15 June 2022 – After two days of broad and rich discussions, the first Global Symposium on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions came to a successful close.

A total of 400 participants, of which 250 attended on-site, including experts and innovators from governments, international organizations, businesses, civil society and academia, took center stage to share and explore case studies and best practices on integrated policy, technical and managerial approaches that addressed the sustainable use of water and energy.

Building on the achievement to-date, UN DESA and Itaipu Binacional also announced their mutual commitment of enhancing cooperation over the coming 5 years.

The joint launch of the SDG7 Tracking Report 2022 and the SDG7 Policy Briefs 2022 informs the High-level Political Forum (HLPF), the follow up to the High-level Dialogue on Energy, the Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs, and the implementation of the UN Decade of Sustainable Energy for All 2014-2024.

The 2022 SEforALL Forum was the landmark global gathering bringing people together to take stock of progress, showcase success and identify solutions to achieve faster, broader gains towards sustainable energy for all. In this event, organized by UN DESA, the Secretariat of UN-Energy and the Office of the UN SRSG for Sustainable Energy for All engaged with representatives of Member States to the UN to discuss challenges of ending energy poverty, achieving just energy transitions in alignment with the Paris Agreement, and discussed Energy Compacts’ roles in advancing this purpose.

Building on the momentum from the 2021 High-level Dialogue on Energy, the UN took a major step to catalyse the large-scale action and support needed for the transition to clean, affordable energy for all and net-zero emissions by launching two major initiatives on 4 May 2022 that aim to deliver on the commitments outlined in the Global Roadmap for Accelerated SDG 7 Action.

“On 24 September 2021, more than 130 global leaders, including Heads of State and Government, Ministers, executive heads of UN entities and international organizations, CEOs and other multi-stakeholder representatives, joined the High-level Dialogue on Energy, announcing ambitious targets, transformational actions and bold investments towards achieving universal energy access and net-zero emissions.

One of the main outcomes of the Dialogue was the first-ever global roadmap for accelerated SDG 7 action which presents a clear strategy for the achievement of universal energy access and energy transition by 2030, including a set of concrete and practical milestones.”

The first meeting of the High-Level Coalition on Health and Energy, convened by the WHO Director-General. The meeting provided the opportunity to kick-off high-level cooperation to identify concrete steps to promote clean cooking and electrification of healthcare facilities and to promote the role better energy access plays in achieving universal health coverage. At the meeting, over 20 leaders, including ministers of health and energy, heads of international organizations and senior representatives from civil society institutions endorsed a Strategic Roadmap on Health and Energy.

Hosted by the Group of Friends of Sustainable Energy, this joint launch event of the SDG7 Tracking Report and the SDG7 Policy Briefs was intended to inform the discussions in support of the High-level Political Forum in July, the High-level Dialogue on Energy in September, the Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs, and the implementation of the UN Decade of Sustainable Energy for All 2014-2024.

The virtual launch marked the start of the substantive preparatory process for the High-level Dialogue on Energy 2021.

The first meeting of the Technical Working Group on Innovation, Technology, and Data discussed ways to radically change the energy system to reach net zero emissions by 2050 while leaving no one behind. The group grappled with diverging views on the future role of fossil fuels and emphasized the need to inclusively build skills not only for technical work but also for leadership roles.

The first meeting of the Technical Working Group on Finance and Investment focused on the potential of blended finance to rapidly increase support for clean energy, and ways to reach more than the “low-hanging fruit” of SDG 7 through energy investments for countries and communities that need it most.

The first meeting of the Technical Working Group on Enabling SDGs through Inclusive, Just Energy Transitions focused on how SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) can help advance the other SDGs. Speakers stressed the need to focus on inclusion.

The first meeting of the Technical Working Group on Energy Access focused its discussion on how to accelerate electrification and clean cooking. The Working Group is one of five groups that are preparing recommendations to be presented to the High-Level Dialogue on Energy, which will be convened by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2021.

Participants in the first meeting of the Technical Working Group on Energy Transition shared ideas on key sectors and actions the Working Group should include in its recommendations for a roadmap to achieve the global energy goals included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The UN-Energy Principals meeting was held virtually on 9 December 2020. UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All Damilola Ogunbiyi, in their capacity as the UN-Energy Co-Chairs provided opening remarks and presented the strategic direction for UN-Energy and its revitalization. The Co-chairs underlined the UN-Energy’s critical role in the year ahead in launching markable and ambitious partnerships in the lead up to the High-Level Dialogue on Energy 2021 and beyond. The UnderSecretary-General for UN DESA LIU Zhenmin, in his capacity as the Dialogue SecretaryGeneral, gave an update on the High-Level Dialogue preparatory process.