SEforALL Initiative joins Vienna - Based Organizations to mark 35th Anniversary of United Nations in Vienna

As part of its activities to mark the 35th anniversary of the United Nations Offices in Vienna, UN agencies held an open day to showcase the work of their organizations that has made the Vienna International Centre its headquarters. The open house included a guided tour of "UNO City" as well as an introduction of the newest and youngest member of the UN family in Vienna – the Sustainable Energy for All. Launched in 2011, the initiative will catalyze major investments to speed the transformation of the the world's energy systems, pursue the elimination of energy poverty and enhance prosperity. Guests who visited the SEforALL stand had the opportunity to ask questions and to understand what the initiative does and how it is working around the world to meet its three interlinked global targets of universal access to energy, double the global rate of improvement of energy efficiency and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030. Visitors volunteered their ideas about how to become more energy efficient in their own homes, by switching off appliances, unplugging plugs when going on holidays, turning the thermostat down and going by public transport or bike instead of a car. They were highly interested in small scale lighting solutions on exhibit, like solar lamps for areas that don`t have access to electricity at all as well as the solar suitcase by WE CARE Solar. A partner of the Practitioners Network of SEforALL and an NGO that equips off-grid medical clinics with solar power for medical and surgical lighting, WE CARE Solar, through their yellow Solar Suitcase, facilitates timely and appropriate emergency care, reducing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, and improving the quality of care in remote field hospitals without electricity. This is done by powering various medical devices, overhead LED lighting, charging cell phones, LED headlamps for nurses and doctors and charging batteries with two small solar panels.