At the Clean Energy Ministerial in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, World Resources Institute (WRI) and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll) announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7: access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. The partnership aims to support global efforts to reach the 760 million people worldwide who currently lack access to electricity and the 2 billion people using polluting fuels for cooking. Access to clean, affordable and reliable power is essential for human health, education and economic prosperity.
Collaboration between WRI and SEforAll will focus on developing and providing data, tools and strategic communication across five key areas: energy access, energy transitions, energy efficiency, sustainable cooling and clean cooking. The partnership will advance the development of sectoral tools and data resources such as OnSSET, OnStove, Energy Access Explorer and Tracking SDG7 research, to support developing countries to make data-driven decisions and integrated energy plans based on the best available data and energy models. Several initiatives will also be convened under the partnership, including African Energy Dialogues, Mission Efficiency, Cooling for All and Cool Coalition.
“Energy is the lynchpin for 75% of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and WRI and SEforAll share a common mission to achieve them by 2030,” said Jennifer Layke, WRI’s global director for energy. “Data-driven decision-making and sharing knowledge are essential to both organizations. By working together, we can improve our collective impact and increase access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.”
Brian Dean, director of energy transition at SEforALL, said: “As a team, we can bring greater impact. At SEforALL, we work with many partners to ensure everyone, everywhere can live a dignified life on a healthy planet, powered by sustainable energy. We are thankful to WRI for leading the charge to strengthen and broaden our partnership to deliver greater progress on sustainable energy that supports achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”