertilizers across the African continent. These efforts are part of our broader mission to support clean hydrogen application in industry.Why Low-Carbon Fertilizer Can Be A Game-Changer:60% of Africa's population relies on agriculture, so affordable fertilizers are crucial for food security.Fertilizer production accounts for up to 2% of global GHG emissions; green ammonia can reduce these by around 90%.Africa faces a 5-million-metric-ton fertilizer shortfall annually; localized green ammonia can help bridge this gap sustainably.What We Can Achieve:Low-Carbon Fertilizer Production: Helping reduce agriculture's carbon footprint by advancing green ammonia from renewable sources.Supporting Local Industrialization: Empowering partner countries to develop their own fertilizer industries, reducing import dependency and promoting sustainable agriculture.Strengthening Food Security: Integrating green ammonia strengthens food systems and boosts low-carbon agriculture.One notable partnership is our collaboration with the Daures Green Hydrogen Village in Namibia, a pilot project focused on green ammonia and low-carbon fertilizers, demonstrating local application potential and scalability.UNIDO also envisages working closely with Moroccan fertilizer producer OCP Group to explore green ammonia and low-carbon fertilizer solutions.With these ongoing efforts and future initiatives, UNIDO's Global Programme for Hydrogen in Industry can help pave the way for low-carbon fertilizer and more climate-friendly agriculture across Africa.  We recently launched our Clean Hydrogen Solution page: Green Ammonia for Low Carbon Fertilizer | UNIDO

Rabat: The official launch of our Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Project marks a significant milestone in Morocco’s journey toward a sustainable, low-carbon future. This UNIDO's initiative aims to accelerate Morocco’s transition to green hydrogen, with a particular focus on decarbonizing the steel industry—a critical sector in the country’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45.5% by 2030, as outlined in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).The project aligns with Morocco’s Green Hydrogen Roadmap and broader national strategies, positioning the country as a future leader in the global green hydrogen market.As part of the launch, the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development of Morocco and UNIDO hosted the workshop “Developing an Industrial Policy for Green Hydrogen in Morocco” with participation from key national stakeholders.The first session introduced UNIDO’s Policy Toolkit, emphasizing downstream market creation strategies linked to the new “Morocco Offer.” Discussions explored policy options to strengthen Morocco’s green hydrogen value chain, including investment, demand creation, and infrastructure development.The second session focused on the GCF project’s studies on green hydrogen application in Morocco’s steel industry, providing a platform for stakeholders to share insights on existing policies and identify development opportunities.Following the workshop, the first Steering Committee meeting was convened. The Committee approved the project’s work plan, laying a solid foundation for the next steps in implementation. Discussions underscored the importance of coordinated efforts among all partners to advance Morocco's green hydrogen ambitions. 

Foz do Iguaçu, 3 October 2024 - The Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and the United Kingdom’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) jointly launched a public Call to identify proposals for Brazilian low-carbon industrial-hydrogen cluster projects.Brazilian companies and private sector organizations can submit their proposals for innovative low-carbon hydrogen projects to support the next phase of Brazil's National Hydrogen Strategy, accelerate industrial decarbonization and support the delivery of Brazil’s national climate and Energy Transition goals.This Expression of Interest is being supported by the Brazil-UK Hydrogen Hub (H2 Hub) – a sector-specific country platform launched in 2023 at COP28 whose secretariat is coordinated by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Read the official Press Release here: Brazil-UK Partnership Launches Call for Brazilian Low Emission Industrial-Hydrogen Clusters | UNIDO 

At the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam, UNIDO signed a Joint Declaration with IPHE (International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy). This declaration reaffirms the two organizations' commitment to collaborate to enhance hydrogen uptake, particularly in industry across developing and transitioning economies. The collaboration focuses on several key areas:✅ Awareness and Capacity Building: Boosting awareness and building skills in hydrogen use across industry, transport, and energy sectors.✅SDG Roadmap for Hydrogen: Using the SDG Roadmap to enhance the hydrogen economy's social value.✅Promotion of Hydrogen Technologies: Collaboratively promoting hydrogen technologies across various sectors.✅Pilot Projects and Industrial Decarbonization: Supporting pilot projects and facilitating hydrogen industrial cluster development to advance decarbonization.We are looking forward to our long-term cooperation!

