SEforALL drafts Energy Access Action Plan for G20

Izmir, Turkey, 2 September 2015: The Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SEforALL) has prepared an Energy Access Action Plan for the G20 group of major economies, after G20 leaders agreed last year to work together for universal energy access. Drawn up at the request of the 2015 Turkish G20 Presidency, the draft plan - written in close collaboration with the African Union and African Development Bank – was presented to the G20’s Energy Sustainability Working Group in Izmir, Turkey, by SEforALL Chief Operating Officer Mohinder Gulati. In their 2014 summit communiqué in Brisbane, Australia, G20 leaders set increased collaboration on energy as one of their priorities and endorsed the G20 Principles on Energy Collaboration. These include an agreement to work together to “Ensure access to affordable and reliable energy for all”. The draft Energy Access Action Plan demonstrates how G20 members can coordinate and step up action towards Sustainable Development Goal 7, "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all," which is set to be adopted by the UN General Assembly later this month. The final version of the Plan, which would be a voluntary collaboration mechanism for G20 members, is expected to be endorsed during the G20 Energy Ministers Meeting on 2 October in Istanbul. SEforALL's Global Tracking Framework 2015 shows that 1.1 billion people worldwide have no access to electricity, while 2.9 billion rely on dangerous and polluting solid fuels for cooking. The Energy Access Action Plan aims to strengthen G20 collaboration on energy access issues in a flexible way, taking into account existing initiatives to tackle energy poverty. The first phase highlights a number of possible options that G20 members could endorse or adopt to support energy access in sub-Saharan Africa, where two-thirds of people live without electricity. These include sharing knowledge, experience and best practices on policy and the regulatory environment; development, dissemination, and deployment of technology; investment and finance; capacity building; regional integration; and coordination and collaboration. Future phases could focus on other regions and emphasize additional areas such as clean cooking solutions and women’s and children’s health. The draft Plan received support from the International Energy Agency (IEA), World Bank, Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), International Energy Forum (IEF), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), International Gas Union (IGU), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP), European Union Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI PDF), the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP), the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and the Energy Charter. Photo credit: Nadia Todres/Solar Electric Light Fund