Distringuished Host,Honorable Chairman,Excellencies,Participants,Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the United Nations I congratulate you on this important forum.
As we now know, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development contains a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals that are to stimulate action by governments and other stakeholders, in the period until 2030.
These interlinked goals are set within a framework of overarching and shared principles and pledges.
They recognize that development must take place by balancing the economic, social and environmental dimensions.
They pledge that not one must be left behind.
The 2030 Agenda now has to be turned into policies and actions, and into laws and budget lines. We need to ensure that people know what these Goals promise, hold their leaders accountable and contribute to change.
Enshrining the 2030 Agenda in parliaments and national laws is a way to ensure that the SDGs will remain a priority, including – and especially – in the long-term, so to be better prepared when crises arrive.
It is also a way to ensure that administrations overcome their silos to achieve these interlinked goals and budgets, which can only be realized through integrated national policies, legislation and resource allocation.
Excellencies,
Clean energy is a central element of this Agenda, and is reflected specifically in Sustainable Development Goal 7, which is to “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.
This goal includes targets on:
Energy is a critical piece in the pledge to leave no one behind.
Indeed, access to electricity means study time is not limited to daylight hours. It means access to information and communication technologies.
It means domestic tasks – which often fall on women’s shoulders – can be undertaken more swiftly, leaving more time for income generating activities and education.
It means hospitals and clinics can perform appropriately, and it means businesses, large and small, can thrive, and employment can be generated.
There have been significant advances in ensuring access to electricity, especially in Asia, but 1.1 billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, still live without it.
Moreover, over 40% of the world’s population still does not have access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking. They rely instead on polluting fuels and technologies that have a direct impact on health.
In fact, 4.3 million people (mainly women and children) still die every year due to air pollution caused by cooking fuels. The vast majority of these deaths are in low- and middle-income countries. They are avoidable deaths.
Excellencies,
Expanding clean energy is also critical to the goal of ensuring that our global development – and particularly the challenge of ensuring that the energy needs of a growing population and growing economies – takes place with adequate respect for the limits of our planet.
In recent years, there has been an increase in modern renewable energy and an improvement in energy efficiency, a large share of which can also be attributed to Asia. Indeed, renewable energy and energy efficiency are twin pillars of a sustainable energy future.
They are increasingly seen as playing a key role in reducing energy-related emissions, and in providing multiple economy-wide benefits – such as enhanced energy security, reduced fuel poverty and improved public health. In fact, by the end of 2015, at least 146 countries had enacted some kind of energy efficiency policy, while at least 128 countries had enacted one or more energy efficiency targets.
Nonetheless, there is still a long path to trail in ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy, in developing renewable sources and in improving efficiency.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have moved from global agreements to national and local action. We are closing 2016 with significant steps forward in implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and having ensured an early entry into force of the Paris Agreement, in which China played a key role.
At the United Nations this year, we heard reports from 22 countries, including China, who presented voluntary national reviews of implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the High-Level Political Forum, showcasing their first steps in implementation.
Thirty other countries have started to prepare their reviews for 2017. And we have heard from many more at the General Assembly, reaffirming their commitment to implementation of the 2030 Agenda, to leaving no one behind and to addressing climate change and poverty eradication.
Distinguished Participants,
Successful implementation of this universal and transformative Agenda will also require inclusive partnerships. It will require the involvement of different stakeholders in decision-making to ensure that our full pool of knowledge, expertise and experience is brought together for the best possible results.
Indeed, partnerships have been with us for a long time. We have learned many lessons, and we have learned how to make them work better for development.
Going forward, our partnerships also need to be aligned with the 2030 Agenda.
First, the 2030 Agenda shifts the accountability from recipient–donor, to state–people. Our partnerships therefore need to strengthen the relationship between duty-bearers and rights-holders.
Second, our partnerships must ask “who is left behind”? They must help in identifying the most vulnerable, and in building their resilience.
Third, the 2030 Agenda is about reducing inequalities and levelling the playing field. Our partnerships must work to spread risk more fairly, so that the most powerful partners do not relegate risk to the most vulnerable.
And, finally, together with the efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, partnerships will create important opportunities for the energy sector …. particularly for innovative, creative and forward-looking organizations choosing to contribute to sustainable, inclusive development.
Excellencies,
Since the 21st century, China has achieved remarkable results in promoting clean energy development. The proportion of fossil-fuel energy consumption was reduced by five percent, while wind power and photovoltaic power generation capacity ranked first in the world.
China is all too aware, as we all must be, that this is a pivotal time for our planet.
Time is of the essence. My hope is that all of you can recognize what role you can play in helping to achieve these important goals.
Thank you.
On behalf of the United Nations I congratulate you on this important forum.
As we now know, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development contains a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals that are to stimulate action by governments and other stakeholders, in the period until 2030.
