Affordable and Clean Energy

A new UN Sustainable Development Group policy brief shows how the Middle East crisis is increasing fuel, food and debt pressures across developing countries and why resilience and access to affordable finance are critical.

The UN's "Climate Promise: Forward" initiative supports countries to advance sustainable development in tandem with their climate commitments by tackling barriers to progress and ensuring lasting change is embedded in national plans and partnerships.

As Indonesia faces rising energy prices, supply disruptions and climate impacts, the UN is working with the Government to implement renewable energy, unlock finance and build resilience while ensuring workers, women and coastal communities are included.

At UN Climate Week 4 in Baku, participants focused on turning climate plans into solutions that work in the real world, attract investment, deliver benefits for people and are replicable at scale, becoming part of the real economy.

With farmers in southern Yemen facing inter-related challenges, a new initiative by the UN and partners has strengthened the entire agricultural system at once by connecting farmers, suppliers, processors and markets into a functioning local supply chain.

With support from the Joint SDG Fund, Namibia is de-risking community-level initiatives and industrial scale projects by building the inclusive and environmental safeguards that allow innovation and investment to advance together.

With financing from the Joint SDG Fund, a UN-supported programme is reaching households and small businesses with affordable green financing, opening the door to lower electricity bills, fewer health risks and a less polluted climate.

After Cyclone Freddy displaced thousands of families in Malawi, a programme financed by the Joint SDG Fund combined renewable energy infrastructure, clean cooking technology, local governance and skills training into a unified, long-term response.

The latest Sustainable Development Goals report shows that the development agenda is delivering for communities, but not evenly or fast enough. Political will, sustained investment and international cooperation are needed amid growing pressures.

As the planet reaches a climate tipping point amid major energy shocks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered remarks at London Climate Action Week, calling for widespread adoption of renewable energy through a seven-point plan.

Governments are reporting the highest levels of satisfaction with UN development support since reforms of the development system began nearly a decade ago. But continued progress will depend on sustained political engagement and more predictable financing.

Young leaders across the globe are solving environmental and human development challenges by improving how people interact with nature, valuing diverse ways of thinking and enabling more inclusive participation in shaping solutions.

Contending with unreliable electricity, a hospital in Zimbabwe is receiving support from the Joint SDG Fund and partners to implement clean energy installations that will ensure service continuity and offer a model to other health facilities.

With an energy system facing longstanding challenges, the Philippines and the UN are working together both nationally and in local communities to implement clean energy solutions, improve efficiency, strengthen resilience and ensure an inclusive green transition.

With support from the UN and partners, a new solar-powered borehole in Kenya's Wajir County is bringing clean water closer to home for over 9,200 people and thousands of livestock, easing daily hardship in the drought-prone region.