UNCTAD urges stronger action to help least developed nations tap into carbon markets
The United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) urged during the 29th United Nations Climate Change ...
UN launches Plan of Action to meet $600 bn clean energy commitments
The United Nations (UN) took a major step to catalyze the large-scale action and support needed for the transition to clean, affordable energy for all and net-zero emissions, with the launch of a Plan of Action by some thirty leading organizations comprising “UN-Energy”.
Speaking of the interlinked triple crises of energy, food and finance arising from the war in Ukraine, UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently stated that “we can maximize this moment to push for the transformational change our world needs.”
He added that “now is the time to turn this crisis into an opportunity,” to work towards progressively phasing out coal and other fossil fuels, and accelerating the deployment of renewable energy and a just energy transition, to address our worsening climate emergency.
An Energy Compact Action Network was also launched to match those governments seeking support for their clean energy goals with those governments and businesses that have pledged over $600 billion to support these commitments. Coalitions were announced to support energy access and transition in Nigeria and the city of Santiago, Chile, showcasing the Network’s potential, as well as to advance or expand coalitions supporting green hydrogen and a stronger role for women in leading and benefiting from the energy transition.
Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the 2021 High-level Dialogue on Energy, stated: “The Global Roadmap that emerged from the High-level Dialogue calls for strengthened efforts by the UN system supported by UN-Energy, including the creation of a global multi-stakeholder Energy Compact Action Network. I welcome today’s launch of the UN-Energy Plan of Action and the Network. This will help us sustain the momentum by generating concrete action towards clean and affordable energy and net-zero emissions.”
“Especially at this crucial time, I am pleased to launch the UN-Energy Plan of Action. The current context has led to a wider understanding of how energy underpins the entire 2030 Agenda. It is paramount that the commitments taken at the 2021 High-Level Dialogue on Energy and COP26 are translated into actions on the ground — especially in support of the most vulnerable,” said Mr. Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Program (UNDP) and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.
“The UN-Energy Plan of Action is our collective response to today’s global energy and climate challenges. As part of this, UNDP is stepping up its energy work to support countries in achieving a just energy transition, helping them advance progress on the Sustainable Development Goals while tackling the climate crisis.”
The UN-Energy Plan of Action Towards 2025 rolled out sets out a framework for collective action by nearly thirty UN and international organizations — in order to achieve the massive pledge they made at the time of the High-level Dialogue. In line with the milestones set out in the Global Roadmap, by 2025, UN-Energy committed to support, facilitate and catalyze, inter alia, 500 million more people to gain access to electricity, and 1 billion more people to gain access to clean cooking solutions, as well as a 100 percent increase in renewables capacity globally, no new coal power plans in the pipeline after 2021, 30 million jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and doubling annual clean energy investment globally.
To tackle these large-scale challenges, the Plan identifies seven work areas: 1) scaling up collective UN-Energy action to close the energy access gap and ensure just, inclusive energy transitions that leave no one behind; 2) catalysing multi-stakeholder partnerships by scaling up Energy Compacts, including through the Action Network; 3) growing the momentum, by spearheading a global campaign for SDG 7 action; 4) leading by example, by greening UN-Energy organizations’ operations; 5) convening an annual Global SDG 7 Action Forum on the margins of the UN General Assembly High-level Week in September; 6) informing global agenda-setting by providing analytical inputs and policy guidance to key intergovernmental processes; and 7) leveraging the power of data, digitalization and visualization for strengthening monitoring, tracking, accountability and the communication of results.
The Plan acknowledges that UN-Energy must tap deep into the capacities of its member organizations and build on their activities and networks that will be essential to operationalize the agenda set out, and that UN-Energy organizations will need to mobilize transformative actions by a huge network of diverse stakeholders in order to achieve the level of impact required on the ground.
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