4 December 2014: Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and CEO of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative, has proposed a new ‘triangular cooperation model’ to transform Africa’s energy sector by linking Africa, China and SE4ALL. The proposal, delivered to environment and development experts at the 2014 China Council, would foster this transformation by scaling-up South-South cooperation to mobilize aid, investment and technological know-how.

In an address to the invitation-only event, Yumkella highlighted the SE4ALL platform as a way to leverage existing Chinese, EU and multilateral development bank investments, noting that “China is in excellent position to share its knowledge and know-how with Africa, the continent with the greatest challenges in energy.” A China Council Task Force, he said, should be established to explore and recommend measures to move the proposal forward.

The China Council, or China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), was created in 1992 as a high-level advisory group for Chinese and other decision makers. The 2014 China Council was held from 1-3 December in Beijing, China, on the theme ‘Management and Institutional Innovation in Green Development.’ [SE4ALL Press Release] [CCICED Website]