The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and partners convened the global launch of two publications on SDG7 (affordable and clean energy for all). The half-day event took place on 1 June 2022 in a hybrid format with in-person participation in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber as well as virtual participation.

The event focused on the theme, ‘Addressing energy’s interlinkages with other SDGs.’ It launched a yearly progress report from the five custodian agencies for SDG7. The report titled, ‘Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report,’ offers a comprehensive assessment of global progress toward the SDG7 targets.

The World Bank is the lead agency for the 2022 progress report. The other SDG7 custodian agencies are: the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the UN Statistics Division (UNSD) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The event also launched a yearly set of policy briefs on SDG7, which aim to identify indicators for the interlinkages between energy and other SDGs and determine what data are needed to measure those indicators. The ‘SDG7 Policy Briefs 2022: Addressing Energy’s Interlinkages with Other SDGs,’ are produced by the SDG7 Technical Advisory Group, with DESA’s Energy Team as secretariat.

Featured speakers during the launch included representatives of the Co-Chairs of the Group of Friends of Sustainable Energy (Denmark, Ethiopia, Norway and Pakistan) and the five custodian agencies. After the opening ceremony and two launch segments, the programme included an interactive segment for interventions from participants.

The SDG7 targets to be achieved by 2030 are:

• Target 7.1: Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services
• Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
• Target 7.3: Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency
• Target 7.a: Enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology
• Target 7.b: Expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy sources for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support.

The event was co-hosted by the Co-Chairs of the Group of Friends of Sustainable Energy. It was convened by DESA in partnership with IEA, IRENA, UNSD, the World Bank Group, and WHO.