Webinar speakers, clockwise from upper left: Shifaana Thowfeequ, Programme Management Officer, UN OHRLLS; Hans Olav Ibrekk, Special Envoy for Climate and Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, and Co-facilitator of the SDG7 TAG (moderator); Rayen Quiroga, Chief, Energy and Water Unit, 缅北禁地ECLAC; Anthony Monga Mehlwana, Economic Affairs Officer, 缅北禁地ECA.
Expert Webinar on "Advancing SDG7: Regional Perspectives from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States"
Moderator Hans Olav Ibrekk opened the webinar by introducing the three policy briefs which had been released online that day. Rayen Quiroga from 缅北禁地ECLAC noted that 16 million people in the Latin America and Caribbean region still lacked electricity and 77 million still lacked clean cooking. Of the primary energy supply, 33% is renewable, but the energy efficiency improvement rate is stagnant. ECLAC recommended that an average of 1.3% of the region’s GDP be invested into the energy transition over a decade, which would enable universal access to electricity from renewables, generate 7 million green jobs and reduce CO2 emissions by 31.5%.
Monga Mehlwana from 缅北禁地ECA stated that 600 million Africans, 43% of the population, lacked access to electricity, mostly in rural areas. 80% of Africans still rely on traditional biomass for cooking, resulting in over 500,000 deaths each year from indoor pollution, with no large-scale improvements seen. ECA was focusing on expediting regulatory reform and developing bankable projects to increase investment in renewables, with an estimated need of $28 billion by 2030, including $13 billion for mini-grids.
Shifaana Thowfeequ from 缅北禁地OHRLLS said that the 92 countries categorized as LDCs, LLDCs or SIDS accounted for two-thirds of all people globally who lack electricity access, but they received less than a third of global financing, with international public financial flows for clean energy falling for the fourth year in a row, down to US$ 10.8 billion in 2021. Electricity access was increasing, but too slowly to reach the SDG7 targets.
Hans Olav Ibrekk wrapped up the webinar by stating that regional differences are part of the energy challenge we face, but across the board we need a quantum leap in investments, in both resources provided and bankable projects to attract and utilize them. The complete recommendations can be found in the policy briefs: