Secretary-General, at ‘Sustainable Energy for All’ Briefing, Tells Member States Austria to Host Partnership, Speeding Progress on Green Growth Development Goal

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at a briefing to Member States on Sustainable Energy for All, in New York today:

Energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, social equity and a healthy environment.  I strongly commend the inclusion of sustainable development goal 7 on energy.  With targets on access, renewables, energy efficiency and means of implementation, this goal is a game-changer — for everything from eradicating poverty to combating climate change.  The “Sustainable Energy for All” initiative stands ready to support the achievement of SDG7 [sustainable development goal 7].

Since its launch in 2011, Sustainable Energy for All has mobilized thousands of partners, including Governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector.  It provides a strong global framework for implementation.  Sustainable Energy for All Country Action Agendas and Investment Prospectuses are already being prepared in more than 30 developing countries.

Since the Rio+20 Summit meeting, strong commitments to sustainable energy for all have already made it conceivable that we can halve energy poverty by 2030.  Sustainable Energy for All has presented solutions for how to mobilize $120 billion every year.

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda calls for action on these recommendations.  A network of regional and thematic Sustainable Energy for All hubs has been established within existing institutions, including several regional development banks, to give the movement a truly global reach.  The knowledge hub at the World Bank has led to the development of a biennial Sustainable Energy for All Global Tracking Framework.  This offers an invaluable tool for follow-up and review as we implement SDG7.

The International Renewable Energy Agency is pushing to increase the global share of renewable energy.  The Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform is providing important solutions for the Lima-Paris Action Agenda and COP21 [twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] and the Sustainable Energy for All Forum — including its Global Ministerial Dialogue on Energy — provides an inclusive meeting space for all stakeholders.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we have built a firm foundation for supporting the implementation of SDG7.  But, we can, and must, do more.  To fully realize the power of Sustainable Energy for All, we need a solid long-term institutional arrangement.  That is why the “Sustainable Energy for All” initiative will now be spearheaded by an international not-for-profit organization, the Sustainable Energy for All Partnership.

Rachel Kyte, Vice-President of the World Bank, has been selected by the Sustainable Energy for All Executive Committee as its first Chief Executive Officer.  She is currently the World Bank's Vice-President and Special Envoy for Climate Change.  On 1 January 2016, she will take over as my new Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All.  In this role, she will continue to serve as the focal point in the UN system for issues related to energy, and she will spearhead mobilization for the implementation of SDG7.  I warmly welcome Ms. Kyte to the United Nations.

Ms. Kyte succeeds Dr. Kandeh Yumkella — who has just arrived — who I would like to thank for his energy, passion and his outstanding service to the United Nations and the global community.  Let’s give our warm hands to both of these leaders.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, following a competitive and transparent bidding process, the Sustainable Energy for All Executive Committee has chosen Vienna — the Ambassador is here now, thank you very much — to host the Sustainable Energy for All Partnership.  I thank the Government of Austria for its generosity and continued interest and commitment in this important area.

In the coming months and years, the United Nations will work closely with the Sustainable Energy for All Partnership so it may grow and be as effective as we need it to be.  The Sustainable Energy for All Advisory Board, co-chaired by myself and the President of the World Bank, Dr. [Jim Yong] Kim, will continue to provide guidance.  My report to the General Assembly will describe these arrangements more in detail.

Under this new arrangement, I am confident that we will continue to build momentum towards sustainable energy for all and the attainment of SDG7.  Thank you very much.