Energy policy and climate change have become more and more interconnected issues during the past years for both industrialized and developing countries. Industrialized countries need renewable energies (RES) to improve security of supply, reduce green gas emissions and benefit national competitiveness. For developing countries, renewable energies are the best opportunity to leapfrog to sustainable development in term of both technological development as climate change strategy. RES represent an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and to strengthen people’s development, self-empowering and well-being. The goal of this article is to analyse the Technology Mechanism (TM) established under UNFCCC in COP16 in Cancun 2011, to highlight the process behind its conception, its current status of implementation, its efficacy in fostering renewable energies and the way forward according to the Paris Agreement of COP21. TM is organized in two branches; the Technology Executive Committee (TEC), responsible for setting the strategies and the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) for the implementation of specific mitigation and adaptation projects in developing countries. The Technology Mechanism represents a discontinuity in the traditional way of conceiving cooperation towards developing countries as it acts as “a ‘dynamic’ arrangement geared towards fostering public-private partnerships; promoting innovation; catalysing the use of technology road maps or action plans; mobilizing national, regional and international technology centres and network; and facilitating joint R&D activities” on a “Country-driven basis” (http://unfccc.int/focus/technology/items/7000.php). Moreover, after analysing the main characteristics of the CTCN projects implemented so far, we will propose an evaluation approach of such projects based on the social network analysis, in order to capture also the “local self-empowerment” aspects for the achievement of SDGs (UN Sustainable Development Goals). © 2020 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.