12 November 2014
UN Regional Commissions Issue Joint Statement for Accelerated Sustainable Energy Transition
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At the Fifth International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development, the Executive Secretaries from the UN Regional Commissions signed a joint statement calling on their respective Member States to spur a faster transition to sustainable and fair energy.

The statement focuses on three areas for improvement, namely, energy efficiency, renewable energy and access to modern energy services

unece-unescap-uneclac-uneca0escwa7 November 2014: At the Fifth International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development, the Executive Secretaries from the UN Regional Commissions signed a joint statement calling on their respective Member States to spur a faster transition to sustainable and fair energy. The statement focuses on three areas for improvement, namely, energy efficiency, renewable energy and access to modern energy services.

Officials from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) gathered for the Forum, which took place from 4-7 November 2014, in Hammamet, Tunisia.

The Secretaries emphasized that policies need to be redesigned to promote renewable energy, energy efficiency progress needs to be accelerated and more resources are needed to boost energy access. In the context of the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative, the statement stresses that these actions are imperative to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, address climate change and achieve sustainable development.

The Forum focused on building the capacities of countries to implement these actions, as well as giving private companies investment opportunities in energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Regional Commissions organized a workshop on ‘Promoting Energy Efficiency Investments for Climate Change Mitigation and Sustainable Development’ during the Forum. In another joint event, a high-level panel discussed ‘Energy Policies and International Cooperation to Achieve Objectives of the SE4ALL Initiative.’ [Forum Webpage] [UNECE Press Release] [UNESCAP Press Release] [Joint Statement]


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