Closing Session of Energy Week

Co-Chaired by JoAnne DiSano, Director

Division for Sustainable Development, United Nations

(8 March 2005, New York)

Thank you, Jamal

I am really pleased to be participating in this closing session of Energy Week, and I am particularly pleased to see the linkages between matters discussed here and CSD14. This year we hope to highlight these experiences, lessons and best practices at the 14th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development for which “Energy for Sustainable Development” is a major theme along with climate change, air pollution/atmosphere and industrial development. The importance of these issues for meeting MDGs and Johannesburg commitments cannot be overemphasized.

As you may recall, after the Johannesburg Summit, the Commission changed its mode of work and now operates on a two-year cycle focusing on a review session in the first year and a policy session in the second. In the review session to be held in May, the Commission will identify obstacles and constraints in implementing the decisions member states took with respect to these issues and reflected in Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. During the policy session next year, the Commission will take decisions on options and practical measures to address the constraints identified in the review year and thus expedite implementation in these four areas.

To achieve MDGs and Johannesburg commitments on energy for sustainable development, we need the active cooperation of all stakeholders – governments, industry, the private sector and civil society as well as regional and international institutions. Much of the work highlighted during this Energy Week has showcased not only successful projects and activities, but how communities work together on solving problems. Using renewable energy to improve access to energy in Bangladesh was one example.

In fact, access to reliable, affordable, economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound energy are among the key issues that will be addressed by CSD during this cycle. So lessons learned from Energy Week and experiences gained from the projects we heard about are particularly relevant to CSD-14.

I might add that improving energy acess is an important area of work for the United Nations family. Throughout the U.N. work on energy is guided by decisions taken by the Commission – most notably at its ninth session in 2001 — by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, and, of course, by the decisions taken by the World Summit in 2005. As Olav Kjorven noted this morning, UN agencies active on energy issues and the World Bank are working together within the inter-agency group, UN-Energy.

Energy security, another issue on the agenda for CSD, has also been explored this week and inputs to the Commission are certainly relevant. The many facets of this issue are of interest to both developed and developing countries, and we were pleased to see that a robust discussion of energy security took place during Energy Week.

Intricately linked with energy is climate change and air pollution. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions continues to pose a major challenge for the international community. During Energy Week, many of you suggested renewing efforts to improve energy efficiency, promoting technological innovations, including advanced energy technologies, expanding markets for renewable energy sources and investing in cleaner fuels for transportation. Such efforts will help address air pollution and other atmospheric problems, including trans-boundary air pollution.

There is now a greater engagement on the climate change issue in the context of sustainable development as recently highlighted by actions and decisions of the G8 Gleaneagles Summit and at the 2005 United Nations World Summit in New York has indicated. I want to assure you that we are working closely with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to ensure that CSD-14 adds value on this important issue.

Since industry is a large energy-consuming sector and a significant source of GHG emissions and air pollution, industrial development is likewise linked with energy, climate change, air pollution and other atmospheric problems. The environmental dimensions of industry will therefore be addressed in conjunction with energy, atmosphere and climate change at CSD-14. Corporate Social Responsibility and good governance, issues addressed at the Johannesburg Summit in 2002 and considered here this week, are important aspects of industrial development in the context of sustainable development.

Fostering economic growth in developing countries through broad-based industrial development that creates jobs, including through small- and medium-sized enterprises can make an important contribution to achieving sustainable development goals. Reliable and affordable energy is essential to sustained growth of small and medium enterprises. This is a particular challenge for Sub-Saharan Africa as we heard this morning.

The importance of Partnerships was strongly stressed at the Johannesburg Summit and I am pleased to inform you that a renewed interest and involvement of many in such arrangements has been noted since then. I was particularly pleased to hear from the Government of Italy during this week about launching a new and important partnership during CSD-14 – the Global Bioenergy Partnership – which I’m sure will make a significant contribution in the coming years. We encourage others to follow their lead.

Partnerships of note in the energy area that have been active since Johannesburg and have concrete accomplishments include the World Bank’s Gas Flaring Initiative and the Global Village Energy Partnership in which many of you are active. And many of you are familiar with the work of REN21, REEP and the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles, to name a few.

Many Governments have taken action for achieving sustainable development goals. We heard specific a specific commitment from Minister Van Ardenne of the Netherlands, which certainly does set an example for others to follow. We, at the United Nations, will take up her challenge in maintaining the relevance of the Commission on Sustainable Development to the international community and its role in achieving Agenda 21 and Johannesburg goals. And we invite you, as partners, to join this effort.

In closing, let me assure that we strive to maintain the firmly established CSD practices of inclusiveness, transparency and meaningful and active involvement of all stakeholders. Energy Week is an excellent example of this type of involvement. The intergovernmental considerations of these issues will be greatly enhanced with the hard-edged, practical, on-the-ground experiences which this year’s Energy Week has showcased.

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