GBEP partners and observers take stock of progress and set new priorities for advancing sustainable bioenergy
ROME, Italy – Partner and observer countries and organizations of the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) convened at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters earlier this month to review the progress of GBEP’s initiatives and assess its impact.
The meetings also focused on strategizing for the coming biennium, with an emphasis on strengthening capacity-building efforts, refining key activity groups, and advancing sustainable bioenergy as a key element of global energy transitions and the bioeconomy.
"Over the past 18 years, GBEP has become a critical platform for countries, organizations, and the private sector to collaborate, exchange knowledge, and ensure the sustainability of the bioenergy sector," said Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Environment at FAO, during GBEP’s 30th Steering Committee Meeting. "As the world intensifies its efforts toward low-carbon energy systems, GBEP’s role is more important than ever.
Key milestones in 2024
This year, GBEP marked several significant achievements in its ongoing work to promote sustainable bioenergy. Notably, the 11th GBEP Bioenergy Week, which brought together over 120 stakeholders at FAO’s headquarters, featured dynamic sessions on the intersection of bioenergy with science, policy, the bioeconomy, and climate change mitigation. The event also included a Youth Day, where over 90 young participants engaged in interactive sessions on bioenergy topics, organized thanks to the involvement of 13 external partners, including research institutes, NGOs and international organizations. The Joint Statement on Sustainable Bioenergy for Climate and Development Goals was launched at the event. The Joint Statement, coordinated by GBEP and endorsed by major international organizations working on energy, advocates for sustainable bioenergy while addressing potential risks, such as impacts on food security and ecosystems, and calling for effective governance and evidence-based assessments to manage such challenges.
Another major achievement of 2024 was the collaboration with FAO statistics division that led to the launch of the FAOSTAT Bioenergy domain, a comprehensive database on global bioenergy production and consumption.
The new Rapid Implementation Framework (RIF) online tool, developed in collaboration with the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) is also in the finalization stage. This tool aims to simplify the implementation of GBEP’s Sustainability Indicators by automating data display and helping users prioritize specific indicators.
GBEP hosted two stakeholder dialogues in Rwanda and Uganda as part of the USDA-FAS-funded project, focusing on bioethanol’s role in clean cooking and improving energy access in Africa and Asia.
GBEP partnership expanded to include Uganda and Moldova as observers. To date, GBEP has 39 partners (23 countries and 16 international organizations) and 53 observers (35 countries and 18 international organizations and institutions). As observers, countries can leverage the Partnership's technical resources, participate in knowledge exchanges, and collaborate on projects to implement sustainable bioenergy practices, enhance energy security, and integrate bioenergy into national policies.
In 2024, GBEP contributed to several key international events shaping bioenergy policies, including the 14th Session of the IRENA Assembly, IEA Bioenergy ExCo meetings, the BBEST-IEA Bioenergy Conference, the European Pellet Conference and the European Biomethane Week.
Priorities for 2025 and beyond
During the three-day technical meetings, partners and observers discussed the opportunity to develop a guidance document on the use of GBEP’s Sustainability Indicators (GSIs) for bioenergy in the context of the broader bioeconomy. This is in acknowledgement of the fact that, not only can the analysis of the sustainability of bioenergy provide information about bioeconomy sustainability, but to fully understand the sustainability of bioenergy, we must consider broader system boundaries that take into account related bioeconomy processes.
GBEP outlined a series of plans for its work over the next few years. A major highlight is the 12th GBEP Bioenergy Week, scheduled for July 2025 in Uganda, which will put special focus on clean cooking and youth involvement.
Upcoming activities include webinars, workshops and other awareness-raising events to share knowledge and engage with a wider audience on bioenergy issues. Collaboration across partners and observers remains a core component of GBEP’s strategy to raise awareness, share knowledge and best practices on sustainable bioenergy, foster its adoption for climate change mitigation and sustainable development, enhance GBEP visibility and reach more stakeholders.
GBEP’s programme of work for the upcoming biennium will be finalized in December 2024 and will continue to focus on key topics vital to the sustainable development of bioenergy. The activities will span areas such as sustainable bioenergy production, biogas and biomethane, sustainable modern wood energy development, sustainable liquid biofuels, the integration of bioenergy within the broader bioeconomy, and clean cooking. These efforts aim to address emerging challenges and opportunities, including advancing technical cooperation, refining sustainability indicators, and fostering innovation to align bioenergy practices with global sustainability and climate goals.
Argentina and Italy will continue their roles as co-chairs of Partnership, alongside FAO which hosts the GBEP Secretariat.