Madam President of ECOSOC,Excellencies,Distinguished Participants,Ladies and Gentlemen,
As co-convener and on behalf of UN DESA, I have the pleasure to join the Honorable Minister of Thailand and the Executive Secretary of ESCAP in welcoming you all to the Global SDG7 Conference.
I would like to thank you, Madam President and President of the General Assembly for your support to this Conference.
I also join my co-conveners to express my sincere gratitude to our supporters, namely, Norway, China, Republic of Korea, The Netherlands, the European Commission, as well as ENERGIA and the HIVOS, for their generous contributions to make this important gathering possible.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by world leaders in 2015, is about realizing tremendous opportunities for billions of people, especially those who are being left behind.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are about eliminating poverty, creating decent jobs, providing quality healthcare and education, protecting the environment and combating climate change.
Energy cuts across all of them. That is why the 2030 Agenda has established the first-ever universal goal on energy, SDG7: to “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.”
Achieving SDG7 on energy – with its targets on universal access, energy efficiency and renewable energy, and with a timeframe of 2030 – will open a new world of opportunity for businesses, for scientific and technological community, for youth and for all other stakeholders.But let us start with facts on the ground and let us confront the reality of the world.
One billion people today still lack access to electricity. Close to 3 billion people rely on wood, charcoal, animal and crop waste or other solid fuels to cook their food and heat their homes.
Based on preliminary projection, at the current pace of progress, there will be more than 600 million people remaining without access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa in 2030.
We cannot let this continue. We must re-double our efforts.
The first review of SDG7 at this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) which will take place in July, will provide a critical milestone to strengthen our commitments.
We need a fact-based understanding of where we are now, and what opportunities exist.
We need best practices. We must scale up and accelerate innovation, finance and capacity building.
That’s why we, the co-conveners, decided to organise this first Global SDG7 Conference, to review where we are, share experiences to-date and reflect on a way forward to advance SDG7.
To support the SDG7 review, UN DESA as the secretariat for HLPF, has convened an Ad Hoc Technical Group on SDG7. It is composed of representatives from governments, UN entities, international organizations and other multi-stakeholders.
I warmly welcome the 27 Policy Briefs on SDG7 and energy’s interlinkages with other SDGs that were delivered by the ad hoc technical group. I am convinced that when finalised, these will provide key technical input for the intergovernmental discussions leading up to the High-Level Political Forum.
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the heart of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement lies the issue of energy.
Achieving SDG7 on energy can unlock vast potential for economic growth in all regions and for all people, while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
We must promote synergies between SDGs and climate change to advance win-win solutions. That is why the Secretary-General is preparing to convene a Climate Summit in 2019. That is why DESA is initiating a global symposium this year on synergies between the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
We are building on initiatives and actions already underway. Globally, over half of the investment in the power sector is now made in renewable energy. About 10 million people already work in the renewable energy industry.
Investing in energy efficiency could boost cumulative global output by $18 trillion dollars.
Investing in energy efficiency will help to promote the sustainable economic growth throughout the world.
We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide peace, prosperity, opportunity and dignity for all on a healthy planet.
SDG7 is key to this global vision.
I look forward to fruitful discussions and outcomes from this conference.
I wish this Global SDG7 conference a great success.
As co-convener and on behalf of UN DESA, I have the pleasure to join the Honorable Minister of Thailand and the Executive Secretary of ESCAP in welcoming you all to the Global SDG7 Conference.
I would like to thank you, Madam President and President of the General Assembly for your support to this Conference.
I also join my co-conveners to express my sincere gratitude to our supporters, namely, Norway, China, Republic of Korea, The Netherlands, the European Commission, as well as ENERGIA and the HIVOS, for their generous contributions to make this important gathering possible.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by world leaders in 2015, is about realizing tremendous opportunities for billions of people, especially those who are being left behind.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are about eliminating poverty, creating decent jobs, providing quality healthcare and education, protecting the environment and combating climate change.
Energy cuts across all of them. That is why the 2030 Agenda has established the first-ever universal goal on energy, SDG7: to “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.”
Achieving SDG7 on energy – with its targets on universal access, energy efficiency and renewable energy, and with a timeframe of 2030 – will open a new world of opportunity for businesses, for scientific and technological community, for youth and for all other stakeholders.But let us start with facts on the ground and let us confront the reality of the world.
One billion people today still lack access to electricity. Close to 3 billion people rely on wood, charcoal, animal and crop waste or other solid fuels to cook their food and heat their homes.
Based on preliminary projection, at the current pace of progress, there will be more than 600 million people remaining without access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa in 2030.
We cannot let this continue. We must re-double our efforts.
The first review of SDG7 at this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) which will take place in July, will provide a critical milestone to strengthen our commitments.
We need a fact-based understanding of where we are now, and what opportunities exist.
We need best practices. We must scale up and accelerate innovation, finance and capacity building.
That’s why we, the co-conveners, decided to organise this first Global SDG7 Conference, to review where we are, share experiences to-date and reflect on a way forward to advance SDG7.
To support the SDG7 review, UN DESA as the secretariat for HLPF, has convened an Ad Hoc Technical Group on SDG7. It is composed of representatives from governments, UN entities, international organizations and other multi-stakeholders.
I warmly welcome the 27 Policy Briefs on SDG7 and energy’s interlinkages with other SDGs that were delivered by the ad hoc technical group. I am convinced that when finalised, these will provide key technical input for the intergovernmental discussions leading up to the High-Level Political Forum.
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the heart of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement lies the issue of energy.
Achieving SDG7 on energy can unlock vast potential for economic growth in all regions and for all people, while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
We must promote synergies between SDGs and climate change to advance win-win solutions. That is why the Secretary-General is preparing to convene a Climate Summit in 2019. That is why DESA is initiating a global symposium this year on synergies between the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
We are building on initiatives and actions already underway. Globally, over half of the investment in the power sector is now made in renewable energy. About 10 million people already work in the renewable energy industry.
Investing in energy efficiency could boost cumulative global output by $18 trillion dollars.
Investing in energy efficiency will help to promote the sustainable economic growth throughout the world.
We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide peace, prosperity, opportunity and dignity for all on a healthy planet.
SDG7 is key to this global vision.
I look forward to fruitful discussions and outcomes from this conference.
I wish this Global SDG7 conference a great success.
File date:
Thursday, February 22, 2018