Global Tracking Framework

A team of energy experts from 15 agencies worked under the leadership of the World Bank and the International Energy Agency to produce this comprehensive snapshot of the status of more than 170 countries with respect to energy access, action on energy efficiency and renewable energy, and energy consumption. The report’s framework for data collection and analysis will enable us to monitor progress on the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) objectives from now to 2030. The report also shows how different countries can boost progress toward sustainable energy. Reaching universal energy access depends decisively on actions in some 20 "high-impact" countries in Africa and Asia. Attaining the global objectives for energy efficiency and renewable energy hinges on efforts in some 20 developed and emerging economies that account for 80 percent of global energy consumption. Finally, the report identifies a number of "fast-moving" countries whose exceptionally rapid progress on the triple energy agenda since 1990 provides not just inspiration, but know-how that can help us replicate their success elsewhere.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) regional Global Tracking Framework report is part of a series of multi-agency assessments that monitor progress towards the three Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) objectives. This first edition of the report builds upon the 2017 Global Tracking Framework report, by tracking the indicators of each SDG 7 objective within the UNECE sub-regions. The report then goes further to identify the current status of sustainable energy across a broader set of energy indicators, identifies key issues along the energy value chain, and highlights UNECE country responses to initiate change. The report further argues that this broader set of energy indicators is required to comprehensively track energy for sustainable development.

This report, developed by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in cooperation Asian Development Bank, offers an evidence-based look at progress at the regional and country level, providing an overview of long-term trends since 1990, and focuses on progress achieved in the most recent period, 2012-2014. Furthermore, it examines the key drivers behind progress, as well as identifies major challenges to achieving energy access, efficiency, and renewable energy objectives. Evidence is drawn from the Global Tracking Framework (GTF) data, as well as other international sources to provide a comprehensive view of progress in light of regional and national contexts. A strong focus is also placed on examining national policy frameworks and offering case studies to illustrate national approaches to common challenges faced by countries advancing the sustainable energy agenda.

The Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative is the global effort rallying action towards a transformation in the energy sector by the year 2030. With targets to increase energy use, expand energy efficiency, and ensure energy access for all, SE4All's priorities are tied closely to the challenges of developing Asia and the Pacific, which is confronting issues of energy sustainability, security, and widespread energy poverty. In the interest of combining efforts and resources to meet the challenge, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific have partnered to act as the leading organizations for the SE4All Regional Hub for Asia and the Pacific. Together, they are supporting actions among developing countries in the region that will put them on track to transform their energy sectors, in line with SE4All. This report summarizes the initial activities of the Regional Hub, and contextualizes the challenges in Asia and the Pacific with the global efforts to reach the 2030 targets.

A team of energy experts from 15 agencies worked under the leadership of the World Bank and the International Energy Agency to produce this comprehensive snapshot of the status of more than 170 countries with respect to energy access, action on energy efficiency and renewable energy, and energy consumption. The report's framework for data collection and analysis will enable us to monitor progress on the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) objectives from now to 2030. The report also shows how different countries can boost progress toward sustainable energy. Reaching universal energy access depends decisively on actions in some 20 'high-impact' countries in Africa and Asia. Attaining the global objectives for energy efficiency and renewable energy hinges on efforts in some 20 developed and emerging economies that account for 80 percent of global energy consumption. Finally, the report identifies a number of 'fast-moving' countries whose exceptionally rapid progress on the triple energy agenda since 1990 provides not just inspiration, but know-how that can help us replicate their success elsewhere.

Sustainable Energy for All seeks to improve the lives of billions of people across the world and ensure a more sustainable future by working to achieve its three global objectives: universal access to energy; doubling of the rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling of the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. Accountability and transparency are essential for tracking Sustainable Energy for All's global progress. Doing so will clarify where the initiative stands, how various actions are contributing to the three objectives, how much remains to be accomplished, and where more action is needed to achieve Sustainable Energy For All. This second edition of the SE4ALL Global Tracking Framework provides an update of how the world has been moving towards the three objectives over the period 2010-2012. The report also explores a number of complementary themes. First, it provides further analysis of the financial cost of meeting the SE4ALL objectives as well as the geographical and technological distribution of the investments that need to be made. Second, it explores the extent to which countries around the world have access to the technology needed to make progress towards the three goals. Third, it identifies the improvements in data collection methodologies and capacity building that will be needed to provide a more nuanced and accurate picture of progress over time. Finally, this new edition of the Global Tracking Framework explores and introduces nexus concepts focusing on the links between energy and four priority areas of development: food, water, human health, and gender. Links between most of these areas and energy are well established, but often presented in isolation of each other.

The report finds that, overall, the achievement of all three SDG 7 goals is not on track, and that efforts need to be accelerated if the UNECE region is to achieve the SDG 7 targets by 2030. The report further introduces the Energy for Sustainable Development framework that highlights energy as the golden thread linking energy-related Sustainable Development Goals across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The framework analysis leads to the conclusion that a broader set of energy indicators is required to track energy for sustainable development comprehensively, including indicators covering climate, fossil fuels, and water related metrics, among others.