Tag: Renewable Energy

IRENA at COP30: as COP30 ends, countries focus on implementation

COP30 WRAP UP

The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which concluded last week, signaled a global shift toward implementation. Together with global partners and allies, IRENA demonstrated how commitments can be translated into concrete action on the ground, with the goal of catalysing just and inclusive energy transitions by raising ambition and scaling up investments.

IRENA’s pavilion, the Global Renewables Hub jointly hosted with the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA), provided a lively platform for engaging exchanges with IRENA Members, partners and guests.

Released to inform the global finance discourse, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025 revealed a new record of USD 2.4 trillion in energy transition investments in 2024, but these were highly concentrated in advanced economies, leaving emerging and developing countries behind.

In a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera briefed him on progress towards the UAE Consensus goals to triple renewable capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030, and reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to strengthening regional cooperation and boosting energy transition finance.

Launched at COP30, IRENA’s new Regional Energy Transition Outlook South America highlights the vast opportunities for economic growth, innovation, and energy security across the region through cooperation and the scale of investment. The region could significantly grow its GDP while creating more than 12 million jobs in the energy sector by 2050.

As a group of the world’s leading power utilities, the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA), facilitated by IRENA, aims to address key investment barriers, particularly in grids and flexibility. At COP30, UNEZA announced increased investment commitments of nearly USD 150 billion annually, with a major focus on grid infrastructure.

For more on the COP30 takeaway and IRENA’s insights on ways forward, please read this article. Please also see below IRENA’s latest data and activities in support of the climate objectives discussed at COP30.

Read more here: https://www.irena.org/Events/2025/Nov/IRENA-at-COP30

UN DESA VOICE Monthly Newsletter: Vol 29, No. 11 – November 2025

Keeping the promise of placing people at the centre of development
“Thirty years ago, the world gathered in Copenhagen and made a promise: to put people at the centre of development. This November, we meet again—this time in Doha—for the Second World Summit for Social Development. This Summit comes at a critical moment,” said UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General, and Summit Secretary-General Li Junhua, pointing to widening inequalities, eroding trust and communities struggling with conflict and climate shocks.

From 4 to 6 November 2025, world leaders will gather in Qatar for the Second World Summit for Social Development. This journey began in Denmark, in 1995, where 117 countries agreed to the groundbreaking Copenhagen Declaration for Social Development and its Programme of Action.

Since then, the world has seen extraordinary economic and social progress. Over one billion people have escaped extreme poverty; access to healthcare, education and social protection has expanded; people are living longer and healthier lives; more women are able to join the workforce; and young girls can realize their hope for a future of opportunity and promise.

But challenges remain. Growing shocks from climate change impacts, conflicts, or disruptions from changing patterns of trade, production and technology are fueling uncertainty and anxiety. People are growing increasingly insecure, with many people engaged in precarious employment or not earning a living wage that meets their needs. Fueling this insecurity is a growing skepticism of the willingness of governments to put their people first.

People across generations – younger and older alike -are searching for answers to both growing and persistent social development challenges. This Summit will be an opportunity to deliver a response – one that that ensures dignity, provides opportunities, inspires hope and is rooted in action.

At the Doha Summit, Governments will adopt the Doha Political Declaration as the principal outcome. The declaration will reaffirm the centrality of eradicating poverty, promoting full employment and decent work for all, reducing inequality and enhancing social integration. The Declaration takes fully into account new and emerging issues that impact delivery of these objectives, such as digitalization and artificial intelligence, climate change and the global trend of eroding public trust in institutions, among other cross-cutting issues.

But the real success of the Summit will be measured by what happens after. By forging a new global consensus for accelerating social progress through multilateral cooperation, this Summit will ensure that people’s voices and engagement matter. Because in the end, development isn’t just about policies or politics — It’s about all of us.

“I invite you all to follow our efforts and join us in Doha, Qatar, from 4 to 6 November,” said Mr. Li. “Together, let us accelerate social development and make dignity and opportunity a reality for all.”

