The last edition of the Vienna Energy Forum (VEF) took place on 6 and 7 July 2021. Held under the motto “Where Action meets Ambition”, the virtual event brought together more than 2,000 participants from 146 countries to spur action to advance sustainable development and contribute to global climate action.
The VEF 2021 was a meeting point for representatives of governments, private sector, international organizations, academia and civil society to pinpoint concrete solutions and actions to accelerate the uptake of sustainable energy in end-use sectors such as food systems, industry, transport and energy and promote cross-sectoral innovation to decouple growth from carbon emissions.
The Forum built momentum, developed recommendations and spurred breakthroughs in commitments and action for the 2021 High-Level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE) under the auspices of the UN General Assembly and the 26th session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 26). It also laid the ground for the launch of the Gender and Energy Compact Coalition and hosting discussions on boosting demand for low carbon industrial products like steel, cement and concrete, which were later highlighted in the outcomes of the Glasgow Breakthrough at COP 26. It also whitnessed the launch of the Global Green Hydrogen Programme and the Hydrogen center.
Together with the SDG 7 Youth Constituency, it hosted the first Youth for VEF. This youth-focused and designed event brought the perspective of young people to the VEF and spurred the development of guidelines for youth inclusion in global events created through a process led by youth.
The international forum featured more than 330 speakers across four high level policy sessions, four executive dialogues, one energizing talk, 28 engaging side events, 13 exclusive virtual booths and nine inspiring cultural performances.
Read the key takeaways here.
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