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Professor Konrad Oswalder was appointed new Rector of United Nations University and will assume his position at the Tokyo Headquarter on September 1. More

The “Workshop for Decision Makers on Geothermal Projects in Central America” was held in San Salvador 26 November to 2 December 2006. It was co-hosted by UNU-GTP and LaGeo S.A de C.V. in El Salvador. The fifty participants came mainly from the four countries of Central America active in geothermal development, i.e. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Geothermal power stations provide about 12% of the total electricity generation of the four countries. Only a small portion of the geothermal resources in the region has been harnessed.

The Government of Iceland has secured core funding for the UNU-GTP to expand its capacity building activities by annual short courses/workshops in geothermal development in selected countries in Africa, Central-America and Asia. This is a contribution of the Government of Iceland towards the Millennium Development Goals of the UN.

The closing ceremony of the 28th annual session of the UNU-GTP was held on October 20th 2006. Twentyone UNU Fellows from 12 countries completed the traditional 6 month specialized courses. They came from Azerbaijan 1, China 2, Costa Rica 2, Indonesia 3, Iran 2, Kenya 2, Mongolia 2, Nicaragua 1, Philippines 2, Tanzania 1, Turkey 1 and Uganda 2.

The Government of Iceland has secured core funding for the UNU-GTP to expand its capacity building activities by annual short courses/workshops in geothermal development in selected countries in Africa (started in 2005), Central America (will start in 2006), and later in Asia (probably starting in 2007). The announcement on this was made at the International Conference for Renewable Energies held in Bonn (Germany) 1-4 June 2004. This is a contribution of the Government of Iceland towards the Millennium Development Goals of the UN.

The 28th annual session of the UNU-GTP opened in Reykjavik on 2nd May. Twenty one UNU Fellows from twelve countries participate in the six month specialized courses this year. They come from   Azerbajan 1, China 2, Costa Rica 2, Indonesia 3, Iran 2, Kenya 2, Mongolia 2, Nicaragua 1, Philippines 2, Tanzania 1, Turkey 1, and Uganda 2. They will be trained in: Geological Exploration 1, Borehole Geology 1, Geophysical Exploration 1, Reservoir Engineering 3, Chemistry of Thermal Fluids 6, Environmental Studies 3, and Geothermal Utilization 6.