UN Launches New Plan to Accelerate Clean Energy Access for People

As the European countries are striving to get oil and gas from various places instead of Russia, the United Nations has launched a new plan to accelerate the process of providing clean energy to millions around the world.

The UN-Energy Plan of Action sets out a framework for collective action that includes doubling annual clean energy investment globally, and facilitating electricity access for 500 million people, as well as clean cooking solutions for one billion, said a statement released by UN.

It identifies seven areas for work, ranging from scaling up efforts to close the energy access gap, to leveraging the power of data, digitization and visualization for strengthening monitoring, tracking, accountability and communication of results, the statement noted.

According to Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN-Energy co-chair, the plan could not have come at a more critical time.

“The current context has led to a wider understanding of how energy underpins the entire 2030 Agenda. It is paramount that the commitments taken at the 2021 High-Level Dialogue on Energy and COP26 are translated into actions on the ground - especially in support of the most vulnerable,” he said.

UN-Energy will support the Energy Compact Action Network, which brings together nearly 200 governments, businesses, and other civil society partners, to mobilize voluntary commitments made at the high-level dialogue.

Damilola Ogunbiyi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and UN-Energy co-chair, highlighted the platform’s important role.

Meanwhile, Liu Zhenmin, head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and Secretary-General of the 2021 High-level Dialogue on Energy, has welcomed the launch.

“This will help us sustain the momentum by generating concrete action towards clean and affordable energy and net-zero emissions,” he said.

The commitments will drive forward achievement of a just, inclusive energy transition, aimed at ensuring all people have access to clean and affordable energy, in line with the global goals, according to UN.

It's worth mentioning that this decision comes as the world faces what the UN has described as the interlinked triple crises of energy, food and finance arising from the war in Ukraine.