KEY FORESIGHT AND PREPAREDNESS FUNCTIONS IN THIS CHAPTER
CONTEXT AND CHALLENGES
The rapidly worsening impacts of climate change are prompting countries to take action to decarbonize and green their economies. Countries need to transition to low carbon economies and to reduce carbon emissions which are contributing to global warming. Global primary energy demand is projected to increase by 50 to 70 per cent by 2050. Unless this demand is met from a significant step up in renewable sources of energy, it is likely to contribute further to greenhouse gas emissions which are detrimental to the planet. This requires a transformation of energy systems to move towards greener and renewable sources of energy. It also requires shifts in the transport sector, a major contributor to emissions, and changes in infrastructure investment, production, and consumption choices of individuals, societies and economies.
Access to clean and affordable energy (SDG 7) is critical. Around 685 million people currently lack access to electricity and 2.1 billion people cook with dirty and unhealthy fuels. Any measures to reduce emissions should therefore ensure that the energy needs of people living in poverty are addressed. An inclusive and fair approach is also needed as countries transition away from fossil fuels towards clean energy and low carbon pathways. This comes with both opportunities and risks – for example, as green jobs may be created while more traditional ones are lost, or parts of society may be excluded from the benefits arising from the transition.
The impacts are likely to be felt most by developing countries who will face challenges as they are dependent on fossil fuels, and may have limited capacities, resources, and social safety nets to enable a smooth transition. Developing countries may have less historic responsibility for emissions, yet they need to take urgent action which may place undue stress on them. They also lack technical resources, data and guidance to inform policy making. Furthermore, synergies across sectors will be critical to give impetus to coordinated national action. Member States must raise global ambition on climate change, energy poverty and the SDGs. This requires coordinated and collaborative intergovernmental action on policies, financing, and emerging green technologies. It also requires multi-stakeholder partnerships, capacity building, capital, and quality data.
UN DESA’s unique contributions are adding value to the UN’s overall push on climate and development, occupying a niche role in supporting synergies between climate change ambition and the 2030 Agenda. It is also helping developing countries raise their ambitions and take forward bold and transformative ideas in policies, plans, actions and investments, while also promoting green transition pathways. The Department is well-positioned to facilitate transformative partnerships for accelerated action towards a fair and inclusive green transition.
FORESIGHT AND PREPAREDNESS FUNCTIONS
1.
Supporting collaborative partnerships and action towards a clean energy future
Through its support to influential intergovernmental discussions, such as the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and the High-level Dialogue on Energy in 2021, UN DESA is supporting partnerships and action towards a clean energy transition. UN DESA plays a vital role in advancing intergovernmental discussions on energy, including by conducting and facilitating relevant policy analysis, engaging in knowledge sharing and capacity-building, supporting the mobilization of partnerships, and strengthening advocacy and communications. In its capacity as Secretariat for UN-Energy*, UN DESA facilitates UN system-wide coordination on energy issues. As secretariat to the HLPF, UN DESA facilitates stocktaking of progress and technical preparation of the review of SDG 7 and its interlinkages with other SDGs – which is essential to drive forward action on SDG 7. UN DESA convenes a multi-stakeholder SDG 7 Technical Advisory Group (SDG 7 TAG) that is elevating the discussion on the need to address universal access and clean energy transitions, and its interlinkages with other SDGs. The SDG 7 TAG issues annually a set of SDG 7 Policy Briefs in support of the HLPF.
The Department gives voice and lends support to a just, inclusive, and equitable energy transition. The High-level Dialogue which was convened by the Secretary-General in 2021, supported by UN DESA, resulted in the first-ever Global Roadmap for Accelerated SDG 7 Action which provides an invaluable guide for collective action on energy across sectors that transcends individual and piecemeal approaches and delivers scaled-up and broad impact. It calls for action in five key areas: closing the energy access gap; rapidly transitioning to decarbonized energy systems; mobilizing adequate and predictable finance; leaving no one behind on the path to a net-zero future; and harnessing innovation, technology and data. Importantly, the roadmap also includes two sets of milestones for 2025 and 2030.
