2012: The International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, recognizing that “…access to modern a ffordable energy services in developing countries is essential for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, and sustainable development, which would help to reduce poverty and to improve the conditions and standard of living for the majority of the world’s population.”
In response, the Secretary-General is undertaking action to support the Year through a global initiative on Sustainable Energy for All. The initiative will mobilize action from governments, the private sector, and civil society partners globally. The Secretary-General has set three interlinked objectives for his initiative: ensuring universal access to modern energy services, doubling the global rate of improvement in energy effi ciency, and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. The International Year of Sustainable Energy for All will provide a vital advocacy platform for raising awareness of the challenge.
The UN General Assembly resolution that designates 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All encourages Member States and other actors to increase the awareness of the importance of addressing energy issues and to promote action at the local, national, regional and international levels. Member States are at the heart of the success of the Year. To develop and promote strategies, commitments and activities related to the preparation and observance of the Year, and assume responsibility for reporting back on national contributions to the objectives of the Year, Member States are encouraged to appoint National Coordinating Mechanisms. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has prepared a guidance note to inform the formation of National Coordinating Mechanisms that can be a driving and pivotal force in advocating for commitments and accountability towards the goal of sustainable energy for all. For information on your country’s activities in the Year’s efforts, contact your national United Nations office or the department of public affairs of the agencies responsible for energy in your country. Other resource material regarding the 2012 International Year of Sustainable Energy for All can also be found here.
Sustainable development is not possible without sustainable energy.
One person in five on the planet still lacks access to electricity. Twice that number, three billion people, rely on wood, coal, char coal or animal waste for cooking and heating. In today’s economy, this is inequitable– a major barrier to eradicating poverty. In industrialized countries the energy problem is one of waste and pollution, not shortage. Throughout the world, ine fficient energy use harms economic productivity and energy-related emissions contribute significantly to the dangerous warming of our planet. Climate change puts us all at risk, but it hurts the poor first - and worst.
The key to both challenges is to provide sustainable energy for all – energy that is accessible, cleaner and more efficient.
Sustainable energy for all is an investment in our collective future.
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by James Leslie Cooking on a wood fire has always required a great deal of effort for 48-year-old Pilar Valladolid. She is supported in this duty more
- Power lines run through a rural village Afghanistan. (Photo: NATO) Electrifying Afghanistan
Speaking from Kabul, Moqamuddin Siraj uses a word that is at a premium in Afghanistan: “Momentum.” Siraj, a programme officer with the United Nations Development Programme more
- Solar panels provide heat and electricity for homes in rural Botswana. (Photo: UNDP) Solar power changes families’ lives in Botswana
Until recently, the Mokgatlhe family in Kgope, a remote village situated 50 kilometres west of Botswana’s capital, had been using firewood to light and heat their more
- Villagers in rural Lao PDR now benefit from eco-friendly energy access. (Photo: UNDP) Lao villagers work together to build hydro power plant
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- Solar power in Mali: A miracle for women
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- Stella Fungameza, with one of her three children, can now cook with half the amount of firewood thanks to an energy project piloted by UNDP. (Photo: UNDP) Tanzania: Clay stoves make life easier for rural women
Until January of this year, Stella Fungameza – a 30-year-old mother of three children –wandered into the forest twice a week for 12 hours, bringing home more
