LocationsOpening Remarks by Ms Beate Trankmann at the Global Energy Interconnection Conference Side Event “Bridging the Gap: Financing a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition”
September 9, 2025
UNDP Resident Representative in China, Beate Trankmann, delivered opening remarks at the 2025 Global Energy Interconnection Conference side event “Bridging the Gap: Financing a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition” in Beijing, China.
Excellencies, distinguished delegates, colleagues — good afternoon.
On behalf of UNDP, and our co-host GEIDCO, welcome to this side event, “Bridging the Gap: Financing a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition.” We are delighted to gather here at the Beijing National Convention Center to focus on what it will take to unlock capital for the communities and countries that need it most.
This session is designed to build momentum between UNGA and COP30 - turning high-level ambition into investable pipelines and practical partnerships that move resources at scale.
We meet at a pivotal moment. Global investment in clean energy has reached record highs. Yet the distribution remains very uneven: excluding China, less than 15% of clean-energy finance flows to developing economies overall and roughly only 2% to Africa.
At the same time, many countries face rising debt distress crowding out fiscal space for investments into sustainable development and the green transformation.
The numbers tell the story. External debt servicing for developing economies hit USD 1.4 trillion in 2023, net interest payments reached USD 921 billion in 2024, and 4 in 10 people now live in developing economies that spend more on debt servicing than on health or education.
Closing this investment gap and developing equitable, scalable and fiscally sustainable solutions is a must if the energy transition is to be truly global and just.
That is why today’s conversation centers on how to finance the green energy transformation: from blended finance and de-risking instruments to debt-for-energy swaps and other mechanisms that can mobilize private capital at scale, aligned with national strategies and macro-stability. The question at hand is how to translate the COP28 UAE Consensus - to triple renewables and double energy efficiency by 2030 – into bankable deals and country-led pathways.
China’s experience is invaluable here. With renewables now 54.5% of installed capacity and world-leading additions in wind, solar, and grid-scale storage, China offers lessons in scale, speed, and systems integration that can inform South–South cooperation and regional investment strategies.
UNDP brings a strong track-record of partnering to deliver impact - through our Energy Moonshot portfolio spanning more than a hundred countries, reaching tens of millions with access to clean energy and productive uses, and advancing inclusive models that create jobs, empower women and youth, and strengthen essential services from clinics to schools.
"Speed without fairness will not succeed. When financing aligns climate ambition with human development - energy for clinics and schools, affordable mobility, safer air—public trust grows, and investment follows."
As we discuss what to finance, let me flag three action areas where finance meets fairness:
1) Green hydrogen for hard-to-abate sectors — with inclusion by design.
UNDP is working with Chinese and regional partners to connect innovation ecosystems with policy and finance—so green hydrogen creates decent jobs, supports SMEs, and opens opportunities for women and young professionals across the value chain.
2) Interconnected power and clean mobility — projects that improve lives now.
Investments in flexible grids, storage, and e-mobility deliver cleaner air and healthier cities while enabling renewables at scale - exactly the kind of outcomes this conference champions.
3) Capital at scale for access and just transition — fit for country realities.
From concessional windows to results-based instruments, we need structures that reflect local risk profiles and debt contexts, expanding access without overburdening public balance sheets.
Our event today is intentionally practical. And, I am delighted to welcome my colleague Riad Meddeb, who heads UNDP’s global Sustainable Energy Hub in New York, to moderate the panel. It brings together voices from UNCDF, industry, academia and GEIDCO.
Thank you all for joining us and we look forward to your candid views on how to create the enabling conditions and partnerships for private investment at scale and take concrete action to remove barriers.
Let me close with a simple proposition: speed without fairness will not succeed. When financing aligns climate ambition with human development - energy for clinics and schools, affordable mobility, safer air—public trust grows, and investment follows. Our goal today is to match ambition with capital, and projects with the policies and partnerships that make them bankable, scalable, and just.
Thank you to our co-hosts and to all of you for your leadership. UNDP stands ready to work with you - to connect experience with innovation, policy with finance, and national plans with regional interconnection - so together we can bridge the financing gap and power a healthier planet for the generations to come.
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