*UN-Energy is the United Nations’ mechanism for inter-agency collaboration in the field of energy and supports countries in achieving SDG 7 and the interrelated goals of the Paris Agreement and the broader SDG agenda. Working with over 190 countries on programmes and services at the global, regional and national levels, UN-Energy brings together more than 30 UN System entities and key partners for collaboration in the field of energy.
Energy Compacts making a difference
Photo: UN DESA helped to organize the first High-level Dialogue on Energy in New York in September 2021.
UN-Energy facilitates Energy Compacts, which are voluntary commitments by all stakeholders in support of SDG7 and net-zero emissions, backed by clear sets of actions and deliverables. Since their initiation at the High-level Dialogue on Energy in September 2021, more than $1.4 trillion of financial commitments have been mobilised through the Energy Compacts.
More than 200 Energy Compacts from governments, businesses and other organizations were submitted, reflecting voluntary actions and finance commitments through 2030. These include, for example, commitments towards enabling the use of solar systems and mini-grids to power homes, schools, hospitals and public utilities in Nigeria, while creating 250,000 new jobs, concrete plans to increase the end-use of electricity from renewable sources for transport and heating in Chile, a plan for a Gender and Energy Coalition in Kenya, and the development of green hydrogen as a renewable energy source in Namibia.
Since 2021, Energy Compact proponents have enhanced electricity access for 177 million people and clean cooking access for 23 million people. Some 43.3 TWh of energy were saved through energy efficiency improvements since 2021 and installed renewable energy capacity more than doubled from 89GW to 245GW across 2021-2024. Also, US$ 201 billion in finance was mobilized or deployed for Energy Compact actions since 2021.
2.
Promoting synergies between the SDGs and climate action for people and the planet
UN DESA is working in collaboration with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat to enhance synergies in implementation of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Annual Climate and SDG Synergy Conferences and multi-stakeholder dialogues are providing a dedicated platform on this critical topic at the global level and informing intergovernmental processes related to the SDGs and climate. The work of the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy, co-convened by UN DESA and UNFCCC, also is deepening the evidence-base and making the case for why synergistic action matters. For instance, during the 2024 High Level Political Forum in July 2024, UN DESA in collaboration with the UNFCCC Secretariat co-organized a special event “Bridging the Ambition Gap for the Future We Want through Climate and SDG Synergy,” marking the launch of the 2024 Global Report on Climate and SDG Synergy. Developed by the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy, the report aims to address the need to break down fragmentation and silos globally and domestically.
In September 2024, Brazil hosted the fifth Global Conference on Climate and SDG Synergies, which successfully assessed progress on key recommendations from previous conferences, including the need to include principles of just transition and equity at the centre of integrated planning. The recommendations from the conference are particularly timely as governments are currently devising their new national climate plans – the Nationally Determined Contributions – due in early 2025.
The Department’s analytical work is building awareness and political momentum for the green transition. For instance, following a recommendation of the third Climate and SDG Synergy Conference, UN DESA and UNFCCC co-convened an international expert group to deepen the evidence-base for how action tackling both the climate emergency and sustainable development challenges synergistically can be a win-win solution, maximizing impact. The initial report was launched in September 2023 on the margins of the UN SDG Summit, marking the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Climate Action Summit being convened by the UN Secretary-General in support of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. To date, two global reports and four thematic reports have been developed by the group.
UN DESA is bringing clarity on the definitional interpretation of a green transition by drawing on research and experience across different and multiple contexts. Policy briefs provide foresight for countries to carefully consider their green pathways so that the outcomes are not detrimental to societies and economies in the long run. For instance, the “Policy Brief No. 141: A Just Green Transition: Concepts and Practice So Far,” brings insights and clarifications for countries that are pursuing transition to an environmentally sustainable and climate-safe future. It highlights an important issue: the need to consider the social and environmental impacts of alternative activities that are being pursued as part of the green transition. It illustrates this by citing the risks of deforestation as countries pursue other greenhouse-gas-generating practices, while transitioning away from fossil fuels. UN DESA also convenes the SDG 7 Technical Advisory Group (SDG7 TAG) which each year issues a compilation of SDG 7 Policy Briefs in support of the UN High-level Political Forum (HLPF).
3.
