The intergovernmental process and the JPOI of WSSD reconfirmed the role of the CSD as the high-level forum for sustainable development within the UN system. It was decided that the CSD should address energy for sustainable development and climate change as part of its thematic cluster during its two-year cycle from 2006-2007, i.e. CSD-14/15. The first year - with the CSD-14 review session in May 2006 in New York - was conceived to review progress in preparation of the CSD-15 policy session, held in 2007.

During the first segment of the CSD-14 conference, the participating groups lead thematic and regional discussions on the progress on the implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) and other agreements. According to paragraph 7 of the Chairman's Summary of part 1 "the importance of an integrated but balanced consideration of the issues was recognized by all delegations". Energy was the major overarching issue which penetrated all the discussions, also those in the other areas: industrial development, air pollution/atmosphere and climate change.

The discussions in the second part, the high-level segment, of CSD-14 are captured in the Chairman's Summary of part 2. The cross-cutting importance of energy remained evident during the high-level segment, too.

Renewable energy was very frequently mentioned as an option for a number of objectives like energy access, energy security, clean energy, industrial development and climate change mitigation. It was recognized that renewable energy had come a long way since CSD-9 and WSSD in 2002, and had become a significant source of energy, in particular for electricity supply, transport, and buildings.

Relatively much emphasis was laid on energy efficiency, too, as well as on some non-renewable energy supply options. With respect to traditional household fuel, improved stoves and modern energy received much attenion over concerns about unhealthy air pollution and the burden for women and children collecting scarce firewood. Further technological development of cleaner energy was considered the task of the industrialised countries, while financing mechanisms (inlcuding ODA and CDM), technology transfer measures, and capacity building was demanded for developing economies. The importance of the private sector and civil society, including partnerships, was recognised thoughout the discussions.

Looking ahead to commitments for the policy year, the Chairman's summary remained rather short. Among the challenges, it mentions in paragraph 35(p) the need to consider "effective follow-up of the thematic issues discussed at CSD-14".

REN21 - registered as a UN partnership - contributed with preliminary results of the International Action Programme (IAP) of the Bonn RE Conference, and its Global Status Report. The IAP follow-up undertaken by REN21 and presented at a side event, served as an example for reporting on self-imposed commitments, which can be a way to achieve progress by sidestepping the barriers that more binding agreements often face in particular, if they are followed by a monitoring and reporting process, whose feasibility was demonstrated.

The REN21 Steering Committe agreed on a common position in order to take forward a coherent message for a suitable review arrangement to CSD-14/15. Based on this, REN21 offered to cooperate with UN-DESA and other partners to review progress made, as called for in the Beijing Declaration.

In preparation to the CSD-15, REN21 together with REEEP the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership, GVEP the Global Village Energy Partnership, JREC the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition, MEDREP the Mediterranean Renewable Energy Programme and GBEP the Global Bio-Energy Partnership wrote a joint letter in response to UNDESA's  call for major group’s inputs to the Secretary-General’s reports for CSD-15, evidencing the high degree of co-operation between the partnerships. Among others, the partnerships underlined the need for a solid mechanism to follow up the implementation of the energy elements of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and any further commitments that would emerge from CSD-15.

The policy session of CSD-15 in May 2007 proved to be a sobering reminder that fundamental disagreements exist between states on the nature, scope and ambition of the sustainable development agenda, particularly regarding energy and climate change. On the afternoon of the last day of the sessions, the Chair presented a compromise document and offered it on a "take it or leave it" basis. After rather short consultations, the delegations from the European Union and Switzerland refused to sign the document - on the grounds of its too weak message - leaving the conference without a negotiated outcome. The Chairman's Summary gives an account of the status of the negotiations during the final moments and presents his compromise proposal.

REN21 was present at CSD-15 as well as in the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting in March 2007 with a high level side event and a technical side event on Benefitting from Renewables: Investment and Deplyoment