UN Secretary-General's High-Level Event on Sustainable Energy For All

A high-level event, taking place on the margins of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, has brought together leaders from governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society. The Secretary-General provided opening remarks, followed by remarks from the President of the World Bank Group, UN Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark, UNIDO Director-General Kandeh Yumkella and Bank of America Chairman Chad Holiday.  Speakers also included attending Heads of State and Ministers.

A luncheon preceded the event for members of the initiative's high-level and technical groups. During the lunch, IIASA's Nebojsa Nakicenovic briefed participants on research findings from the Global Energy Assessment (GEA). The GEA, launched in 2012, defines a new global energy policy agenda –  one that transforms the way society thinks about, uses, and delivers energy. Involving specialists from a range of disciplines, industry groups, and policy areas, GEA research aims to facilitate equitable and sustainable energy services for all, in particular the two billion people who currently lack access to clean, modern energy.

Following lunch, Austrian President Heinz Fischer spoke about energy and development goals, and Austria's support for the Sustainable Energy for All initiative. "Sustainable energy has been a priority for Austria's development cooperation," Fischer said, "In addition the Vienna Energy Forum, co-hosted by UNIDO, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and Austria is organized in Vienna every two years."

Sustainable Energy for All is a global initiative, led by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to mobilize action from all sectors of society in support of three interlinked objectives to be achieved by 2030: providing universal access to modern energy services; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Last edited: 03 October 2012