Concluding three days of considering a broad range of recommendations from the Special Policy Studies, CCICED members and other participants were ready to tackle the 2024/25 period and the new set of eight agreed research themes.

In close to 20 sessions, ministers and stakeholders held a variety of discussions on incentivizing action toward realizing SDG7 in line with net-zero goals. Among other issues, sessions focused on ensuring Africa's critical mineral resources benefit Africans, gender equity in the energy transition, and how energy could be addressed in a post-2030 agenda.

Participants lauded the progress made in improving energy access and boosting renewables, but emphasized the world is still not on track to achieve SDG7.

Released on the eve of the 2023 High-level Political Forum’s in-depth review of SDG7 progress, Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2023 highlights that growth in the number of people with access to energy is not at the rate it needs to be to achieve the SDG target, with only 92% of global population expected to have energy access by 2030.