Excellencies,
Dear colleagues,
It is my honour to welcome you to today¡¯s special event.
I extend my gratitude to the Ambassador Paruyr, Vice-President of ECOSOC for joining us today.
My sincere appreciation goes to the Co-Chairs of the Group of Friends of Sustainable Energy ¡ª Denmark, Ethiopia, Norway and Pakistan ¡ªfor their dedicated leadership.
I commend the leadership of UN-Energy Co-chairs for advancing the UN¡¯s collective work on SDG7.
As Chair of this year¡¯s Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the SDG7 indicator custodian agencies, as well as to the members of the SDG7 Technical Advisory Group.
Excellencies,
With only less than five years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda, the need to accelerate implementation has never been greater.
The review of SDG 7 yesterday highlighted both the progress achieved since 2015 and the immense scale of challenges ahead. Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026 shows that 655 million people still lack access to electricity, and 2 billion people remain without access to clean cooking fuels and technologies.
The SDG7 Policy Briefs, to be launched today, provide clear, targeted recommendations to advance sustainable energy while generating critical co-benefits across the broader 2030 Agenda.
Our task is clear: we must move from incremental progress to accelerated implementation.
The UN General Assembly has laid a strong foundation for action. The UN Decade of Sustainable Energy for All and its Global Plan of Action provide a shared framework for accelerating progress.
To support these efforts, UN-Energy has launched the Work Programme 2026-2030. This shared strategic framework will mobilize partnerships, coordinate efforts, and drive accelerated implementation through the end of this decade.
As the secretariat for UN-Energy, my department, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, remains fully committed to strengthening UN coordination to advance SDG 7.
Dear colleagues,
The Seventh Global Conference on Climate and SDG Synergies, held in Bangkok last week, delivered a clear message: climate action and energy security must advance in tandem. This imperative is equally vital for the upcoming COP31 in Antalya.
Looking ahead, the SDG Summit 2027 will be a pivotal opportunity to accelerate implementation in the final stretch to 2030, while laying the foundation for sustained action well beyond.
Let us strengthen our collective resolve to expand access to clean and affordable energy, ensuring that the opportunities and benefits of the just energy transition are truly shared by all.
Thank you.