28 March 2012: In a report published by First World Petroleum, titled “Kuwait 2012: Global Energy Security Through Dialogue,” Vijay Iyer, World Bank Director for Sustainable Energy and member of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Group on Sustainable Energy for All, has called for stronger private sector engagement as well as renewed policy incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency in developing countries.

The report was published on the occasion of the 13th International Energy Forum (IEF) and the fifth International Energy Business Forum (IEBF). In a chapter titled “Call for Action on Sustainable Energy Access Demands Response,” Iyer notes that, although the financing options and technology are available to alleviate energy poverty, over 1.3 billion people still have no access to electricity. He highlights the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Initiative, which lists three overall goals to be achieved by 2030: universal access to electricity and clean cooking fuels; doubling the share of the world’s energy supplied by renewable sources from 15-30%; and doubling the rate of gain in energy efficiency. He notes that the goals are ambitious but achievable and underscores the need to mutually reinforce the circle of policy incentives and financing to encourage new clean energy technologies and systems, along with energy efficiency measures that help make the new technologies effective and affordable.

Highlighting the role of the World Bank in expanding energy access in the developing world, the chapter calls for greater partnerships between local private sector enterprises, governments, international financial institutions and the civil society in order to effectively act on SE4ALL. [SE4ALL Press Release] [Publication: Kuwait 2012: Global Energy Security Through Dialogue]