7th International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development

The Forum was jointly organized by the Government of Azerbaijan, the United Nations Regional Commissions, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (C2E2), and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). The Seventh Forum combined a high-level session with plenary sessions, parallel workshops and site visits over four days. 

The forum assembled up to 300 international energy experts, government officials, and representatives of business community, financial sector, academia and civil society. The objective was to share perspectives on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other pledges, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, can be translated into national contexts for effective implementation.

One of the topics of the plenary sessions of the Seventh Forum focused on RE and its contribution to sustainable development through reduction of carbon intensity of the energy sector while assuring access to the energy needed for development. IRENA organized a half-day session on Central Asia and presented results of the report on renewable energy potential in South East Europe, Renewable Energy Outlook for ASEAN.

The Forum also included an International Renewable Energy Conference and annual sessions of the UNECE Group of Experts on Renewable Energy and Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency.