Pakistan has called upon the international community to establish a new international goal on providing universal access to energy for all.
Addressing a meeting convened by Pakistan Permanent Mission to the UN here, Ambassador Masood Khan said that there is near consensus on establishing a three-pronged international goal aimed at providing international support in promoting access to modern energy services, enhancing efficiency and doubling the share of renewable energy sources in the global energy mix.
Around forty senior diplomats, from developed and developing countries including Brazil, India, China, Norway, Denmark, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, France and office of the UN Secretary General attended the meeting.
Pakistan, Denmark and Norway have been leading an effort at the United Nations to push for establishing an international framework as part of the post-2015 Development Agenda and associated goals on access to energy for all.
Ambassador Masood Khan, while appreciating the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for his initiative on Sustainable Energy for All, called upon international community to ensure establishing a robust global partnership for cooperation and development to succeed in this important objective. Ambassador Khan also termed the lack of energy for poor in South Asia as one of the foremost challenges facing humanity. He said that out of 1.6 billion people living in South Asia today, nearly 800 million people lack access to electricity.
The UN Secretary General’s Advisor on Energy, Ms. Elizabeth Thompson underlined that need for ensuring that an international framework should not work in silos but rather forge key linkages with other sectors such a health, water, food and women empowerment.
