Driving Action on SDG7: SEforALL activities during UN Climate Action Summit week in New York City
Ideas for SDG7 progress: Sharing outcomes from the 2019 SEforALL Charrettes
Clean Cooking Charrette: What is required to create a sustainable, investable, private sector-led market for fuels for clean cooking?
This charrette centered on the issue of market viability and the widespread deployment of clean cooking solutions to reach the 2.9 billion people on the planet who currently do not have access. The solutions conceived include:
Clean Cooking Market Catalyst, which seeks to align donors on a common vision and approach to prove the viability of and scale the clean cooking market.
Clean Cooking Government Challenge Fund, which would incentivize governments to enable clean cooking by tackling policy and commitment barriers.
The Next Generation Solutions Data Platform, which would provide an open, accurate and timely data platform to drive the decisions of investors, enterprises and governments to allocate resources and funding to viable and scalable solutions.
Data and Evidence Charrette: How do we improve the data and evidence on who and where they are, what they need, and what is working and why in order to improve decision-making and speed progress?
This charrette addressed the issues of how to identify, collect and utilize the right data for both the public and private sectors in order to drive the decision-making to scale up electrification. The solutions conceived include:
Fulfilling Data Needs, which would focus on data collection that aligns the needs of delivery stakeholders with an informed view of the electricity user.
Data Collection and Management, which would integrate different data sources into a single platform validated by peer-review and crowdsourcing.
Disseminating Evidence, which would provide decision-makers with evidence and impact options for the systemic value of universal access to quality electricity.
Bridging the Gap Charrette: What is required to bridge the gap between supply and demand for appropriate finance for electricity access in those countries with the largest energy access deficits—i.e. the high-impact countries (HICs)—to meet SDG7?
The charrette explored instruments that could help bridge the gap between supply and demand for electricity access finance. The solutions conceived include:
DFIs for Universal Energy Access, which would prioritize “development” in development finance institutions (DFIs) through an operational partnership focusing on the electrification target of SDG7.
Energy Access for 100 Million People, which is envisioned as $1 billion of first-loss capital showcased through an online platform and leveraging additional sources of capital.
Domestic Finance for Energy Access, proposed as the Renewable Energy Access to Local (REAL) Finance Accelerators, which would mobilize domestic sources of finance for energy entrepreneurs.
Last Mile Charrette: What changes are necessary within the finance sector (including development finance) to increase risk appetite to fund market-based last-mile electricity access?
The priority of this charrette was on how to electrify those last-mile communities that won’t be reached by business-as-usual approaches due to income, remoteness or social exclusion. The solutions conceived include:
Last Mile First, which is premised on the notion that access to electricity is a public good and on country commitments to redirect fossil fuel subsidies to a Last Mile Service Fund.
Leave No School or Clinic Behind, which would provide adequate and reliable electricity to power critical services for public health and education facilities.
Mini-Grid Finance Platform Association, which seeks to expand the mini-grid financial product offering and close information gaps through improved coordination and knowledge sharing among mini-grid developers.
These disruptive solutions will continue to evolve in the coming weeks and months and will require a larger network of support to implement. We invite the broader sustainable energy for all movement to consider how you can contribute and support this work. Details for each of these solutions and how to get involved in their implementation can be found in the published report.
Stronger Together: Sustainable Energy for All and UN Foundation energy access team join forces
Sustainable energy transition to be at core of Climate Action Summit
Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting
As part of the process toward the September Summit, over 1,700 delegates – including Heads of State, Ministers and leaders from across business, civil society and youth – gathered at the start of this month in the Abu Dhabi for a preparatory meeting hosted by the United Arab Emirates.
The purpose of the meeting in Abu Dhabi was to assess progress, strengthen proposed initiatives and support final preparations across all the Summit tracks, with sessions on raising ambition, involving the private sector and addressing the challenge of accessing climate finance.
During the meeting, the Energy Transition Track team hosted the Leaders’ Roundtable on Energy Transition, co-chaired by United Arab Emirates Minister for Climate Change and Environment, H.E. Thani al-Zeyoudi and Special Representative of the Secretary-General and CEO of SEforALL, Rachel Kyte. The session featured ministers and high-level government representatives from over 20 countries, with discussions focused on energy access and efficiency, financing mechanisms, modern energy technologies, and capacity building.
As the supporting institution of the Energy Transition Track, SEforALL and coalition co-leads also hosted several further sessions during the Abu Dhabi meeting, including a workshop with over 80 participants from a diverse group of public-private stakeholders, ministerial meetings with coalition members and representatives from the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) country groups, as well as a high-level presentation session for delegates.
A range of concrete initiatives were discussed and further developed by a broad group of public-private stakeholders, with high-level participation and engagement throughout the sessions. For the Energy Transition Track, initiatives proposed on sustainable cooling, shipping, energy efficiency, battery storage, and a climate investment platform emerged as priorities for the track.
Rachel Kyte, who is a member of the Secretary-General’s Summit Steering Committee, participated in the Abu Dhabi meeting and reiterated that ambitious initiatives and leadership are needed to meet global climate goals: "Some of the initiatives coming out of the Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting need to be lifted up, and leaders need to put their names on global initiatives and say that we are going to get this done on our watch. That's the request of the Secretary-General”.
SEforALL will continue to share more Summit related updates on Twitter and on the SEforALL website. You can also follow #ClimateActionSummit online for the latest.
