Excellencies,
Dear colleagues,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the high-level launch of two reports aimed at informing intergovernmental discussions on SDG7: Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2023 and the SDG7 Policy Briefs 2023.
Allow me to acknowledge the leadership of Ms. Damilola Ogunbiyi, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, and Mr. Guangzhe Chen, Vice-President for Infrastructure, World Bank, who are both with us here today.
Sustainable energy is key to the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Today, at the mid-point of implementing the 2030 Agenda, the SDGs are in deep trouble.
Only 15% of the assessable SDG targets are on track. All others are progressing too slowly, stagnant, or even going backward. The vast majority of SDG 7 targets fall within this broader group. The Tracking SDG7 report confirms that we are well off-track.
The lack of progress on SDG7 is slowing the achievement of the net-zero emissions required to meet the 1.5 degree objective of the Paris Agreement.
But through rapid acceleration of global efforts in the next 7 years, it is still possible to achieve SDG7 by 2030.
Now must be the time for ambition and action.
People and the planet simply cannot wait.
We must move to swiftly implement the outcomes of the High-level Dialogue on Energy, including the Global Roadmap for Accelerated SDG 7 Action and the Energy Compacts.
In this regard, the SDG7 Policy Briefs provide concrete recommendations for policy action that can help to get the world back on track.
The findings and recommendations in Tracking SDG7 and the SDG7 Policy Briefs will be extremely valuable in informing the review of SDG 7 at this year’s High-Level Political Forum and in guiding the national and global-level commitments expected to emerge from the SDG Summit in September.
I want to congratulate the SDG7 indicator custodians: the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, UN DESA, the World Health Organization and the World Bank, on their excellent work. I also commend the work of the multi-stakeholder SDG7 Technical Advisory Group.
Allow me to acknowledge the leadership of Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, as the chair for this year’s Tracking SDG7 report.
I also want to highlight the leadership of the Co-Facilitators of the SDG7 Technical Advisory Group.
Colleagues,
We must leverage the momentum gained in the lead up to the SDG Summit, the Climate Ambition Summit, and COP28, to strengthen political commitment and scale up action towards meeting the targets of SDG 7 and all related SDGs
To support this effort, the UN development system is rallying all actors behind Energy Compacts, as one of 12 strategically focused high impact initiatives to be featured in the margins of the SDG Summit. By showing that transformative progress is possible, despite global challenges, we aim to mobilise the leadership, investment and action needed to bring progress to scale by 2030.
The outcomes of these processes will further inform the Global Stocktaking on SDG7 next year, as mandated by the UN General Assembly. The stocktaking will be an important opportunity to showcase concrete results and further strengthen transformational action.
Colleagues,
DESA, as the secretariat of UN-Energy, remains committed to strengthening our collaboration within the UN and beyond to accelerate action to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
Let us move forward together to get the world on track to reaching the SDGs by 2030.
Thank you.