Author Senay Habtezion

Year of publication 2012

The United Nations General Assembly has designated 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. To support the Year, the Secretary-General is undertaking action through a new global initiative, ‘Sustainable Energy for All’, which has set three interlinked objectives: to ensure universal access to modern energy services; to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and to double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. Given the importance of energy in climate change mitigation, reducing poverty, meeting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), fuelling economic growth, and bridging inequality, this initiative has the potential to address three fundamental needs in line with its objectives: to spur economic growth and create jobs; to expand opportunities to those who do not have access to energy; and to move towards more efficient, lower-carbon energy options that are more sustainable.