Convening in the margins of the High-Level Week of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), a dedicated forum sought to review progress towards SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), sustain momentum on energy action, and drive ambition in the lead up to the third review of SDG 7 by the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in 2026 and the SDG Summit in 2027, which will kick off official discussions on the direction of sustainable development beyond 2030.
The ENERGYNOW SDG7 Action Forum 2025 highlighted that “progress on SDG 7 targets has been insufficient, with energy poverty, increasing demand, and the need for rapid decarbonization continuing to present major challenges,” the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary report of the meeting notes. Over 660 million people still lack access to basic electricity (85% of them living in Africa), and around two billion people lack access to clean cooking.
At the same time, the Action Forum highlighted successes, including USD 1.6 trillion in investment pledged by 2030 through Energy Compacts – voluntary commitments by countries, businesses, and other actors to advance global clean energy goals. Launched in 2021, the Energy Compacts now number over 200 commitments, ENB writes.
The ENB report points to “widespread recognition that the global community must focus on the interconnectedness of the SDGs, rather than approaching them in silos, in order to make significant progress by 2030.” Given the links between SDG 7 and gender, human health, economic growth, and climate change, in 2024, the UNGA decided to extend the UN Decade of Sustainable Energy for All until 2030 to keep energy at the center of global sustainable development efforts.
The Third Global Report on Climate and SDG Synergies was also presented at the Action Forum. The report finds synergistic allocation of funds could reduce total government spending by up to 40%, generating various other benefits.
The Action Forum consisted of a high-level segment, three plenary sessions, and eight parallel sessions, which addressed, among other issues:
- innovative and dynamic projects being implemented by African youth;
- advances made on gender data in sustainable energy;
- considerations related to ensuring AI systems are efficient, clean, and inclusive;
- work at the water-energy nexus in fields such as agroindustry and utilities; and
- action that can be taken to mainstream gender into energy and development planning.
The ENERGYNOW SDG7 Action Forum 2025 took place from 24-25 September in New York, US. It brought together representatives of government, civil society, the private sector, academia, international organizations, and UN agencies. The Forum was organized by UN-Energy, with support from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). [ENB Coverage of ENERGYNOW SDG7 Action Forum 2025]