This situation is all the more concerning as access to
energy is a prerequisite for economic development
and the provision of basic services like lighting
and heating of infrastructure, such as schools and
hospital facilities, cooking and food preservation.
In the words of the former Secretary-General of
the United Nations (UN) Ban Ki Moon, “Energy is
the golden thread that connects economic growth,
social equity, and environmental sustainability”. The
implementation of the UN Sustainable Development
Goal 7 (SDG7) to “ensure access to affordable,
reliable and modern energy for all” is therefore
a priority. Its three main targets are to ensure
universal access to affordable, reliable and modern
energy services, increase substantially the share
of renewable energy in the global energy mix and
double the global rate of improvement in energy
efficiency by 2030.
Supporting the implementation of SDG7 in
developing countries is a priority for the EU’s
development and cooperation policies. The EU has
indeed committed to helping developing countries
provide energy access to 500 million people under
the framework of the global initiative “Sustainable
Energy for all”. Moreover, 30 developing countries,
including 15 in Sub-Saharan Africa, have made of
energy their focal sector of cooperation with the EU
for the 2014-2020 period.
At the same time, developing and least developed
countries have reaffirmed their commitment to
implement the Paris agreement and limit global
warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial
levels, with an aspirational target of 1.5°C.
The need to adopt climate change mitigation
measures and to transform the energy sector, which
remains the largest contributor to global greenhouse
gas emissions, has thus been gathering considerable
momentum. This provides an opportunity to
implement SDG7 in a way that is consistent with
climate objectives. In the “European Consensus on
Development”, which updates the EU’s development
policy framework in order to be consistent with the
SDGs, the EU and its member states recognise that
the objectives of SDG7 and the Paris agreement
are interlinked and pledge to pursue them in their
development policies.
The EU has the capacity to help developing
countries achieve both energy and climate
objectives through a mix of instruments, which
include financial instruments, partnerships and
technical assistance. With the international political
and economic context providing opportunities to
increase its support, the EU can use the tools at its
disposal in a more coherent and efficient way.
The 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23) meeting
in Bonn will be chaired for the first time by a small
island state relying on international support to deal
with the effects of climate change, the Fiji Islands.
Ahead of this meeting, the international community
should have a closer look at how EU pledges have
been implemented so far and what still needs to be
done to improve efforts to achieve SDG7 targets.