UNIDO’s ‘Global Clean Hydrogen Programme’ (link) for 14.9 million USD and 141.5 million USD co-financing was approved in early February 2024 during the 66th GEF Council Meeting under the GEF-8 funding cycle. This follows shortly after another UNIDO project was approved under GEF-8 for ‘Green Hydrogen Energy Application Project’ (link) in China for $17.8 million USD and $178.6 million USD co-financing. Both projects are envisaged to mobilize further funds and public-private partnerships.Both the Global Clean Hydrogen Programme and the Green Hydrogen Energy Application Project fall under the UNIDO’s umbrella hydrogen initiative, the Global Programme for Hydrogen in Industry, which assists developing countries and transition economies in overcoming identified barriers in order to accelerate the local uptake of clean hydrogen for a low-carbon industrialization and encourage a just hydrogen transition.Over its five-year plan, the Global Clean Hydrogen Programme will enhance national institutional capacities, create enabling policy frameworks, improve technological readiness through capacity building, promote innovation, and design financial mechanisms and risk mitigation strategies. At the global level, the programme will foster collective learning through knowledge creation, sharing and exchange of good practices on clean hydrogen production and application. Country-specific technical assistance focusing on green hydrogen industrial clusters will be tailored and nationally implemented in Algeria, Ecuador, Egypt, Malaysia, Namibia, Nigeria, the Philippines, and South Africa. UNIDO will cooperate with further countries and invite them to join the programme.The ‘GEF-8 Green Hydrogen Energy Application Project’ in China will catalyse green hydrogen production and utilization with the goal of supporting the energy transition in Ningdong, Dalian and Shenyang. The project will develop policies, standards, regulations, and an information platform to promote a green hydrogen integrated supply chain as well as the demonstration of green hydrogen applied to industries and heavy-duty trucks. The project will also promote capacity building, knowledge dissemination and international cooperation. In its five-year lifetime, the project aims to mitigate 147 million tonnes of CO2 and benefit 50,000 local inhabitants in terms of green job creation.Through such programmes, UNIDO will further cooperate with key hydrogen stakeholders such as the European Commission, the World Bank, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and development finance institutions to leverage diverse resources, expertise, and convene key global stakeholders to upscale the hydrogen economy in developing countries and transition economies and accelerate hydrogen uptake at global level.

Our UNIDO team concluded a mission to South Africa, marking the launch of the two-year Green Climate Fund Readiness Programme. During the mission, the team engaged with key stakeholders to support South Africa in strengthening its institutional capacity for coordinating green hydrogen initiatives outlined in the Hydrogen Society Roadmap.Key Programme Partners:Department of Science and Innovation of South AfricaDepartment of Forestry, Fisheries and the EnvironmentDepartment of Trade, Industry and Competition 

On the way towards an inclusive and sustainable green hydrogen transition, countries face numerous challenges: they lack strategies, regulatory frameworks, investment incentives, know-how and more. Sound policymaking will be key to realizing green hydrogen’s potential, yet guidance on adequate measures is scarce.Based on their institutional mandates to promote the widespread and sustainable use of clean energy worldwide for inclusive and sustainable industrialization and the global common good, UNIDO, IRENA, and IDOS have contributed their own specific expertise to co-author a policy report titled, Green hydrogen for Sustainable Industrial Development: A Policy Toolkit for Developing Countries.This comprehensive publication is the first to encompass the entire green hydrogen value chain - including backward linkages, production and end-use - with a specific focus on developing countries. It highlights green hydrogen's transformative potential, offers strategic guidance for equitable benefits distribution, and includes detailed policy sheets that outline the policy options to this end.The report challenges the conventional view of green hydrogen as primarily an export commodity from countries rich in renewables but lacking in industrial power. Instead, the focus is shifted to the potential of green hydrogen to drive economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social progress within these countries in order to ensure the distribution of potential benefits in the most equitable manner.“An essential prerequisite to the global scale up of green hydrogen uptake is the development of the necessary policy and legal frameworks and coordinating international standards. Without regulatory clarity, green hydrogen projects are unable to move forward as they cannot plan or assess risk. This toolkit aims to guide policymakers in developing a regulatory environment that enables green hydrogen production,” wrote Gerd Müller, Director General of UNIDO, Francisco La Camera, Director General of IRENA and Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Director of IDOS, in their joint foreword.The Toolkit equips policymakers with the latest strategies, challenges, and solutions for creating a local value chain around green hydrogen production. The report can be downloaded here.