How will we get there?

Building on UNDP’s existing energy work in over 100 countries, the Sustainable Energy Hub catalyzes knowledge, innovation, finance and partnerships across regions and sectors and at the local, national, regional and global levels to accelerate action on energy access and assist progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals – including by improving essential services such as education and healthcare and supporting gender empowerment, livelihoods, and climate adaptation efforts – while following a net-zero emissions pathway. 

Our energy for development approach is driven by three principles:    

• Rethinking energy to drive systems-level change. We must have a holistic approach to transform energy systems, with a focus on supporting energy for development, decarbonizing the energy sector and on shifting to sustainable energy consumption patterns based on reducing demand and significantly increasing efficiency.    

• Harnessing partnerships and creating networks. We can’t do it alone. Our strong partnerships are what will enable countries to create new systems will bring power to homes, hospitals, and schools, many for the first time – and provide new opportunities for millions of people across the globe.   

• Redirecting finance towards where it is most needed and impactful. We must channel public and private finance to developing countries through innovative financial mechanisms and alternative business models.   

This approach links the climate, energy, and development agendas. It is centered on:   

• Helping countries unlock large-scale public and private renewable energy investments, for instance through UNDP's innovative De-risking Renewable Energy Investments framework.  
• Identifying action opportunities with an integrated agenda through the UNDP Country Action Opportunity Assessment to map the critical policy, technological and financing gaps for joint energy programming among development partners, the private sector, civil society, and governments in 21 African countries. 
• Supporting livelihoods, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and social protection. This includes focusing on enabling access to energy in a way that enhances livelihoods and powers essential services such as healthcare and schools, and providing guidance to policymakers to mitigate the complex and, if not well-managed, potentially adverse social impacts of the energy transition. 
• Promoting good energy governance. This means creating inclusive and effective institutions that can create enabling environment to promote renewable energy, encourage private investments, support new clean energy innovations and foster innovative business models for the energy sector. Also, ensuring that the voices of women, youth, indigenous people, persons with disabilities and others who are often excluded from public policymaking, yet most impacted, are incorporated into energy decision-making processes. As part of this, we have set up a global advisory group on energy governance and have also launched the Alliance for a Just Energy Transformation at COP27 that aims to catalyse transformative action for a just and inclusive energy transition. 
• Accelerating clean energy technology transfers and digital transformation.