On 12 July 2023, SDG 7 underwent its second review, building upon its initial assessment in 2018. The official session, held under the theme “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels,” placed a strong emphasis on effective and inclusive recovery measures to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite the latest data revealing that the world is currently off track to achieve any of the SDG7 targets, the session aimed to provide actionable policy guidance for the comprehensive implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs at all levels.
In support of the review, the SDG 7 Technical Advisory Group (TAG) issued a policy brief “Ensuring Universal Energy Access and Advancing Just, Inclusive and Equitable Energy Transitions “. The brief identifies the following urgent actions needed to turn the promise of SDG 7 into reality:
- Immediately do what is necessary to provide everyone with access to electricity.
- Mobilize decisive global action towards addressing the issue of clean cooking – an area that has seen only minimal progress in recent years.
- Urgently accelerate just, inclusive and equitable energy transitions, worldwide.
- Triple investment flows for clean energy.
- Dramatically scale-up investment flows to the most vulnerable countries.
- Boost the overall impact of energy action by better capitalizing on the links between SDG7 and other SDGs, as well as the links between the SDG7 targets on energy access, efficiency and renewable energy.
- Invest in transformative partnerships that can rapidly expand progress towards SDG7.
- Prioritize gender equality and women’s empowerment by giving the utmost importance to ensuring equal representation of women in energy sector decision-making and the sector’s workforce.
- Strengthen regional cooperation.
- Establish a permanent platform for intergovernmental dialogues on energy at the United Nations, with the strong engagement of business, civil society, youth and other stakeholders.