Learn more about the Summit: Second World Summit for Social Development
View the full programme here using our online platform TeamUp.
Follow Doha Solution and Studio sessions happening on the ground by browsing this site.
Be inspired by commitments made towards the Doha Solutions Platform for Social Development.
Follow efforts and deliberations live on UN Web TV.

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Expert Voices

What social progress means to people around the world

As preparations intensify for the Second World Summit for Social Development, to be held from 4 to 6 November 2025, the Accelerating Social Progress campaign invited people from all walks of life around the world to reflect on a single question: What does social progress mean to you? 

The responses reveal a powerful message: social progress is about people, equality, and hope. Many participants described it as “a world where no one is left behind,” emphasizing the need for access to decent work, quality education, health care, and social protection.

Respondents underscored solidarity and community resilience, highlighted justice, trust, and opportunities for youth, and pointed to equality for women and persons with disabilities as key dimensions of progress.

From young changemakers to older innovators, people shared what progress means in their daily lives, innovation, compassion, intergenerational solidarity, and human rights as the moral core of development. These are the true expert voices: individuals living the realities of change and inclusion in their communities.

Together, their insights reaffirm that social progress is not measured solely by economic growth but by the well-being and dignity of every person. The collective voices gathered through the campaign will help shape the discussions in Doha, guiding efforts to renew political will for the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action.

To capture even more perspectives, the online survey has now been extended until 7 November 2025.

Learn more and share your views here: https://social.desa.un.org/world-summit-2025/news/deadline-extended-what-does-social-progress-mean-to-you

Things You Need To Know

6 lessons from 80 years of UN progress toward sustainable development

Photo credit: UNHCR

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, one story stands out: the world’s journey—through challenges and breakthroughs—toward sustainable development for all. Advancing Together, a new UN DESA report, traces how the UN has helped transform global cooperation, uniting countries around shared goals for people and planet. Here are six key lessons from this journey:

1. From growth to sustainable development

The  early decades of the UN focused on post-war reconstruction and economic expansion. Over time, that vision broadened to include social inclusion and environmental stewardship. The journey from growth alone to sustainable development marks one of the most transformative shifts of the UN.

2. From silos to integration

For years, economic, social, and environmental goals were treated separately. Advancing Together shows how they converged—culminating in the 2030 Agenda, where prosperity, equality, and planetary health are recognized as inseparable. True progress means advancing all three together.

3. Collaboration makes change possible

Major global conferences—from Stockholm (1972) to Rio (1992) and Paris (2015)— demonstrate the power of cooperation. Multilateral action through the UN has driven breakthroughs, from defining human rights to advancing gender equality, highlighting that shared challenges require shared solutions.

4. Resilience is key to enduring progress

Rising geopolitical tensions, persistent financing gaps, the widening digital divide, and the spread of misinformation are testing global solidarity. Yet progress continues—from renewed climate commitments to landmark outcomes of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4)— proving that cooperation can endure even in turbulent times.

5. Foresight, adaptation, and innovation keep us future-ready

Anticipating change has long been a UN strength. UN DESA’s flagship reports help countries identifying risks early and be better prepared for future challenges. Investing in data, science, and digital innovation empowers institutions to adapt quickly and deliver results amid uncertainty.

6. Norms and inclusive multilateralism remain indispensable

Common frameworks—like the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and the Pact for the Future—translate shared values into collective action. In a divided world, inclusive multilateralism is still the most effective path to tackle challenges no country can face alone, from climate change and pandemic preparedness to digital transformation and inequality.

Read more about this journey in UN DESA’s latest report “Advancing Together. Eight decades of progress towards sustainable development for all” available here.

Photo credit: UN Photo

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On High Energy

Good morning, world! Renewables overtook coal as the globe’s biggest source of electricity in the first half of the year. One reason is that China added more solar and wind capacity than the rest of the world combined. Today, my colleague Keith Bradsher explains how it’s done.

A slide show of solar panels, wind turbines and pylons in a misty mountain landscape.
                 On the Tibetan Plateau. The New York Times

High energy

Author Headshot By Keith Bradsher

I reported from Gonghe on the Tibetan Plateau.

