SEforALL Charrettes generate disruptive solutions to accelerate action on SDG7
Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) held a set of Charrettes in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from 18 - 20 June, bringing together nearly 200 participants to challenge the status quo and generate new ideas and solutions to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7).
The global community is not on track to achieve SDG7 on sustainable energy for all, as laid out in stark terms in the recently released Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2019. Notably, 840 million people around the world still do not have access to electricity and 2.9 billion lack clean cooking solutions.
“With just over a decade left for achieving SDG7 by 2030, we need not only a renewed sense of urgency but also new approaches to accelerate progress,” said Rachel Kyte, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All. “We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”
During intensive two-day sessions, small groups of individuals interrogated the reasons behind the slow progress on SDG7, specifically looking at the data and evidence needed to improve decision-making and how to accelerate financial flows within and to countries where the biggest energy access gaps exist.
Using the approach of design-thinking, the Charrettes challenged assumptions, brought in a diversity of perspectives and created space for catalysing new ideas.
Each of the four Charrettes generated not only innovative solutions but also action plans to generate speed and momentum towards achieving SDG7. While a report will be compiled to share all the outcomes and actions coming out of the Charrettes, SEforALL, participants and other partners are already working on the implementation.
The messages out of the Charrettes will also be carried forward to influence major global events like the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in September.
Further highlights from the Charrettes will be featured in an SEforALL article later this week. You can read more about participant experiences through Twitter – #SEforALLcharrettes.
