Governments, businesses and civil society organizations have made tremendous strides in bringing affordable and clean energy to more people in recent years, but this progress has been largely uneven and must be accelerated in order to leave no one behind, says a new collection of policy briefs compiled by the multi-stakeholder SDG 7 Technical Advisory Group (SDG7-TAG) of which Hivos and Energia are member.

Policy briefs

The policy briefs, “Accelerating SDG 7 Achievement: SDG 7 Policy Briefs in Support of the High-level Political Forum 2019”, focus on the links between SDG 7 and the SDGs under review at the upcoming High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July. Key findings include:

• US$1.3 to $1.4 trillion per year is required to meet SDG 7, more than twice the current level. Current investment is not spread equally.
• More than 230 million children go to primary schools without any electricity, compromising educational and development outcomes.
• Energy efficiency and renewable energy investments continue to act as robust socio-economic drivers. Employment in renewable energy stood at 10.3 million in 2017 and could reach potentially 24 million by 2030.

Closing the energy access gap to benefit the remaining unserved people will be challenging. Maintaining and extending the pace of progress will require strong political commitment, long-term energy planning, stepped-up private financing, and adequate policy and fiscal incentives. Sheila Oparaocha, Executive Director of Energia and co-facilitator of the SDG 7 Technical Advisory Group, said: “We have been witnessing tremendous progress in the adoption of renewable technologies, along with rapid cost declines and strategic shifts in policies that are transforming energy systems in many parts of the world. Though we have strong momentum, we must continue to mobilize greater political will and cooperation, as well as higher levels of public and private investments in a sustainable energy future.”

Midpoint review UN Decade of Sustainable Energy for All

The policy briefs are being issued at the midpoint review of the UN Decade of Sustainable Energy for All 2014-2024, 23-24 May. During the review, experts from all sectors, including governments, the energy sector, civil society (among whom Hivos and Energia) and the UN system will discuss major issues and demonstrate action related to the implementation of the Decade, with a focus on the links between SDG 7 and the other SDGs.

This article is composed with texts from the article ‘Global progress on affordable and clean energy must be accelerated in order to close energy gap, new report says‘. It was originally published on Hivos website and can be accessed here.