Background
A Special Event of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
Energy can create transformational opportunities. Yet, unprecedented levels of efforts are required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 7 – ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. The twin challenges of universal energy access and a just, inclusive and equitable energy transition can only be solved through a globally coordinated response. Deep and rapid decarbonization of our energy systems must be urgently accelerated to fight against climate change for people and the planet.
The joint launch of Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2023 and the SDG7 Policy Briefs 2023 will inform the review of SDG7 at this year's High-level Political Forum (HLPF), at the halfway mark towards the 2030 deadline for achievement of the SDGs.
The Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report provides the most comprehensive look available at the world’s progress towards global energy targets on access to electricity, clean cooking, renewable energy, and energy efficiency and gives the international community the latest global dashboard to register progress on the SDG7 targets. The report is prepared by the SDG7 Indicator Custodian Agencies - the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), UN DESA, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Policy Briefs on SDG7, compiled by the multi-stakeholder SDG7 Technical Advisory Group, convened by UN DESA, focus on recommendations for advancing SDG7. In addition to six regional analyses of SDG7 progress, the policy briefs include analysis on energy’s interlinkages with other SDGs and on a common framework for a just energy transition.
Together, these reports present a set of recommendations essential for implementing the Global Roadmap for Accelerated SDG7 Action delivered as an outcome of the High-level Dialogue on Energy in 2021. This year’s review of SDG7 will help inform the SDG Summit to strengthen political commitment and scale up action, including by expanding Energy Compacts as one of the High-Impact Initiatives in support of the SDG Summit. It will also provide insights in support of a Global Stocktaking on SDG7 Implementation to take place in 2024, as mandated by the UN General Assembly.
