Pakistan’s strong push to establish international goal on access to energy

Islamabad, March 04, 2014 (PPI-OT): Pakistan has called upon the international community to establish a new international goal on providing universal access to energy for all. Addressing a meeting convened by Pakistan Permanent Mission to the UN here, Ambassador Masood Khan said that there is near consensus on establishing a three-pronged international goal aimed at providing international support in promoting access to modern energy services, enhancing efficiency and doubling the share of renewable energy sources in the global energy mix, says a press release received from New York here today.

Around forty senior diplomats, from developed and developed countries including Brazil, India, China, Norway, Denmark, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, France and office of the UN Secretary General attended the meeting.

Pakistan, Denmark and Norway have been leading effort at the United Nations to push for establishing an international framework as part of the post 2015 Development Agenda and associated goals on access to energy for all.

Ambassador Masood Khan, while appreciating the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for his initiative on Sustainable Energy for All, called upon international community to ensure establishing a robust global partnership for cooperation and development to succeed in this important objective.

Ambassador Khan also termed the lack of energy for poor in South Asia as one of the foremost challenges facing humanity. He said that out of 1.6 billion people living in South Asia today, nearly 800 million people lack access to electricity.

The UN Secretary General’s Advisor on Energy, Ms. Elizabeth Thompson underlined that need for ensuring that an international framework should not work in silos but rather forge key linkages with other sectors such a health, water, food and women empowerment.

The Norwegian Ambassador, Geir Pederson and Denmark’s Ambassador, Ib Peterson lauded Pakistan’s strong and constructive engagement in pushing for such an international framework and extended his government’s support in this endeavor.

It may be recalled that Prime Minister Mohammed Nawaz Sharif, during his visit to New York in September last year, held a trilateral meeting with his Norwegian Counterpart, Jen Jens Stoltenberg and the Minister for Development Co-operation of Denmark, Christian Friis Bach.

The three leaders agreed to push for an international framework on energy which will not only provide assistance to energy starved countries, mobilize the private sector but also deal with the challenge of climate change by doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

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