High Level Thematic Plenary – Accelerating Action

2021 needs to be a landmark year of action in the lead up to the High-Level Dialogue on Energy in September, the G20 Leaders’ Summit in October, and COP26 in November. This High-Level Plenary on ‘Accelerating Action’, aims to build momentum towards supporting outcomes in the run up to these major events. This plenary will articulate strategies devised to create action-oriented pathways for green transformation, advance climate commitments, and achieve the ambition of tackling climate change in an inclusive manner, leaving no one behind.
The High-Level Dialogue on Energy represents a tangible opportunity to strengthen political commitment and accelerate progress towards SDG 7. The Dialogue aims to ensure an inclusive process that will engage Member States and other stakeholders to identify, develop and accelerate action for universal energy access, energy transitions, and strengthen energy’s inter-linkages with other SDGs. In advance of this historic event, Panel 1 on ‘Energy Goals by 2030’, will discuss how to accelerate growth in energy transformation, catalyze investment and innovation, and create the enabling environments required to support energy-related issues at all levels, so that everyone can benefit.
There is an urgent need for climate action: countries that are responsible for 65 percent of the world’s emissions of harmful greenhouse gases, and more than 70 percent of the global economy, have committed to achieving net-zero emissions by the middle of the century. However, at the same time, the main climate indicators are compounding, hence there is an urgent need for increased commitments in areas that intersect with the energy transition. Panel 2 ‘Towards COP26’, aims to further inspire climate action, outlining frameworks for climate targets, highlighting how strengthened commitments to accelerating a just energy transition can act as a powerful catalyst towards achieving climate neutrality by 2050.