New Initiatives on Renewable Energy Launched at World Government Summit 2019

With thousands of high-level delegates convening in Dubai for the UAE-led global platform dedicated to shaping the future of governments worldwide, this year’s World Government Summit is setting the agenda for the next generation of governments, focusing on how they can harness innovation and technology to solve universal challenges facing humanity. 

One of the Summit’s main areas of focus is the leveraging of knowledge, technology and international cooperation to accelerate the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Opening WGS2019, U.N. Deputy-Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed set the agenda by sending an urgent call to delegates, noting that the achievement of the SDGs is not on track, with potentially life-threatening consequences for billions of people, and serious environmental consequences.

To overcome these challenges, the Summit convenes Global Councils on the SDGs, a unique interdisciplinary network of decision-makers from governments, international organizations, academia and the private sector coming together to share innovative practices and creative solutions needed for the implementation of the SDGs at national and global levels. As Chair of the Global Council on SDG7, the UN goal to ensure access to affordable, reliable and modern energy for all by 2030, the work of IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin supports the development of innovative solutions to harness the potential of renewable energy for energy access, gender equality and the empowerment of women, healthcare, and other goals under the sustainable development agenda. “SDG7 touches on all SDG areas. Through renewable energy solutions we can provide sustainable, low-cost energy to drive the Agenda 2030 forward,” Adnan Amin re-iterated to delegates during WGS19.       

Following a dynamic and highly engaged meeting of the Global Council on SDG7 yesterday, the Council announced a number of new initiatives aimed at shifting SDG implementation into high gear through renewable energy. These include:

• Set up collaboration platform for electrification of health centers – aimed at exploring how renewable energy can overcome pressing health gaps. 
• Promote certification schemes for solar PV technicians - focused on expanding training for technicians to meet growing renewable energy demand. 
• Explore 100% renewable energy pathway - aimed at moving renewable energy penetration far beyond electricity supply into all end use sectors.

IRENA’s Director-General, alongside former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, UN General Assembly President Maria Espinosa and many others, took part in a rich round table discussion on the nexus between climate and health issues convened by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and hosted Minister Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi. Mr Amin reminded the panel that this is the time to propose concrete solutions, and that much greater concrete policy action is needed to accelerate the energy revolution.