Abstract: . . .  regional programmes have also been established to promote renewable energy in developing countries. In 1995, for example, with the signing of the Barcelona Declaration, the EU 24 The shared principles that underpin the Charter Treaty are non-discrimination, transparency and a commitment to the progressive liberalisation of international trade. The 1998 Trade Amendment expanded the Treaty’s scope to cover trade in energy-related equipment, and set out a mechanism for introducing in the future a legally-binding stand-still agreement on customs duties and charges for energy-related imports and exports. 39 . . .
. . .  exports. 39 COM/ENV/TD(2005)23/FINAL entered into wide-ranging partnership with its Southern and Eastern Mediterranean counterparts (Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey) aimed at establishing a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area by 2010. Co-operation in the field of energy lies at the heart of the economic partnership. Among the energy priorities for the period 2003-2006 is promoting the potential of renewable energy sources. In the Americas, the Renewable Energy in the Americas (REIA) initiative, supported by the . . .
. . .  world to identify areas of renewable energy potential. A specific bio-energy tool, RETScreen (developed in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada), provides data on renewable energy. • • • The World Bank Group (including the International Finance Corporation), finances a significant number of renewable-energy projects throughout the developing world, sometimes with private sector cofinancing. It, together with the United Nations Development Program and UNEP form the three implementing agencies of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), the largest source of funds for renewable energy in . . .
. . .  bring together disparate sources of information on biomass energy globally and mobilise existing technologies. A meeting will be convened in Rome later in 2005 to elaborate ideas for the Action Plan. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): UNCTAD has identified renewable energy products, including bio-fuels, as among the new and dynamic sectors of world trade. It hosted an Expert Meeting on New and Dynamic Sectors from 7 to 9 February 2005 in Geneva, devoting one of the days to renewables. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE): The UN-ECE’s Committee on Sustainable . . .
. . .  of renewable energy sources. In the Americas, the Renewable Energy in the Americas (REIA) initiative, supported by the Office of Sustainable Development and Environment of the Organization of American States (OSDE/OAS), has since 1992 facilitated long-term hemispheric cooperation in renewable energy and energy efficiency. 40  . . .
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