A proposal from civil society and movements For a World Sustainable Energy for All Day

2) Convergences

* The report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, held by the United Nations from 26 August to 4 September 2002, is very explicit in this regard. Paragraph 9 of the second chapter of its Implementation Plan (Poverty Eradication) outlines actions to be taken on energy to eradicate poverty (see Annex).

* The UN's position on the importance of access to energy for sustainable development was reinforced at the United Nations General Assembly on December 20, 2010, with resolution 65/151 proclaiming the year 2012 International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, not as an end in itself but as the beginning of initiatives to achieve by 2030, the eradication of energy poverty. To promote the use of all sources of energy and mobilize the international community and global civil society on central energy issues for sustainable development and development agenda development, the United Nations General Assembly has adopted, in 2012 unanimously, a resolution making the 2014-2024 Decade a "Decade of Sustainable and Renewable Energy for All". By adopting this text entitled "Promotion of new and renewable sources of energy", the General Assembly wished once again to demonstrate its determination to act to make access to renewable energy sources a reality for all.

* On January 16, 2012, at the upcoming World Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged governments, the private sector and civil society to support the Sustainable Energy for All initiative. His call was part of the launch of the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. "This is the right moment for this initiative. Around the world, we are seeing momentum to implement concrete actions that reduce energy poverty, boost sustainable economic growth and reduce the risks of climate change. Ensuring universal access to sustainable energy is necessary and feasible."

The General Assembly's designation of the 2014-2024 decade as the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, offers all parties concerned a unique opportunity to come together around a common platform to take further steps towards to effectively move the world in the path of sustainable energy for all.

Other voices are raised:

* In the presentation of its Energy Trilemma, the World Energy Council explains: "The global challenges of energy are well known: to face a growth of the demand in primary energy which should increase from 27% to 61% by 2050, to meet the needs of the current 1.4 billion people without access to electricity and the 2.8 billion people without clean cooking and invest in modernizing aging energy infrastructure while reducing environmental impacts of energy production and use."

Source: World Energy Council, World Energy Trilemma; the program of change.

* Making the same observations, the International Energy Agency estimates that to overcome energy poverty, that is to say guarantee access to electricity for all the world's population by 2030, would require investments of at least $ 1 trillion ($ 1 trillion).

Source: World Energy Outlook 2010 (WEO).

3) Proposal for a World Sustainable Energy for All Day

Droit à l’Energie, which fully supports the Kyoto Protocol, considers that none of the Millennium Development Goals will be achieved without access to energy in countries or regions that lack them, the modes of production and the organization of energy systems depending on national choices.

Droit à l’Energie acknowledges United Nations efforts, including the proclamation of 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. In order to reinforce decisions already taken and future initiatives, Droit à l’Energie proposes that the United Nations create a World Sustainable Energy for All Day, an annual high point of mobilization for all actors (international institutions, governments, companies and civil society) of this sector. This day could be similar to World Water Day, which is celebrated on March 22 each year.

To do this, the Right to Energy SOS Futur proposes to use the terms of the paragraphs of Resolution 47/193 adopted by the 47th UN Water Assembly and to adapt them to the right to energy as following:

Considering that the extent to which energy resource development contributes to economic productivity and social well-being is not widely appreciated, although all social and economic activities rely heavily on the supply and quality of sustainable energy;

Considering also that, as populations and economic activities grow, many countries cannot afford to meet the social needs of their citizens due to lack of energy infrastructure or high cost energy and low income of their citizens;

Considering further that the promotion of the production of clean and sustainable energy, respectful of the environment and in accordance with the recommendations of the Kyoto Protocol, it is necessary requires public awareness at local, national, regional and international levels.

1. Decides to declare the XXXX of each year World Sustainable Energy for All Day to be observed from 2020 until access to energy for all becomes a reality;

2. Invites States to devote the Day, as appropriate in the national context, to concrete activities such as conferences, debates and round tables on, inter alia, issues of precariousness and energy transition.

3. Invites the Secretary-General to make recommendations on ways and means by which the United Nations Secretariat could, within existing resources and without prejudice to ongoing activities, assist countries in organizing their national activities for the observance World Sustainable Energy for All Day;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary arrangements in order to ensure the success of the observance of World Sustainable Energy for All Day by the United Nations;

5. Also requests the Secretary-General to focus observance of World Sustainable Energy for All Day enables work to determine progress in this area;

6. Recommends that the Commission on Sustainable Development, give priority to paragraph 9 of the plan of implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

NOTES

World Summit for the Development of Johannesburg.

The report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, August 26-September 4, 2002, is very explicit in this regard. In its implementation plan, in its second chapter (poverty eradication), paragraph 9 outlines the actions to be taken in the area of ​​energy to eradicate poverty.

“(9) To work together and intensify efforts to work together at all levels to expand access to reliable and affordable energy services to support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, including by half the proportion of people living in poverty by 2015, because access to energy facilitates the eradication of poverty by enabling the production of other important services. Measures will have to be taken at all levels to:

(a) Improve access to reliable, affordable, economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally friendly energy services and resources, taking into account national characteristics, through such means as rural electrification and decentralization of energy systems, wider use of renewable energy sources and cleaner, liquid and gaseous fuels, improved energy efficiency, greater regional and international cooperation in support of national efforts, including capacity-building and innovative financial and technological assistance and financing mechanisms at the local and territorial levels, recognizing the specific challenges of obtaining these resources from the poor;

(b) Improve access to modern biomass technologies and fuelwood and commercialize the exploitation of biomass, including agricultural residues, in rural areas where these types of practices are likely to be maintained;

(c) Encouraging the environmentally sound use of biomass and, where appropriate, other renewable sources of energy, by improving current patterns of use, including better resource management, more efficient use firewood and the launch of new or improved products and techniques.

(d) Facilitating the gradual transition to cleaner use of liquid and gaseous fossil fuels, if considered ecologically more rational, socially acceptable and economically feasible;

(e) Develop national energy policies and regulations that help create the necessary economic, social and institutional conditions in the energy sector to improve access to energy, reliable, affordable and economically viable services, socially acceptable and environmentally sound, with a view to sustainable development and the eradication of poverty in rural, peri-urban and urban areas;

(f) Enhance international and regional cooperation to expand access to reliable, affordable, economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound energy services as part of poverty eradication programs, facilitating the creation of and building capacity, paying special attention to rural and remote areas as needed;

(g) Facilitate, as quickly as possible, with the financial and technical assistance of developed countries and through public-private partnerships, access for the poor to reliable, affordable, economically viable, socially ecologically sound, taking into account the crucial role of national energy policies in sustainable development, bearing in mind that it is essential to significantly increase energy production in developing countries to improve living standards of their population and thinking of the positive effect of the use of energy services on the eradication of poverty and the improvement of living standards.”