The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has set out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets, which jointly constitute a comprehensive plan of action for people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership.
SDG7 is a first-ever universal goal on energy, with targets on access, efficiency, renewables and means of implementation. Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all is crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, from its role in the eradication of hunger and poverty, through advancements in health, education, inclusive growth, sustainable cities, water supply, infrastructure, industrialization, etc., to combating climate change.
The UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development is the central platform within the United Nations system for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Member States regularly undertake in-depth reviews, including through Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), to assess progress at the country level towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs.
To facilitate stocktaking of progress to-date and to seek advice on the technical preparation of the review of SDG 7 and its interlinkages with other SDGs at HLPF, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), as the secretariat for HLPF, through its Division for Sustainable Development Goals, has convened a multi-stakeholder Technical Advisory Group on Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7-TAG).
In July 2018, SDG7 on energy was reviewed for the first time at HLPF. As a technical input, the SDG7-TAG prepared the 27 Policy Briefs that explored progress toward SDG7 implementation, interlinkages between SDG7 and other SDGs, and regional perspectives, culminating into a Global Agenda for Accelerated SDG7 Action.
In 2019, the first High-Level Political Forum under the auspices of the General Assembly -SDG Summit, was convened to assess progress achieved since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in September 2015 and provided leadership and guidance on the way forward that would help accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.
Terms of Reference can be found here
