Distinguished Participants,Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the high-level side event entitled ‘Accelerating the energy transformation in support of sustainable development and the Paris Agreement’.
I am gratified to be joined by so many distinguished leaders of organizations both from within and outside the UN system. In particular, I wish to welcome Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi, the incoming Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.
Excellencies,
Energy lies at the heart of both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Advancement in SDG 7 on energy has the potential to spur progress across the other SDGs on:• poverty eradication• gender equality• climate change mitigation and adaptation• food security• health• education• sustainable cities and communities• clean water and sanitation• jobs• innovation• transport, and• the treatment of refugees and other displaced people.
Yet, amidst such far-reaching potential, the review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda over the past six years tells us that progress on SDG 7 is falling short. There is still much to do to ensure universal access. Despite increases in electrification over the last two years, over 840 million people still lack access to electricity.
Around three billion people rely on wood, charcoal, animal and crop wastes, or other solid fuels to cook their food and heat their homes, causing serious pollution as well as carbon dioxide emissions.
We are now convening this high-level side event to focus on initiatives and action platforms that could have a significant impact towards achieving SDG7 targets. The aim is to help close the access gap in a sustainable way, and promote climate action by transitioning towards zero-carbon energy solutions.
Innovation is crucial to that end, such as in battery technology or in transportation.
Also playing a key role will be:• innovative technical solutions for managing energy systems,• new and efficient material supply chains, and• a transformation of investment and business models tailored to national development and climate action plans.
Distinguished Participants,
2019 has been a special year, as it has marked the mid-point of the UN Decade of Sustainable Energy for All (2014-2024).
The Mid-Point Review conference held in May in New York, launched the 2019 SDG 7 Tracking Report by the SDG7 indicator custodians. It also launched the 2019 edition of the SDG 7 Policy Briefs. These were coordinated by the SDG7-Technical Advisory Group convened to support the High-Level Political Forum.
We are delighted that the General Assembly just adopted a resolution on sustainable energy. It is calling for a high-level dialogue in 2021 to promote the implementation of the energy-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda in support of the implementation of the Decade, and the High Level Political Forum.
At the Climate Action Summit convened by the Secretary General, an impactful energy transition track was created by Ethiopia and Denmark and supported by Sustainable Energy for All.
We are proud to partner with WHO, UNDP and the World Bank in the creation of a multi-stakeholder Health and Energy Platform of Action. This is aimed at improving the health and livelihoods of the poorest populations, through the adoption of clean and sustainable energy.
As part of this joint effort, we will support the establishment of a High-Level Coalition of Leaders for Clean Cooking, Energy and Health.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, as the secretariat for UN-Energy, is excited to assist with this critically important coordination mechanism on energy issues within the UN system. We are grateful to Mr Achim Steiner and Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi for their leadership as Co-Chairs of UN-Energy. We firmly believe that UN-Energy has the opportunity to lend unique support in advancing climate action and sustainable energy goals.
Today’s speaker line-up shows that delivering on SDG7 is truly a UN systemwide effort.
I thank you all for your leadership in accelerating the energy transition and I wish you a good session!
Thank you.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the high-level side event entitled ‘Accelerating the energy transformation in support of sustainable development and the Paris Agreement’.
I am gratified to be joined by so many distinguished leaders of organizations both from within and outside the UN system. In particular, I wish to welcome Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi, the incoming Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.
Excellencies,
Energy lies at the heart of both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Advancement in SDG 7 on energy has the potential to spur progress across the other SDGs on:• poverty eradication• gender equality• climate change mitigation and adaptation• food security• health• education• sustainable cities and communities• clean water and sanitation• jobs• innovation• transport, and• the treatment of refugees and other displaced people.
Yet, amidst such far-reaching potential, the review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda over the past six years tells us that progress on SDG 7 is falling short. There is still much to do to ensure universal access. Despite increases in electrification over the last two years, over 840 million people still lack access to electricity.
Around three billion people rely on wood, charcoal, animal and crop wastes, or other solid fuels to cook their food and heat their homes, causing serious pollution as well as carbon dioxide emissions.
We are now convening this high-level side event to focus on initiatives and action platforms that could have a significant impact towards achieving SDG7 targets. The aim is to help close the access gap in a sustainable way, and promote climate action by transitioning towards zero-carbon energy solutions.
Innovation is crucial to that end, such as in battery technology or in transportation.
Also playing a key role will be:• innovative technical solutions for managing energy systems,• new and efficient material supply chains, and• a transformation of investment and business models tailored to national development and climate action plans.
Distinguished Participants,
2019 has been a special year, as it has marked the mid-point of the UN Decade of Sustainable Energy for All (2014-2024).
The Mid-Point Review conference held in May in New York, launched the 2019 SDG 7 Tracking Report by the SDG7 indicator custodians. It also launched the 2019 edition of the SDG 7 Policy Briefs. These were coordinated by the SDG7-Technical Advisory Group convened to support the High-Level Political Forum.
We are delighted that the General Assembly just adopted a resolution on sustainable energy. It is calling for a high-level dialogue in 2021 to promote the implementation of the energy-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda in support of the implementation of the Decade, and the High Level Political Forum.
At the Climate Action Summit convened by the Secretary General, an impactful energy transition track was created by Ethiopia and Denmark and supported by Sustainable Energy for All.
We are proud to partner with WHO, UNDP and the World Bank in the creation of a multi-stakeholder Health and Energy Platform of Action. This is aimed at improving the health and livelihoods of the poorest populations, through the adoption of clean and sustainable energy.
As part of this joint effort, we will support the establishment of a High-Level Coalition of Leaders for Clean Cooking, Energy and Health.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, as the secretariat for UN-Energy, is excited to assist with this critically important coordination mechanism on energy issues within the UN system. We are grateful to Mr Achim Steiner and Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi for their leadership as Co-Chairs of UN-Energy. We firmly believe that UN-Energy has the opportunity to lend unique support in advancing climate action and sustainable energy goals.
Today’s speaker line-up shows that delivering on SDG7 is truly a UN systemwide effort.
I thank you all for your leadership in accelerating the energy transition and I wish you a good session!
Thank you.
File date:
Wednesday, Diciembre 11, 2019