United Nations Regional Commissions Urge Immediate and Fair Energy Transition
Click to start listening
Bangkok, Dec 6 (NationPress) As the 13th International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development wrapped up in Bangkok, a coalition of five United Nations Regional Commissions released a joint statement that highlighted the pressing necessity for a just, sustainable, and equitable global energy transition.
The statement reaffirmed a pledge to assist UN member nations in expediting the deployment of renewable energy solutions and enhancing energy efficiency, with the goal of tripling the global renewable energy capacity and doubling the rates of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. This initiative aims to help member states achieve both SDG 7 and the objectives of the Paris Agreement, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The theme for this year’s forum was ‘Taking Action for Just Energy Transition’, emphasizing the urgency of transitioning from promises to actual implementation.
The event convened government officials, industry stakeholders, and experts from five UN regions: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and West Asia.
During her opening remarks, Rola Dashti, the under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, stressed that the energy transition must be fair and inclusive, prioritizing economic opportunities for women, youth, and marginalized communities during policy formulation.
Claver Gatete, the under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, communicated via video link that fostering an accelerated, just, and inclusive energy transition has unlocked vital opportunities for Africa, leading to high-quality job creation and economic growth on the continent.
As the engine of the global economy, Asia plays a pivotal role in the world’s energy transition. However, the continent’s significant population and high levels of carbon emissions present considerable challenges, as noted by China’s special envoy for climate change, Liu Zhenmin.
Liu offered three recommendations to tackle energy transition challenges, which include a structured transformation where Asian nations should implement an orderly structural adjustment to develop a new energy system focused on renewable sources.
He also proposed integrating pollution reduction with carbon mitigation strategies to enable coordinated governance, adding that collaborative platforms for regional energy transition should be established.
