The High-Level Dialogue on Energy 2021: A Year of Energy Action was launched on 10 March 2021. It is the first global meeting on energy under the auspices of the UN General Assembly since 1981.

The UN-HLDE aims to promote the implementation of the energy-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Read more about its mandate here.

Secretariat: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA)
Chair: António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
Co-Chair: Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UNSG for SEforAll

THEMES

The High-level Dialogue is structured around five themes for the Member States and other stakeholders to identify, develop and accelerate action for universal energy access, energy transitions and energy’s interlinkages with other SDGs.

• Energy access
• Energy transition
• Enabling SDGs through inclusive, just energy transitions
• Innovation, technology and data
• Finance and investment
• Each theme comprises a set of Member State Global Theme Champions; a Technical Working Group (TWG) of government entities, multilateral agencies, private sector, and civil society; and a Ministerial-level Thematic Forum.

The Global Champions will:

Raise awareness and inspire action to achieve clean energy for all by 2030 (SDG7)
Help mobilise voluntary Energy Compacts from the Member States, businesses, cities, etc.
Co-host a series of ministerial-level thematic forums

ENERGY TRANSITION

The Energy Transition theme is focused on energy sector decarbonisation strategies to dramatically increase the application of renewable energy and energy efficiency, including in end-use sectors, while ensuring a just transition.

The Global Theme Champions for Energy Transition are Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, India, Nigeria, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom | Video

The Co-Leads of the Energy Transition theme are the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP).

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India is the nodal Ministry for India’s participation at the UN-HLDE 2021.

The Permanent Mission of India to the UN, New York (PMI-NY) is coordinating with the UN-HLDE Secretariat on behalf of the Government of India.

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) is the MNRE’s Knowledge Partner for this endeavour.

The Preparatory Process

Technical Working Group (TWG)
Each theme is supported by a multi-stakeholder TWG to provide substantive recommendations on related issues; each Group will produce a Thematic Report which will contribute towards an action-oriented SDG7 roadmap to 2030.

Ministerial-level Thematic Forums
These Forums will convene key stakeholders virtually between 21-25 June 2021 as a major milestone on the road to the UN-HLDE in September 2021. Ministers of national governments and leaders from business, cities, civil society and youth organisations will showcase solutions and partnerships on each theme and present Energy Compacts of their voluntary commitments and actions.

Ministerial-level Thematic Forums An inter-agency report on accelerating SDG7 will be prepared with the support of UN-Energy and relevant stakeholders as reference material for the UN-HLDE.

Outcomes

A forward-looking statement setting out a global roadmap for concrete actions to ensure access to clean, affordable energy for all (SDG7) by 2030, in support of the Decade of Action. The roadmap will be based on the recommendations of the five Technical Working Groups and informed by the Ministerial Thematic Forums.

Energy compacts are voluntary commitments from the Member States and non-state actors, such as companies, regional and local governments, NGOs, and others, that comprise the specific actions they will take to support progress on SDG7.

Read more about India’s Energy Compacts | Energy Compact Template | Overview Deck | Guiding Principles