25 September 2012
High-level Event on SE4ALL Emphasizes New Partnerships, Need for Implementation
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Ban said the High-level Group he had appointed to guide the Initiative in its first year had surpassed his expectations, and that in order to build on this momentum, he has established an Advisory Board to provide strategic guidance for the next phase.

He announced that he will Chair the Board along with Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank.

24 September 2012: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened a high-level meeting on sustainable energy for all (SE4ALL), during which speakers welcomed developments in the governance of the SE4ALL initiative, highlighted new kinds of partnerships being forged around sustainable energy, and called for a move from commitments to tangible impact. Ban also announced changes to the governance of the initiative for its implementation phase.

The event took place at UN Headquarters in New York, US, on 24 September 2012.

Ban said the High-level Group he had appointed to guide the Initiative in its first year had surpassed his expectations, and that in order to build on this momentum, he has established an Advisory Board to provide strategic guidance for the next phase. He announced that he will Chair the Board along with Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank. Kim’s appointment marks an era of closer cooperation between the UN and the Bank, Ban noted. He also announced the creation of an Executive Committee to be chaired by Chad Holliday, formerly the Co-Chair of the SE4ALL Group. In addition, Ban appointed Kandeh Yumkella, the other former Co-Chair, as his Special Representative for SE4ALL and its Chief Executive. Finally, Ban established a global support team for coordination among SE4ALL partners.

Jim Yong Kim said renewable energy, in particular electricity, was a key answer to the question at the heart of a newly launched World Bank campaign, titled “What will it take to end poverty?” He said the World Bank will increase its action in three areas: financing, knowledge and policy, and bringing together potential partners.

Helen Clark, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), called for SE4ALL to be fully grounded in efforts to accelerate progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 and carefully considered in the post-2015 agenda. She said country-led processes with diverse partners will be critical, and noted the power of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Holliday recognized the UN Foundation’s role as a catalyst for the Initiative. Yumkella said the new challenge is to move from commitments to energy and kilowatt hours for real people. He reiterated the call to make sustainable energy part of the post-2015 development agenda.

Of more than 25 speakers, almost all highlighted commitments, drew attention to recent progress, or announced an upcoming event. For example, small island developing States (SIDS) announced new commitments to renewable energy and carbon-neutrality, and asked for financial help from other countries and development banks to help realize these goals. Brazil announced new financial and technological support for fellow developing countries. Germany and Switzerland both welcomed the Global Climate Fund to be based in their countries. Many speakers emphasized that energy is a prerequisite for development, and that the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All (2012) had raised the profile of the issue.

Meanwhile, India discouraged “artificial deadlines” that would amount to renegotiating the outcome of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), Venezuela said the Initiative should better reflect the needs of oil producing countries and the importance of “traditional” sources of energy for many economies, and UAE cautioned the SE4ALL initiative against duplicating the work of other entities.

High-level statements also were made on behalf of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Energia, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).

Closing the event, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson highlighted that the new leadership arrangements had truly brought the UN and Bretton Woods Institutions together, and that such partnerships are the key to meeting current global challenges.

Also released at the High-level Event was the September 2012 Report of the Co-Chairs upon the conclusion of their service, and an advance unedited copy of the Report of the Secretary-General on the International Year of SE4ALL. [IISD RS Sources] [UN Webcast of High-level Event] [Statement of UNDP Administrator] [Statement of UN Secretary-General] [Statement of Deputy Secretary-General] [SE4ALL Press Release] [World Bank Press Release] [UNIDO Press Release] [Twitter Feed on SE4ALL]

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