3 November 2014: The Global Facilitation Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative was launched on 3 November, in Vienna, Austria, by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The establishment of the office represents a key step in the institutionalization of SE4ALL, which seeks to ensure universal energy access, a doubling of the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix, and a doubling of the rate of energy efficiency improvements globally, by 2030.

The Secretary-General outlined the tasks for the office in 2015, namely, contributing to UN goals and objectives by helping to: implement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); shape the future development agenda through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and reach a global agreement on climate change.

He affirmed that SE4ALL enjoys strong support from states, business and civil society, and explained the importance of each group: “governments set the priorities and create the policy framework, providing the lever that can generate private investments. Business is an essential partner, critical to achieving tangible results. And civil society has a key role in helping us to reach those most in need and providing appropriate services.”

Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for SE4ALL, said that the office will ensure continued coherence in the UN’s efforts to pursue the SE4ALL goal in the post-2015 development agenda. The Governments of Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Korea, Norway, Sweden and the UK, as well as the EU, contributed to the establishment of the office. [SE4ALL Press Release] [UN Press Release] [IISD RS Stories on SE4ALL]