World Energy Council shape global energy agenda at 2017 United Nations Sustainability For All Forum

As global energy leaders reflect back on 2016, the World Energy Council participated in the United Nations Sustainable Energy For All Forum (UNSEforALL), held 3 to 4 April in New York under the theme of Going Further, Faster – Together”, the event was built as a marketplace to help broker new partnerships and ideas, spur investment and drive action towards sustainable energy and realising Sustainable Development Goal 7 on energy.

Welcoming over a 1000 participants contributing to shaping the energy agenda with a focus on energy efficiency, access and renewables, the Forum was the occasion for the Council to strengthen its thought leadership role as an official UN consultative energy body since 1953. In bringing understanding of the energy reality – through a preview of the 2017 Issues Monitor - the event was an opportunity for the Council to highlight key findings, share best practice and facilitate dialogue between energy leaders. Key themes included: disruptive business and financing models, rural electrification entrepreneurs, renewable energies and innovators.

 

It was also a chance for the Council to showcase its pivotal role in facilitating actionable partnerships for sustainable energy through the Council’s unique bottom up network, and open opportunities for future collaborations with communities that currently do not form the core of our network.

 

Activities included key speaking roles for the Council’s leadership. Secretary General Dr Christoph Frei, moderated the first global session on Monday 3 April focusing on energy productivity which included speakers such as Francesco Starace, CEO ofENEL, Patrick Oliva, SVP Michelin and J.Tanaka from EBRD.

This provided an occasion for the Council to preview the 2017 World Energy Issues Monitor key findings to a wide and influential audience showing that disruptive innovative trends are defining new energy realities.

Dr Frei also held bilateral meetings with F. Starace (ENEL) to pursue and deepen our partnership with them (GP); Asia Development Bank to potentially expand the funding already provided by the bank for a China provincial Trilemma deep dive to India and explore wider opportunities; and with Christian Zinglersen, the new Head of Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), to explore further collaboration with the Council, particularly ahead of CEM8 in Beijing.

Discussions also focused on the creation of new World Energy Council national member committees in Burkina Faso or Zambia, and collaborations with new energy communities that are increasingly relevant in the context of the energy transition such as innovators and rural entrepreneurs.

 

Philip Lowe, Chair of the Council’s World Energy Trilemma study group, participated in the session ‘Knowledge into Action’ focusing on how leaders are using ambitious policies and incentives to harness the potential of energy efficiency. Speakers included the CEO of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as well as the Vice President of Nike.

A dedicated workshop for the Council’s 2017 World Energy Trilemma report around the potential for scaling distributed energy sources, and bilateral meetings with existing and potential new partners, was held with a targeted audience creating the opportunity for more than 5 informative interviews to feed the new 2017 Trilemma report.