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In a landmark event, UNIDO and Hydrogen Europe, the leading industry association representing the hydrogen sector, signed a Joint Declaration to strengthen the collaboration and accelerate the advancement of hydrogen technologies. The signing ceremony took place on 27 June 2023 before Hydrogen Europe’s General Assembly and Summer Market.The Joint Declaration signifies a new phase of cooperation between UNIDO and Hydrogen Europe within the framework of the UNIDO Global Programme for Hydrogen in Industry. Hydrogen Europe, with over 450 members, including more than 30 EU regions and 35 national associations, plays a pivotal role in promoting hydrogen as a catalyst for a zero-emission society. UNIDO provides support to its 171 Member States on three focus areas: ending hunger by helping businesses from farm to fork; stopping climate breakdown by using renewable energy and energy efficiency to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions; and supporting sustainable supply chains so that developing country producers get a fair deal and scarce resources are preserved. The UNIDO Global Programme for Hydrogen aims to provide crucial support to developing countries in their endeavours to achieve net-zero industrial development through the production and use of clean hydrogen. By doing so, the programme aims to create job opportunities, enhance skills, mobilize investments, ensure energy security, and enable the participation of developing countries in the global hydrogen trade. The expanded partnership outlined in the Joint Declaration encompasses various key areas, including:Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Building: UNIDO and Hydrogen Europe will foster collaboration on policies, technical skills, standards, and technologies to support clean hydrogen implementation in the industry. This exchange will enhance the understanding and utilization of hydrogen technologies within industrial processes.Promotion of Hydrogen Technologies: The collaboration aims to promote the adoption and deployment of hydrogen technologies across industrial sectors, unlocking their potential for sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions.Joint Events and Global Forum Activities: UNIDO and Hydrogen Europe will jointly organize events and participate in global forums to facilitate knowledge-sharing, discussion, and collaboration on hydrogen-related topics.Pilot Projects Development: The partnership will support the implementation of pilot projects in the industry, showcasing the feasibility and benefits of hydrogen adoption. Additionally, efforts will be made to facilitate the development of hydrogen industrial clusters and value chains.This partnership is set to leverage the vast network of knowledge, expertise, and resources of Hydrogen Europe, enabling UNIDO to access the latest developments, applications, and experiences related to hydrogen. Simultaneously, Hydrogen Europe will have the opportunity to collaborate on clean hydrogen projects in developing countries, contributing to the global transition towards sustainable and clean energy solutions.Both UNIDO and Hydrogen Europe are confident that this collaboration formalized through the signing of the Joint Declaration, will harvest significant benefits for the industry and society at large.

BAOTOU - The global transition towards cleaner energy sources has been gaining momentum, and the focus has shifted towards green hydrogen as a clean energy alternative. In this context, the construction of the International Hydrogen Energy Metallurgy and Chemical Demonstration Zone in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of sustainable and zero-carbon technologies.The project is led by the International Hydrogen Energy Centre (IHEC), supported by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and hosted by the Beijing Tsinghua Industrial Research and Development Institute (TIDRI) and the Chinese metal manufacturer, the Mintal Group.Ammonia is produced in vast quantities worldwide for agricultural fertilizers. However the traditional production method uses natural gas or other fossil fuels to provide both the hydrogen feedstock and the energy to power the synthesis process. As a result, ammonia production releases almost 1.5% of global CO₂ emissions. Reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced during the ammonia manufacturing process is therefore critical to achieve net-zero targets by 2050.The best way to reduce carbon emissions when making ammonia is to use green hydrogen, which is hydrogen produced via water electrolysis using renewable electricity.In its first phase, the IHEC project will build a 1.5GW wind power farm to produce green hydrogen for green ammonia synthesis. The first batch of 390,000 tonnes of green ammonia per year is set to be supplied in early 2025.On 15 April, the day before the ground-breaking ceremony marking the start of construction of the industrial zone, nearly 200 representatives of stakeholders from different regions, countries and industries attended the China-Europe Hydrogen Energy Industry Forum in Baotou. At the event, organized by the IHEC, participants discussed the role of hydrogen in the clean energy transition and the potential for cooperation between China and Europe.

