17 October 2014: The UN Secretary-General’s report on the ‘UN Decade of Sustainable Energy for All’ (SE4ALL) has been presented to the Second (Economic and Financial) Committee of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The report (A/69/395), presented on 15 October in New York, US, lays out a global plan of action for the Decade and suggests ways to realize SE4ALL in support of the post-2015 development agenda.

The report was introduced by Minoru Takada of the SE4ALL initiative, on behalf of Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for SE4ALL, who: noted the recent recommendation by the Open Working Group (OWG) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to establish a SDG on energy, with a focus on energy access, energy efficiency and renewable energy; explained that the UN Secretary-General, at the request of UNGA, has taken the lead in coordinating the Decade’s activities; and outlined activities in support of the Decade globally.

The report, prepared on the basis of input from Member States and stakeholders, presents: the background on the issues, including energy and sustainable development, actions and activities leading up to and in support of the Decade, and the mandate of the Decade; and a global plan of action for the Decade, including establishing strategic objectives, an outline of activities and focus areas, and milestones and tracking of progress. The report also includes an explanation on organizational arrangements for the Decade, and conclusions and recommendations.

On recommendations, the report, inter alia: calls for scaled-up actions through public-private partnerships to mobilize finance and incentivize technology deployment; stresses the need for significant capacity building support for developing countries; suggests using the SE4ALL Global Tracking Framework for developing a tracking, monitoring and reporting system for a SDG on energy; and informs that an international not-for-profit organization, as a long-term structure for SE4ALL, will be put in place during 2015.

The Decade, lasting from 2014 to 2024, was declared by the UNGA in 2012. [SE4ALL Press Release] [SE4ALL Introductory Statement] [Publication: United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All: Report of the Secretary-General]