The United Nations (UN) and the World Bank have announced their selection of 42 members for the global public–private partnership Sustainable Energy for All initiative.
The advisory board, which comprises leaders in business, finance, government and civil society, will be co-chaired by UN secretary-general and initiative founder Ban Ki-moon and World Bank group presi- dent Jim Yong Kim.
The Sustainable Energy for All initiative aims to provide universal access to modern energy; double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix; and double the global rate of improvement in energy effi- ciency by 2030.
The advisory board is tasked with strategically guiding the project, undertaking high- level advocacy for action on energy and mobilising businesses, investors and civil society to take action on “high-impact initiatives”, such as off-grid lighting, growing energy efficiency, energy and women’s health, and the procurement of renewable energy, on behalf of Sustainable Energy for All.
“The initiative has demonstrated the ability to mobilise multibillion-dollar commitments, leverage large-scale investments and build on a rapidly expanding knowledge network,” the UN and the World Bank said in a joint statement.
The parties noted that more than 70 countries were participating in the initiative.
The ten-person executive committee for the initiative, headed up by Bank of America chairperson Chad Holliday, comprises Eskom CEO Brian Dames, Norway Development Minister Heikki Holmås, Brazilian Develop- ment Bank president Luciano Coutinho, World Bank VP for sustainable development Rachel Kyte, UN assistant secretary-general for strategic planning Robert Orr, The Energy and Resources Institute (India) executive director Leena Srivastava, World Resources Institute president Andrew Steer, UN Foundation vice-chairperson Timothy Wirth, US State Department special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs Carlos Pascual and European Commission deputy director-general Klaus Rudischhauser.
Additional advisory board members will be announced after further consultations with stakeholders.