Sustainable Energy for All Annual Report 2020
Since our inception as a UN initiative in 2011, we have advocated for an energy transition that will end poverty and address climate change. Our efforts helped establish the dedicated Sustainable Development Goal for energy, SDG7, which calls for affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. Helping the world achieve this goal, in full alignment with the Paris Agreement, has been our mission since the SDGs were introduced.
2020 was the start of the final decade to achieve SDG7. Based on data tracked against its three core targets, the world was, and still is, off track to meet this goal. Faced with this reality, and with the UN Secretary-General proclaiming a Decade of Action on the SDGs, we embarked on a new strategy in 2020 under the leadership of our new CEO Damilola Ogunbiyi.
Our new approach to supporting SDG7 success is action- and solution-oriented and has two main lines of work. The first is strengthening global agenda-setting through advocacy and diplomacy. We need political and business leaders to make access to affordable, clean energy one of their top priorities. Through our strong relationship with the UN, we push leaders to make commitments and connect them with the resources and partners they need to act.
We also engage directly with high-impact countries where energy access deficits are highest. Our country engagement is based on specific country needs and goals. We help governments develop plans, policies and regulations conducive to sustainable energy development. We also work with businesses, finance and development partners to identify their needs for investing in a country’s energy sector. We then work with these partners and governments to develop solutions that unlock finance for energy projects.
Our new 3-Year Business Plan organizes this work under 12 Programmes, each with expertise and partners related to specific areas that are integral to a clean, equitable energy transition, allowing us to take a holistic approach to our diplomacy and country engagement.
All of our country work is supported by the data and insights developed under our Programmes and by our partners.
A complete breakdown of the work undertaken by our individual Programmes in 2020 and the results they achieved is available in our 2020 Annual Monitoring Review.
