At the African launch of the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, Adnan Amin of IRENA and Achim Steiner of UNEP urged stakeholders to commit to achieving universal access to sustainable energy.
21 February 2012: Speaking at the African launch of the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, Adnan Amin, Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), urged stakeholders to commit to achieving universal access to sustainable energy by 2030 as part of an action agenda.
The event, which was held at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and was attended by a number of high-ranking officials and leaders, called on those present to include universal access as part of their action agenda, stressing the importance of energy for achieving developmental gains in social and economic spheres. They also noted that investment in clean and renewable energy sources provides an opportunity for African countries to leapfrog to modern, efficient technologies.
2012 has been declared the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All by the UN, and is part of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, which provides unique opportunities for business, government and civil society to partner for achieving sustainable energy for all by 2030. Ban has highlighted three interlinked objectives under this initiative, which are to be achieved by 2030: ensuring universal access to energy; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of renewables in the global energy mix. [Sustainable Energy for All Press Release]