Building national capacities to accelerate a just and inclusive transition
The Department is helping stakeholders at national and global levels to build preparedness and capacity by addressing key knowledge gaps, developing integrated solutions to overcome barriers, and harnessing opportunities. The climate and SDG agendas have traditionally been approached in silos, with limited synergies and integration of actions on the ground. UN DESA and UNFCCC regularly co-convene dialogues at the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies, which typically take place every year in June, to highlight the importance of SDG integration in UNFCCC processes. For instance, UN DESA in collaboration with the Rio Conventions convened at the UNFCCC sixtieth session of the Subsidiary Body (SB60) in June 2024, a side event on “Seeking Synergies Across Rio Conventions and the SDGs: Unlocking Transformative Strategies for a Multi-crisis World.” The event also featured four thematic reports, spearheaded by the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy, addressing fragmentation in policy, financing instruments, knowledge and data, and cities.
Similarly, UN DESA hosts the SDG Pavilion annually at the UN Climate Change Conferences (COPs) to highlight interlinkages between the global climate and sustainable development agendas. More than 100 events were organized by UN DESA and its partners during the fifth iteration of the SDG Pavilion in 2023 at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and again at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where the SDG Pavilion featured a special Forest Pavilion as part of its programming.
Photo: A session at the UN DESA-organized SDG Pavilion at COP27 in Egypt in November 2022.
UN DESA delivers future-focused webinars and e-courses on the benefits of integrated climate and SDG action. These cover wide-ranging issues on policy options and synergistic approaches across sectors and provide options to overcome implementation constraints such as those related to capacity development, financing strategies, data collection, and monitoring and reporting. UN DESA, jointly in collaboration with UNFCCC and UNITAR, has convened a series of virtual e-learning courses and webinars that are available online. The webinar series make the case for integrated action, cover information on tools and evidence policy makers may use to advocate climate and SDG synergies at national levels. It also explores practical issues on maximizing climate and SDG benefits, while navigating trade-offs and overcoming constraints in implementation. The e-learning course on “Harnessing Climate and SDGs Synergies” provides more in-depth learning for policymakers and provides them with tools and evidence to advocate for climate and synergies in related intergovernmental fora and in their local context.
UN DESA is helping to make headway in pushing for integrated climate and SDG action to accelerate a just and inclusive transition. It organized the first global conference on climate and SDG synergies in April 2019 in partnership with UNFCCC and hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Energy, Utilities, and Climate of Denmark. The annual conferences continue to grow in size and impact. Denmark will host the sixth Global Conference, which provides an opportunity to take stock of progress on synergistic action since the first one in 2019
Fifth Global Conference on Strengthening Synergies between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda
On 5-6 September 2024, UN DESA and the UNFCCC Secretariat co-organized the fifth Global Conference on “Strengthening Synergies between the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,” hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil at the Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During the high-level segment, Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, provided welcoming remarks, followed by special messages from Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, and Dennis Francis, President of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Conference brought together around 80 speakers from 30 countries, including high-level representatives from member states, as well as heads of UN agencies, youth and civil society leaders. The Conference was attended by close to 300 in-person and around 3,000 virtual participants. Building on the 2024 report on climate and SDG synergy, the Conference highlighted empirical evidence and case studies on climate action and SDG co-benefits, addressed climate finance, risk mitigation, and adaptation strategies, and emphasized public participation.
The conference focused on delivering a just transition through climate and SDG synergies. An outcomes summary identified several actions to support the integration of the climate and SDG agendas and to accelerate critical action, as follows:
- Renew leadership and political commitment to speed up action on both the SDGs and Paris Agreement goals;
- Continue deepening the evidence base and analytical work related to synergies and trade-offs across sectors, building on the reports by the Expert Group, launched in September 2023;
- Ensure integration of just transitions in countries’ national climate plans and development strategies;
- Take into account social equity and the empowerment of vulnerable groups in prioritizing financial and technical support to enable just transitions;
- Strengthen multi-stakeholder cooperation and dialogue at all levels, including through this annual conference on synergies as well as UNFCCC Regional Climate Weeks; and
- Leverage the full range of intergovernmental processes on SDGs and climate to enhance integrated approaches and synergistic action.