ICLEI USA Executive Director Michael Schmitz addressed United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and an audience of national government representatives and UN officials on 24 September, urging them to empower the renewable energy initiatives of local governments in order to achieve the ambitious goals in the Secretary General’s global initiative, Sustainable Energy for All. The High-Level event on Sustainable Energy for All took place on the margins of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York (United States).

“It is imperative that national governments and businesses understand that the road to sustainable energy for all runs through the world’s cities and towns,” said Schmitz. “Local governments can play a catalytic role, replicating and rapidly scaling effective solutions. I believe that local government representatives must be centrally involved in the design and implementation of Sustainable Energy for All strategies. Policy frameworks and investments must strengthen their ability to grow the clean-energy economy.”

Sustainable Energy for All focuses on energy strategies for the developing world, and seeks to engage governments and the private sector to achieve three objectives by 2030: providing universal access to modern energy services; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. Major banks and other partners have already committed more than $50 billion to achieve these goals by investing in developing countries.

For more information, contact don.knapp@iclei.org.