United Nations Secretary-General, World Bank President Name Advisory Board

Members of Sustainable Energy for All Initiative

 

Team Aims to Mobilize Action Towards

Universal Access, Doubling of Renewable Sources, Energy Efficiency Rates

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim today announced the members of the Advisory Board for the “Sustainable Energy for All” initiative, launching a major new phase of activity for the global public-private partnership.

The Advisory Board includes distinguished global leaders in business, finance, Government and civil society.  The launch of the Board, co-chaired by the United Nations Secretary-General and the World Bank President, marks the first time the two leaders have jointly led such an effort, underscoring the emphasis each institution places on providing sustainable energy for all.

“Sustainable energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, social equity and a stable climate and healthy environment,” said the Secretary-General.  “The Advisory Board has the top-flight expertise and experience needed to help us reach our goal of providing sustainable energy for all by 2030.  This initiative represents a new era of partnership with the World Bank.  Working together, I am confident we can help to transform the world’s energy systems.”

“More than 1.2 billion people don’t have access to electricity, and another 2.8 billion use solid fuels to cook and heat their homes,” said Mr. Kim.  “This is deadly — it exposes them to toxic smoke that kills about 4 million people a year.  Delivering universal access to electricity and safe household fuels is a fundamental condition to end poverty.  We have to meet this challenge in a sustainable way that also takes into consideration the battle against climate change.”

The “Sustainable Energy for All” initiative is a multi-stakeholder partnership between Governments, the private sector and civil society.  Launched by the Secretary-General in 2011, it has three interlinked objectives to be achieved by 2030:  provide universal access to modern energy; double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix; and double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.

Advisory Board members will provide strategic guidance and serve as global ambassadors for the initiative, conducting high-level advocacy for action on energy and mobilizing stakeholders on behalf of Sustainable Energy for All.  Additional Advisory Board members will be announced after further consultations with stakeholders.

Also today, Secretary-General Ban named the members of the initiative’s 10-person Executive Committee, which is headed by Chad Holliday, Chairman of Bank of America.  In September 2012, the Secretary-General designated Kandeh Yumkella as his Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Chief Executive of the effort.  The “Sustainable Energy for All” initiative brings together top-level leadership from all sectors of society, drawing on the global convening power of the United Nations and the World Bank, and combining the efforts of hundreds of stakeholders around the world.

The initiative has demonstrated the ability to mobilize multi-billion-dollar commitments, to leverage large-scale investments, and to build upon and a rapidly expanding knowledge network.  More than 70 countries have opted into the initiative since its launch, with support coming from every part of the world — including energy ministers in Africa, members of the Clean Energy Ministerial, the European Commission and the small island developing States.  The initiative is also mobilizing businesses, investors and civil society to take action on “high-impact initiatives”, such as off-grid lighting, building energy efficiency, energy and women’s health and the procurement of renewable energy.

Advisory Board Members and Affiliations

Private Sector

-José Manuel Entrecanales, Chairman and CEO, Acciona

-Michael Liebreich, CEO, Bloomberg New Energy Finance

-Jean-Marc Ollagnier, Group Chief Executive, Accenture Resources

-Lutaf R. Kassam, Group Managing Director, Industrial Promotion Services Limited

-Mustapha Bakkoury, CEO, Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy

-Helge Lund, CEO, Statoil

-Ceri Powell, Vice-President of World Wide Exploration, Royal Dutch Shell

-Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO and Managing Director, MASDAR

Civil Society, Foundations and Eminent Personality

-Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director-General, IUCN

-Mary Robinson, President, Mary Robinson Foundation

-Strive Masiyiwa, Founder, Carbon War Room, Executive Chairman, Econet Wireless

-Reema Nanavaty, Secretary-General, Self-Employed Women’s Association

-Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

-Ratan Tata, Former Chair, Tata Group

-Sheila Oparaocha, Executive Secretary, Energia

Financial Institutions

-Donald Kaberuka, President, African Development Bank

-Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank

Government Officials

-Edison Lobão, Minister for Mines and Energy, Brazil

-Christian Friis Bach, Development Minister, Denmark

-Andris Piebalgs, Development Commissioner, European Commission

-Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, Minister for Power, India

-Elizabeth Dipuo Peters, Minister for Energy, South Africa

-Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for Development Cooperation, Sweden

-Justine Greening, Secretary of State for International Development, United Kingdom

-Michael Spindelegger, Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor, Austria

-Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President, Iceland

-Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman al-Saud, Deputy Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Saudi Arabia

United Nations Entities

-Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization

-Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme

-Helen Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme and Chair, United Nations Development Group

-Gyan Chandra Acharya, United Nations High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

International Organizations

-Suleiman Jasir Al-Herbish, Director-General, OPEC Fund for International Development

-Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director, International Energy Agency

-Adnan Amin, Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency

Executive Committee Members

-Heikki Holmås, Development Minister, Norway

-Luciano Coutinho, President, Brazilian Development Bank

-Brian Dames, CEO, Eskom; Rachel Kyte, Vice-President for Sustainable Development, World Bank

-Robert Orr, Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Planning, United Nations

-Leena Srivastava, Executive Director, The Energy and Resources Institute ( India)

-Andrew Steer, President, World Resources Institute

-Timothy Wirth, Vice-Chair, United Nations Foundation

-Carlos Pascual, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, United States Department of State

-Klaus Rudischhauser, Deputy Director-General (EuropeAid), European Commission

Contacts:  New York — Cynthia Scharf, tel.:  +1 917 825 1494, e-mail:  scharfc@un.org; Washington — Christopher Neal, tel.:  +1 202 473 2049, e-mail:  cneal1@worldbank.org.

For Broadcast Requests:  Natalia Cieslik, tel.:  +1 202 458 9369, e-mail:  ncieslik@worldbank.org.

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