Sustainable Energy for All at COP25: Shining the spotlight on SDG7

A delegation from Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) will be at the 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25) to support a focus on the critical path of an energy transition that delivers Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) and the Paris Agreement.

SEforALL is participating in, co-organizing and co-hosting several key sessions during COP 25, which runs from 2-13 December 2019 in Madrid, Spain.

On 11 December, Damilola Ogunbiyi, incoming CEO of SEforALL and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, will provide the opening remarks for a high-level side event called Accelerating the Energy Transformation in Support of Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. She will be joined by Liu Zhenmin, UN DESA Under-Secretary-General and Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, as they set the tone for this UN DESA organized event focused on initiatives and action platforms that could have a significant impact towards achieving SDG7 goals.

SEforALL is a co-organizer, along with IRENA and the IEA, of the Marrakesh Partnership Energy Action Day, which takes place on 7 December. This event will look at critical areas related to the energy transition, including those where progress is being made and where it is lagging, to ensure that SDG7 is met by 2030 and that the Paris Agreement targets are met by 2050. Energy Action Day will delve into the key initiatives and commitments announced at this year’s UN Climate Action Summit, providing updates on their development and how they are contributing to an energy transition that delivers sustainable development, air pollution reduction, job creation, cleaner cities, better transport and a more inclusive world.

On 7 December, SEforALL will host a side event at the pavilion of the Nordic Co-operation titled The Heat is on: Ingredients to Close the SDG7 Clean Cooking Finance Gap by 2030. The world is at a tipping point in ensuring enough finance flows to meet SDG7 targets and achieve universal electrification and clean cooking access by 2030. The recently launched Energizing Finance reports show this to be increasingly unlikely without urgent and substantial action. The discussion will focus on financing and implementing electrification and clean cooking solutions in developing countries, with a special focus on accelerating access to finance for women. This event will be moderated by Olivia Coldrey, Lead Finance Specialist, SEforALL. Invited speakers include Tom Derksen, Managing Director Renewable Energy, SNV, Chavi Meattle, Climate Finance Analyst, Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and Hubert Ruzibiza, Chief Executive Officer, Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA).

One of the major announcements coming from the Climate Summit was the creation of the Three Percent Club, which is a coalition of countries, businesses and institutions that have committed to a three percent annual global increase in energy efficiency across their economies and businesses. SEforALL is a key member of the Three Percent Club coalition, which will have a series of official COP25 activities.

On 7 December, a Three Percent Club event called Unfolding the Tools that Will Accelerate the Energy Transition will gather actors from across the energy sector to provide them with a checklist of available energy efficiency technologies and measures that will help governments accelerate the energy transition. The event is co-organized by the Government of Denmark, Danfoss and SEforALL at the Nordic Pavilion.

On 8 December, another Three Percent Club activity, hosted by SEforALL and Danfoss, will center on SDG7 through discussion on the policy and financial actions needed to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. The event entitled Accelerating the Energy Transition with Ambitious Policy Actions will aim to identify the concrete policy actions required for catalyzing investment in sustainable energy solutions.

A SDG7 Roundtable will be held on 10 December and is being co-organized by IRENA, UNFCCC and SEforALL. This event will take stock of progress towards SDG7 and propose solutions for its electricity access targets. António Mexia, Chair of the SEforALL Administrative Board and CEO Energias de Portugal (EDP), will be a featured speaker.