TUNIS - More than 80 Tunisian and Austrian stakeholders, with 30 percent of women representation, gathered in a technical workshop on green hydrogen and water-related impacts. The event was co-organized by UNIDO in cooperation with the Austrian Ministry of Climate Action (BMK) to discuss future collaboration and projects in hydrogen between Tunisia and Austria. As with other European countries with a strong industrial sector, Austria is prepared to invest in cutting-edge and climate-neutral technologies for green steel and chemicals, and to minimize their carbon footprint. Achieving decarbonization objectives require vast quantities of green hydrogen and green electricity, which requires large investments, along with the development of transport infrastructure/trade corridors and collaborative partnerships. Specifics of the Austrian hydrogen strategy and climate commitments were presented by a representative of the BMK. Whereas, the Tunisian strategy, currently under development was introduced by a representative of the Tunisian Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy who stressed challenges, such as water scarcity in Tunisia.Tunisia's strategic geographic location, vast renewable energy potential, and stable political situation are excellent conditions for the country to become a producer of green hydrogen, both for internal and external markets. Green hydrogen production can help decarbonize Tunisian metallurgical, ceramic and glass sectors; and create new sustainable industries such as fertilizers based on green ammonia. It also has the potential to become a catalyst to meet Central Europe's, including Austria's hydrogen needs across industries, transportation, and energy. Participants discussed that the current gas corridor between North Africa and Southern Europe can be repurposed to transport large quantities of cost-competitive green hydrogen from Tunisia through Italy to central Europe, including Austria leveraging existing gas infrastructure.The discussions pointed out that:It is fundamental to take into consideration and understand how green hydrogen can be integrated into the country’s renewable energy portfolio and be deployed in industries. Green hydrogen production should not absorb renewable electricity capacities, thereby, decelerating domestic energy transition.Green hydrogen market development opens new opportunities for developed and developing countries. To succeed, the existing market barriers must be addressed. These include the lack of coordination, skills and competencies, financing and investment mechanisms, policies, and regulations.

VIENNA, 21 November 2022 – During the fiftieth session of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s Industrial Development Board (IDB), guest speakers addressed representatives of Member States at a special event, Industrial Policy for the Energy Transition.The session focused on two key questions: First, how can industrial policy be used as a tool to maximize the gains from the energy transition and minimize the risks? And second, what sorts of industrial policy cooperation and coordination across countries are necessary to achieve global targets?In his introductory remarks, UNIDO Director General, Gerd Müller, who had just returned from the COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, declared that a just and clean energy transition is an imperative for addressing climate change. He also stressed the need to decouple economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, indicating that to achieve this “we need to use all relevant technologies”.Müller said that a massive investment in renewable energy is required to drive sustainable industrial development and highlighted the potential of green hydrogen as the future fuel. While countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia have great opportunities to develop green hydrogen production, UNIDO’s key message is “value creation must be kept in the producing countries for investment in industrialization”. He added, “We must create green hydrogen trade corridors and fair value chains between the developing market economies and the industrialized countries.”Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), described the interlinkages between energy planning and industrial policy, with a focus on the role of nuclear energy and what it means for international development. He said, “We need to create the necessary tools in action so that the [energy] transition is virtuous. Nuclear energy accounts for twenty-five percent of the clean energy produced today worldwide.” He noted the importance of capacity building and instruments to help countries prepare for various technologies.  Christina Duarte, Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General, highlighted that energy access is essential to accelerate economic transformation and industrialization in Africa. She emphasized opportunities for the development of continent-wide value chains, particularly in view of the critical mineral assets that the continent sits on and that are essential for the energy transition. She added that “it would be impossible for Africa to compete in international markets without affordable and accessible energy”.The keynote speaker, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, Centre for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, assessed the interplay of industrial policy and energy systems in time of transition. He argued that roadmaps are the most important tool that countries should have, adding that currently there is a lack of clarity on how countries plan to reach net zero. Sachs stressed that “governments need to plan with a 25-year horizon and they need to plan with their neighbours”.In the subsequent discussion, ambassadorial-level officials from the regional groups, including Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia, contributed their ideas about the major challenges and opportunities from the energy transition for industrial development.Rana Ghoneim, UNIDO’s chief of the Energy Systems and Industrial Decarbonization Unit, who moderated the discussion, concluded by emphasizing the need for integrated policymaking to tackle our climate and development challenges. She also called on Member States to share lessons learned and best practices from their own transition.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), together with the COP27 Presidency, hosted a special evening event to highlight the potential of green hydrogen, and to convey UNIDO's central message: progress by innovation.The evening began with an overview of the long history of energy development and its impact on the African continent. A selection of videos and interactions with the audience provided a relaxing atmosphere at the end of an eventful day at COP27.The notion that combatting climate change should be done in a cooperative manner was a recurring theme throughout the evening.Opening the event, Gerd Müller, Director General of UNIDO, said, "Today we need action, concrete solutions, implementation and solidarity."

