Themes
The High-level Dialogue was structured around five over-arching themes, in order to ensure an inclusive process for engagements of Member States and other multi-stakeholders to identify, develop and accelerate action for universal energy access, energy transitions and energy’s interlinkages with other SDGs.
Thematic themes
- Energy access: This theme addressed the need and means for accelerated actions towards universal access to electricity and clean cooking, as well as heating/cooling and other energy services.
- Energy transition: This theme focused on energy sector decarbonization strategies to dramatically increase the application of renewable energy and energy efficiency, including in end use sectors like transport (e.g. renewable powered electric vehicles), while ensuring a just transition, including strategies on coal phase-out.
- Enabling SDGs through inclusive, just energy transitions: This theme focused on maximizing the positive impacts of inclusive and just energy transitions on the achievement of the SDGs, including gender equality, job creation, youth empowerment, agriculture and food systems, health, education, water, and sustainable production and consumption, through coordinated multi-sectoral interventions.
Cross-cutting themes
- Innovation, technology and data: This cross-cutting theme focused on advancing energy access and energy transitions as well as enabling the SDGs through the development and application of data; technology, innovation, research and capacity building measures; as well as integrated policy making and regulation necessary to achieve the Energy Compact commitments and SDG7.
- Finance and investment: This theme focused on how public and private finance and investment can be mobilized and leveraged to achieve the 2025 milestones, SDG7 and carbon neutrality, taking also into consideration enabling mechanisms such as the fiscal response to COVID-19, fossil fuel subsidy reform; green investment regulation; risk management and insurance.
UN-Energy, in collaboration with relevant international organizations and multi-stakeholders, provided technical support for the substantive tracks during the preparatory meetings.