5 February 2014: Speaking at the Asia regional launch of the UN Decade for Sustainable Energy for All (2014-2024), Kandeh K. Yumkella, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) and SE4ALL Initiative Chief Executive, announced at that the first two years of the SE4ALL Decade “will focus on the theme of women, energy and health.”

At the launch, Yumkella further noted that access to modern energy services is fundamental to sustainable development, and that in the area of health care, “it can mean the difference between life and death.” He underscored that in Africa and South Asia “women and children are the most affected and lack of energy is the number two killer of women around the world” due to dangerous indoor air pollution associated with dirty cooking fuels and inefficient stoves.

The announcement was made in New Delhi, India, in the run-up to the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, taking place from 6-8 February 2014 and hosted by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute). [TERI Press Release] [SE4ALL Website]