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The Energy Challenge for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
The Energy Challenge for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals report is the first publication from UN-Energy, an inter-agency mechanism among United Nations agencies involved in sustainable energy development, established to ensure coherence in the UN's multi-disciplinary response to the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
The report suggests that the lack of modern energy sources in most developing countries entrenches poverty, constrains social services, limits opportunities for women and erodes environmental sustainability. It suggests that most countries lack a strategy for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and that those with a strategy tend to ignore the fact that energy access is essential to poverty reduction and national development.
In its capacity of being the regional forum for discussions on sustainable development for Asia-Pacific nations, ESCAP participates actively in UN-Energy, and works to ensure that the views and priorities of its member States are adequately presented in the UN-Energy, including in the newly published report.
The next big challenge for UN-Energy is the 14th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, which will be held in New York in May 2006. The Session will focus on energy for sustainable development, industrial development, air pollution/atmosphere and climate change, and UN-Energy is working to ensure coordinated and coherent inputs on energy for sustainable development to ensure direction and focus in discussions and outcomes of the Session.
For more information about UN-Energy, please visit: http://esa.un.org/un-energy/
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