These interlinked goals are set within a framework of overarching and shared principles and pledges.
They recognize that development must take place by balancing the economic, social and environmental dimensions.
They pledge that not one must be left behind.
The 2030 Agenda now has to be turned into policies and actions, and into laws and budget lines. We need to ensure that people know what these Goals promise, hold their leaders accountable and contribute to change.
Enshrining the 2030 Agenda in parliaments and national laws is a way to ensure that the SDGs will remain a priority, including – and especially – in the long-term, so to be better prepared when crises arrive.
It is also a way to ensure that administrations overcome their silos to achieve these interlinked goals and budgets, which can only be realized through integrated national policies, legislation and resource allocation.
Excellencies,
Clean energy is a central element of this Agenda, and is reflected specifically in Sustainable Development Goal 7, which is to “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.
This goal includes targets on:
- access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services;
- the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix;
- energy efficiency;
- international cooperation in energy matters; and
- expansion of infrastructure and upgrading of technology.
- poverty
- health
- education
- water
- decent work
- industry
- consumption and production, and others.
Energy is a critical piece in the pledge to leave no one behind.
Indeed, access to electricity means study time is not limited to daylight hours. It means access to information and communication technologies.
It means domestic tasks – which often fall on women’s shoulders – can be undertaken more swiftly, leaving more time for income generating activities and education.
It means hospitals and clinics can perform appropriately, and it means businesses, large and small, can thrive, and employment can be generated.
There have been significant advances in ensuring access to electricity, especially in Asia, but 1.1 billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, still live without it.
Moreover, over 40% of the world’s population still does not have access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking. They rely instead on polluting fuels and technologies that have a direct impact on health.
In fact, 4.3 million people (mainly women and children) still die every year due to air pollution caused by cooking fuels. The vast majority of these deaths are in low- and middle-income countries. They are avoidable deaths.
Excellencies,
Expanding clean energy is also critical to the goal of ensuring that our global development – and particularly the challenge of ensuring that the energy needs of a growing population and growing economies – takes place with adequate respect for the limits of our planet.
In recent years, there has been an increase in modern renewable energy and an improvement in energy efficiency, a large share of which can also be attributed to Asia. Indeed, renewable energy and energy efficiency are twin pillars of a sustainable energy future.
They are increasingly seen as playing a key role in reducing energy-related emissions, and in providing multiple economy-wide benefits – such as enhanced energy security, reduced fuel poverty and improved public health. In fact, by the end of 2015, at least 146 countries had enacted some kind of energy efficiency policy, while at least 128 countries had enacted one or more energy efficiency targets.
Nonetheless, there is still a long path to trail in ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy, in developing renewable sources and in improving efficiency.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have moved from global agreements to national and local action. We are closing 2016 with significant steps forward in implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and having ensured an early entry into force of the Paris Agreement, in which China played a key role.
At the United Nations this year, we heard reports from 22 countries, including China, who presented voluntary national reviews of implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the High-Level Political Forum, showcasing their first steps in implementation.
Thirty other countries have started to prepare their reviews for 2017. And we have heard from many more at the General Assembly, reaffirming their commitment to implementation of the 2030 Agenda, to leaving no one behind and to addressing climate change and poverty eradication.
Distinguished Participants,
Successful implementation of this universal and transformative Agenda will also require inclusive partnerships. It will require the involvement of different stakeholders in decision-making to ensure that our full pool of knowledge, expertise and experience is brought together for the best possible results.
Indeed, partnerships have been with us for a long time. We have learned many lessons, and we have learned how to make them work better for development.
Going forward, our partnerships also need to be aligned with the 2030 Agenda.
First, the 2030 Agenda shifts the accountability from recipient–donor, to state–people. Our partnerships therefore need to strengthen the relationship between duty-bearers and rights-holders.
Second, our partnerships must ask “who is left behind”? They must help in identifying the most vulnerable, and in building their resilience.
Third, the 2030 Agenda is about reducing inequalities and levelling the playing field. Our partnerships must work to spread risk more fairly, so that the most powerful partners do not relegate risk to the most vulnerable.
And, finally, together with the efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, partnerships will create important opportunities for the energy sector …. particularly for innovative, creative and forward-looking organizations choosing to contribute to sustainable, inclusive development.
Excellencies,
Since the 21st century, China has achieved remarkable results in promoting clean energy development. The proportion of fossil-fuel energy consumption was reduced by five percent, while wind power and photovoltaic power generation capacity ranked first in the world.
China is all too aware, as we all must be, that this is a pivotal time for our planet.
Time is of the essence. My hope is that all of you can recognize what role you can play in helping to achieve these important goals.
Thank you.
File date:
Tuesday, Novembre 29, 2016