This summer, I got a good look at China’s clean-energy future, more than 3,000 meters above sea level in Tibet.

Solar panels stretch to the horizon and cover an area seven times the size of Manhattan. (They soak up sunlight that is much brighter than at sea level because the air is so thin.) Wind turbines dot nearby ridgelines, capturing night breezes. Hydropower dams sit where rivers spill down long chasms at the edges of the plateau. And high-voltage power lines carry this electricity to businesses and homes more than 1,500 kilometers away.

The intention is to harness the region’s bright sunshine, cold temperatures and sky-touching altitude to power the plateau and beyond, including data centers used in China’s A.I. development.

While China still burns as much coal as the rest of the world combined, last month President Xi Jinping promised to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and expand renewable energy by sixfold in the coming years. A big part of that effort is in sparsely inhabited Qinghai, a province in western China in a region known among the Tibetans as Amdo. I came as part of a government-organized media tour of clean-energy sites in Qinghai, which usually bars foreign journalists to hide dissent by its large ethnic Tibetan population. (The Times paid for my travel.) Today, I’ll tell you what I saw.

A huge effort

A map of the Talatan Solar Park in China.
Source: Satellite imagery by Planet, July 2025. By Mira Rojanasakul/The New York Times

China is not the first country to experiment with high-altitude clean energy. But other places — in Switzerland and Chile, for instance — are mountainous and steep. Qinghai, slightly bigger than France, is mostly flat. That’s perfect for solar panels and the roads needed to bring them in. And the cold air improves the panels’ efficiency. The ones in Qinghai could run every household in Chicago. And China is building more, including panels at 5,000 meters.

The main group of solar farms, known as the Talatan Solar Park, dwarfs every other cluster of solar farms in the world. It covers 420 square kilometers in Gonghe County, an alpine desert.

Electricity from solar and wind power in Qinghai (the birthplace of the current Dalai Lama, now in exile) costs about 40 percent less than coal-fired power. As a result, several electricity-intensive industries are moving to the region. One type of plant turns quartzite from mines into polysilicon to make solar panels. And Qinghai plans to quintuple the number of data centers in the province. At this altitude, they consume 40 percent less electricity than centers at sea level because they barely need air-conditioning. (Air warmed by the servers is piped away to heat other buildings.)

Where sheep roam

A map of China’s solar potential.
Source: Global Solar Atlas. By Mira Rojanasakul/The New York Times

As an incentive to build solar farms, many western Chinese provinces initially offered free land to companies. When the Talatan solar project installed its first panels in 2012, they were low to the ground. Ethnic Tibetan herders use the region’s sparse vegetation to graze their sheep, but the animals had trouble getting to the grass. Now, installers place the panels on higher mountings.

Dislocating people for power projects is politically sensitive all over the world. But high-altitude projects affect relatively few people. China pushed more than one million people out of their homes in west-central China a quarter-century ago and flooded a vast area for the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam. This year, China has been installing enough solar panels every three weeks to match the power-generation capacity of that dam.

See more photos here.

Sheep passing a power line.
                 The New York Times

Li You contributed research from Gonghe County.

Read more here: High Energy by Keith Bradsher New York Times

Renewable Energy A Step Towards The Right Direction

Photo c/o Constantino Foundation

In 1979, historian Renato Constantino already recognized the urgent need for a transition to renewable energy as a matter of both national security and ecological survival. In The Nationalist Alternative, he argued that the sun, wind, geothermal heat, and water movement could all be harnessed through safe and affordable methods, providing the country with sustainable energy independence. Constantino understood that reliance on imported fossil fuels left the nation vulnerable to global price shocks and deepened ecological risks. His foresight positioned renewable energy not merely as a technological option, but as a nationalist imperative—integral to safeguarding the people, the environment, and the country’s sovereignty. More than four decades later, his call remains strikingly relevant as the Philippines and the world confront the realities of climate change and energy insecurity.

