on Special Event on International Day of Clean Energy

United Nations

Good morning and thank you very much, ASG Hanif, for the invitation to the President of the General Assembly.

 

President of the ECOSOC Ambassador Thapa,

Also thank you to the co-hosts for this event, Ambassadors of Norway, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Denmark.

 

I am here to deliver remarks on behalf of the President of the General Assembly, who sends her sincere regrets that she cannot be here.

 

This is an issue that is very dear to her heart and so it¡¯s important that I deliver these remarks on her behalf.

 

From COP30 in Bel¨¦m, to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEA7 in Nairobi, to the IRENA Assembly in Abu Dhabi, the President has repeatedly emphasized that the climate crisis is setting us back across all three pillars of our work: peace and security, sustainable development and human rights.

 

Addressing the climate crisis is thus not merely an economic imperative, but the key to ending a vicious cycle that traps people and communities.

 

At the heart of this effort lies the clean energy transition.

 

On a positive note, this transition is already underway¡ªand it is unstoppable.

 

The scale and pace of innovation, coupled with ever-more affordable technologies, means that investing in clean energy is not only the nice, eco-friendly thing to do, but the smart, cost-effective thing to do.

 

The numbers speak for themselves: in 2024, global investments in clean energy amounted to 2 trillion USD ¡ª 800 billion more than in fossil fuels.

 

They are now the fastest-growing source of power, accounting for 90% of new energy installations globally in 2024.

 

The General Assembly has consistently acted to support this transition, and has been unequivocal in its message that clean energy is our future.

 

From the establishment of this International Day of Clean Energy,
to the extension of the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All to 2030,
to the Pact for the Future and our commitment to SDG 7.

 

But we know we have more to do; the energy transition has to move even faster and reach more people, especially those furthest behind… and still waiting on energy at all.

 

Despite our shared conviction, and the clear cost-benefit, the pace of the transition is still insufficient and the world remains dangerously close to overshooting the 1.5-degree Celsius limit set out in the Paris Agreement.

 

Likewise, the deployment of clean energy remains highly uneven.

 

In 2024, Africa received just 2% of global clean energy investment, and added 4.7 gigawatt renewables capacity.

 

Still today, over 600 million Africans lack access to electricity, even though the continent¡¯s renewable energy potential is 50 times greater than the world¡¯s projected electricity demand for 2040.

 

The solutions exist. And globally, the capital exists.

 

The question is rather how to direct investments to where they are needed most.

 

In this regard, the President of the General Assembly will convene a signature event on climate in the spring to build on the current momentum and foster deeper consensus and synergies around climate action.

 

The PGA looks forward to working with partners and building on multilateral achievements.

Like the Paris Agreement.
The Compromiso de Sevilla.
The Doha Declaration.
And the Bel¨¦m Package.

 

Now, our job is to turn these commitments into action, to deliver a world where everyone, everywhere has access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy.

 

So on this International Day of Clean Energy, let us walk this path¡ªtogether¡ªtoward a better, just, sustainable, and energy-secure future for all.

 

I thank you very much.