14 April 2011: Accepting an award on behalf of the UNFCCC Secretariat at this year’s Energy Efficiency Global Forum, in Brussels, Belgium, Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, observed that the Cancun Agreements provide an important step forward in international climate change policy, but noted the urgent need to raise the level of ambition.

She highlighted barriers to energy efficiency, including market imperfections, particularly split incentives and access to technology. She called for a concerted global effort towards energy efficiency, underlining the important contribution that energy efficiency can make to a climate-safe world, especially towards increasing the level of ambition in a cost-effective way. [Figueres’ Statement]