24 November 2014: Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Initiative, provided a progress report and highlighted recent developments for UN Member States and other stakeholders.

Speaking at UN Headquarters in New York, US, on 21 November 2014, he said energy is centrally placed among the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and momentum is continuing to grow, with more than 100 countries, including 85 developing countries, joining SE4ALL as partners. He also noted the launch of the Global Energy Efficiency Accelerators platform.

The progress report stated that SE4ALL has also: established a partnership between private banks, multilateral and national development banks, and institutional investors to mobilize an additional US$120 billion a year; and built a strong network of eight thematic and regional hubs within existing institutions to support implementation. In addition, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), as the SE4ALL renewables hub, has launched the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Lighthouse Initiative and the African Clean Energy Corridor.

Furthermore, the European Commission (EC) and several European countries committed to reduce energy poverty by more than 500 million people within two decades, while the US Power Africa initiative and SE4ALL signed a Memorandum of Understanding to stimulate stronger cooperation in Africa. These commitments alone, it was reported, could potentially halve energy poverty by 2030.

During the update, Ambassador Masood Khan of Pakistan, co-leader of the discussion, said that SE4ALL could act as a catalyst, especially for delivering on the proposed energy SDG.

Forty-three SE4ALL Rapid Assessments or Gap Analyses have been carried out, describing energy profiles of partner countries. In addition, 50 ‘high-impact opportunities’ have been identified by private sector partners, including those related to: clean energy mini-grids; phase-out of gas flaring; energy and women’s health; universal adoption of clean cook stoves; sustainable bioenergy; and water-energy-food nexus. A framework has been developed for formalizing the scope, relationships, roles, responsibilities, accountabilities and monitoring and evaluation of these areas.

In addition, businesses and investors have committed more than US$50 billion to achieve SE4ALL’s objectives, civil society is getting involved through the SE4ALL Energy Access Practitioner Network and a Global Tracking Framework has been developed. The 2nd SE4ALL Forum is scheduled for May 2015. [SE4ALL Press Release] [SE4ALL Website] [IISD RS Story on Launch of Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform] [IISD RS Story on Launch of SIDS Lighthouse Initiative and Africa Clean Energy Corridor]