Ministerial Conference - Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Energy and
8th International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development

The Eighth International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan from 11-14 June. The Forum is being held against the backdrop of the EXPO 2017 “Future Energy” which is taking place from 10 June to 10 September in Astana. The annual Forum, organized by the five UN Regional Commissions since 2010, provides the opportunity to explore how the UN system can help countries and the business sector to implement or pursue sustainable agendas.

The Eighth Forum will provide an opportunity to reflect on the agreements and activities to date and further pursue a common agenda towards meeting the challenge of sustainable energy. The Forum will open with an Energy Ministerial Conference on “Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Energy,” on 11 June. The Energy Ministerial will include ministerial dialogues on: energy security, regional trade and infrastructure; the energy-climate-food nexus; renewable energy in Central Asia; and promoting new technologies and innovations.

The main objectives of the interactive ministerial dialogues will be to: raise the importance of the regional context in attaining sustainable energy goals; solidify the understanding of the role of fossil fuels in future energy systems; explore plausible pathways for countries to attain sustainable energy; bring the voices of Central Asia and the Caucasus to the energy and climate discussions; and adopt a Ministerial Declaration with the participating ministers. The actions called for in the Ministerial Declaration are commitments by countries to pursue coherent, holistic, coordinated, and integrated energy policies and to implement programmes that tackle global energy problems, thereby accelerating the transition to an affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy system.

During the Forum and its opening Energy Ministerial, Ministers, high-level delegations and leading energy experts will explore: how to drive change; the role of, and need for, regional cooperation and planning; and the imperative for nexus solutions as part of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly the interplay between fossil fuels, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.