SHARM EL-SHEIKH – UNIDO Director General, Gerd Müller, took part in the “Investing in the Future of Energy: Green Hydrogen” high-level roundtable at COP27, co-chaired by Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Arab Republic of Egypt, and Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany.The roundtable focused on ways to enhance investments in the field of green hydrogen to confront climate change and activate the role of the private sector.In his opening remarks, President El-Sisi stressed, “Green hydrogen represents a real opportunity for economic development that is compatible with efforts to confront climate change and with the Paris Agreement goals.”In his statement, Chancellor Scholz said “Green hydrogen is the key to decarbonizing our economies, especially for hard-to-electrify sectors such as steel production, the chemical industry, heavy shipping and aviation.”There was a major announcement with President El-Sisi, and Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium, launching the Global Renewable Hydrogen Forum. The Forum is billed as a multi-stakeholder public-private platform to facilitate the use of renewable hydrogen to foster the decarbonization of industries and accelerate a just transition, and to identify the best instruments to enable the cross-border trade of renewable hydrogen between renewables-rich developing countries and developed countries.UNIDO’s Gerd Müller welcomed the founding of the Forum, describing it as a global platform to exchange knowledge and technology. He said, “We need it worldwide, not in the European Union. And we need it to define a global framework…UNIDO is the industrial agency and partner for Egypt and Europe to implement this multi-stakeholder platform designed to facilitate large-scale deployments of renewable hydrogen.”Müller concluded, “Our common goal must be to make sure developing countries and emerging economies have access to the benefits of green hydrogen.”

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, 8 November 2022 – Francesco La Camera, Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and Gerd Müller, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), have signed a joint declaration on advancing sustainable energy through the fundamental role of green hydrogen.In their statement made at the UN Climate Change Conference COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, both organizations’ heads declared they would jointly advance the transition towards sustainable energy through green hydrogen in pursuit of access to energy, energy security and economic development.Furthermore, IRENA and UNIDO intend to leverage international cooperation as an enabling platform to facilitate investment, policies and clean technology to accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

1. ABOUT THE EVENTThe special evening event “Future Energy – Green Hydrogen” will bring together representatives and experts from developing and developed countries to discuss future energy concepts in a creative atmosphere, visualizing the potential of green hydrogen.Organizers: UNIDO in cooperation with the Egyptian COP 27 Presidency and partners (see below) 2. TARGET AUDIENCEPolicymakersDelegates of UNFCCC COP27Representatives of international organizationsCEOs/heads of private sector and finance companiesAcademiaRepresentatives of civil society3. AGENDAOpening by high-level representatives from the Government of Egypt and UNIDO Director GeneralFuture Energy – Green HydrogenWe only have one planet!The voice of future generations4. LIVESTREAMINGThe event will be livestreamed via YouTube on 9 November 2022 at 19:00 -20:00 (UTC +2)