World makes great progress on energy access, but...
World makes great progress on energy access, but ambitious action needed to achieve sustainable energy goal by 2030, says UN
Bangkok (ESCAP News) -- Remarkable progress has been made in broadening electricity access globally, however sustained political will and increased public and private finance are urgently needed to provide affordable and clean energy to the 1.2 billion people without access to electricity by 2030, a high-level United Nations conference concluded in Bangkoktoday.
According to the latest data, 85 per cent of the global population has access to basic electricity services, up from 73 per cent in 1990. This has been achieved largely through governments’ efforts in extending national grids, as well as off-grid decentralized solutions.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development has set out 17 Goals and 169 targets, which
jointly constitute a comprehensive plan of action to
eradicate poverty and ensure sustainable development.
Recognizing the importance of energy for development,
Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) has been established
as the first-ever universal goal on energy, and includes
targets for access, renewables and energy
efficiency.
Co-organized by the UN Department of Economic
and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) and the UN Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) along with the
Ministry of Energy, Thailand, ministers, senior UN
officials, civil society organizations, and private sector
representatives from around the world convened in Bangkok
this week for the Global SDG7 Conference, where they
identified trends and gaps towards achieving SDG7 on energy.
The outcomes of the Global SDG7 Conference will also provide
input into the High-Level Political Forum - the central
platform for monitoring and review of the 2030 Agenda and
the SDGs - to be held in New York in July later this
year.
In her opening statement, UN
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Dr.
Shamshad Akhtar underlined that while great progress has
been made in improving access, with 90 per cent of the
region’s population now connected, continued commitment is
needed as Asia-Pacific remains the most energy intensive
region in the world.
“The Asia-Pacific region is
leading the global move to renewable energy, and deployment
of renewable energy technology continues to increase at
unprecedented rates,” she said. “Remarkably, in 2016,
Asia-Pacific countries, led by China and India, commissioned
over 94 gigawatts of renewable generation, 59 per cent of
the global total. But despite the ascendancy of renewables,
the entrenched role of fossil fuels will take some time to
shift.”
Mr. Liu Zhenmin UN Under-Secretary-General for
Economic and Social Affairs stressed that 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,” said Mr.
Liu. He reiterated that global leaders have a
once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide peace,
prosperity, opportunity and dignity for all on a healthy
planet.
Mr. Siri Jirapohgphan, Minister of Energy of
Thailand further highlighted the concerted efforts made by
the Royal Thai Government to drive energy development in
compliance with SDG7, and underscored the importance of the
private sector towards building a more secure and
sustainable energy future.
“In achieving the goals, the
private sector could be a real player with support of the
government’s effective and predictable policy,” he said.
“We anticipate that the private sector as a real driver
for implementation could bring not only investments but also
the necessary technologies and innovations for the
achievement of SDG7.”
To support the SDG7 review,
UN-DESA has convened an Ad Hoc Technical Group on SDG7,
comprised of representatives from governments, UN entities,
international organizations and other multi-stakeholders.
The technical group has produced 27 policy briefs on SDG7
and interlinkages between energy and other development
goals, which will also provide key input for ongoing
intergovernmental discussions leading up to the High-Level
Political Forum on Sustainable
Development.
Global SDG7 Conference website:
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/EnergyConference
Website of the High-level Political
Forum on Sustainable Development: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf
27 Policy Briefs on SDG7 Interlinkages:
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/EnergyConference/documentation