Time to Close the Energy Access Gap and Halve Emissions, Says UN Deputy Chief at Sustainable Energy for All Global Forum in Barbados

Deputy Secretary-General's video message on the occasion of the SEforALL Global Forum 2025 “Sustainable Energy for Equity, Security and Prosperity”

Her Excellency Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados; Excellencies; Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to join you today, and I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Government of Barbados and the SEforALL team for bringing us together for this critical Forum.

This year marks a pivotal milestone - the tenth anniversary of both the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

A decade has passed, and while progress has been made, we remain far from our targets. Fossil fuel emissions continue to rise, renewable energy investments in developing countries are insufficient, and too many people still lack access to clean and affordable energy.

At the heart of this challenge lies SDG 7 – ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. It is critical to achieving our climate and development goals.

However, we cannot ignore the scale of the challenges we face: a lack of accessible and affordable finance, severe debt distress, and high capital costs.

Yet, the solutions are within our reach.

Reforming the international financial architecture, creating coherent policy and regulatory frameworks, updating risk assessments to account for climate risks, and leveraging innovative finance to unlock capital at scale.

This year’s Forum is particularly significant as it marks the first time it is being held in the Caribbean — a region that exemplifies both the promise and the peril of energy transitions. While electricity access is near-universal, there remains a heavy dependence on expensive and polluting fossil fuel imports.

Barbados, our host, is already leading the way, setting a bold example with its commitment to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. This level of ambition must be embraced worldwide to drive a just and sustainable energy future.

Excellencies,

2025 is the turning point. The solutions do exist. The technology is here. The economics are favorable. But time is running out. We have just five years to 2030 to close the energy access gap and to halve emissions if we are to stay on track for our 1.5-degree target. The urgency for bold, collective action cannot be overstated.

As you engage in these crucial discussions, I urge you to focus on three guiding principles:

First, collaboration is more crucial than ever. We must work together — across ministries, sectors, actors, and regions — to make progress. This means collaboration between government ministries; between state and non-state actors; between multilateral, regional, and national development banks. And by
working closely with UN Resident Coordinators to ensure alignment with national priorities and accelerate implementation on the ground.

Second, creativity is needed to address the complexities of our diverse challenges. Some countries must modernize utility-scale grids to integrate renewables and phase out coal and gas, while others will expand decentralized and flexible renewable-powered systems. Innovation is the key to unlocking solutions that work for all contexts.

Third, coherence - between national energy strategies, development priorities, and climate ambition. This will be essential. Action to accelerate SDG 7 must be fully aligned with the transition away from fossil fuels. National climate plans and NDCs, due before COP30 in Brazil, must serve as roadmaps for transforming economies and societies to be 1.5C-aligned, resilient, and prosperous.

The United Nations stands with you to turn these principles into decisive, actionable outcomes.

Excellencies, Friends,

Our window for action is closing and we cannot afford to delay.

This is the moment to transform commitments into results. A cleaner, fairer, and more resilient energy future is within our reach.

Let us work together, rise to the challenge, and turn our collective ambition into tangible impact.

Thank you.

To watch the full video message, click here.