Read more here:https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=811655287926745&set=a.222565690169044

 

UN DESA VOICE APRIL 2025

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, VOL. 29, NO. 4 – APRIL 2025

Partnering with youth to shape our sustainable future together

“We have witnessed how youth can mobilize global action,” said UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, stressing the importance of young people’s involvement in shaping a future that is more inclusive, peaceful, sustainable and fair. “Young people [are] showing up, contributing their skills, expertise, ideas and energy to solve the pressing challenges we are facing today so that future generations are better off,” Mr. Li said.

Mr. Li’s message was delivered to a room filled with youth leaders who had gathered for the 2024 edition of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum. Now it’s that time of the year again, when UN Headquarters will open its doors to young people from across the world, inviting them to be part of negotiations and actions that will help the world deliver a more sustainable future, that benefits us all.

Stressing how ECOSOC aims to put inclusivity front and center, its President, Ambassador Bob Rae (Canada), is emphasizing: “We bring together actors across different sectors to identify and commit to action that is going to be transformative and can have a tangible impact in countries and communities. […] I am committed to ensuring that we are leveraging these opportunities in an inclusive manner to promote action, ambition, innovation and engagement.”

As the world faces multiple crises, the demand for global solidarity and action is urgent. Described as the largest UN annual gathering of young people, the annual ECOSOC Youth Forum invites youth leaders to participate in discussions that will impact the future of their generation, and generations to come.

“Young people – young experts – need to be engaged in all the challenges that humanity faces today,” said Mr. Li Junhua. And the need has never been greater.

Taking place on 15-17 April 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, young people will work side-by-side with high-level UN officials and government representatives, delving into a range of pressing issues. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under review at the 2025 High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development will also be in focus at this year’s event.

Youth will be able to share their perspectives on good health and well-being (SDG 3), gender equality (SDG 5), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), life below water (SDG 14), and partnerships for the goals (SDG 17). By emphasizing science- and evidence-based solutions, the Forum will also encourage innovative and data-driven approaches to addressing today’s most urgent challenges.

Young people will also be part of deliberations related to major conferences taking place this year, including the UN Ocean Conference, the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development and the Second World Summit for Social Development. Youth voices will thus be heard in many ways and on diverse topics critical to sustainable development.

For more information: 2025 ECOSOC Youth Forum

Expert Voices

Indigenous Peoples spearhead action to claim their rights

Later this month, the 24th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) kicks off at UN Headquarters in New York, bringing together Indigenous Peoples, government representatives, UN agencies and civil society from around the world. Ahead of the session, we spoke with Ms. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Chair of UNPFII, about key developments and issues related to Indigenous Peoples and their rights.

In 2007, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Where do we stand on its realization around the world?

“The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) adopted in 2007, has significantly influenced global policies, but its full realization remains uneven. Some States have incorporated its principles into laws, supporting land rights, self-determination and cultural preservation. However, many Indigenous Peoples still face land dispossession, discrimination and violence. Implementation challenges stem from political resistance, economic interests and legal barriers. One of the main problems continues to be the recognition of Indigenous Peoples by some Member States. While international bodies and advocacy groups push for stronger enforcement, Indigenous Peoples continue to lead efforts for their rights. Progress varies, but UNDRIP remains a vital framework for advancing Indigenous Peoples’ rights worldwide.”

With the many crises around the world such as climate change and biodiversity loss, what are some of the biggest challenges that Indigenous Peoples face? How can Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and practices contribute to environmental protection, climate adaptation and mitigation?

“Indigenous Peoples are guardians and stewards of Nature. We possess the knowledge of our lands, territories and environments. This knowledge is not theoretical; it has been tried and tested since time immemorial and for many generations. As Indigenous Peoples, we are dependent and interconnected with Mother Earth and vice versa. So, when the environment is impacted by the effects of climate change, Indigenous Peoples are directly impacted, as climate change affects our livelihoods, our food sovereignty, our cultures and traditions and our ability to live on our ancestral lands. At the same time, the world needs to listen to Indigenous Peoples, as we have solutions and knowledge. Through supporting Indigenous Peoples and ensuring their voices are included in important dialogues and decision-making on biodiversity and climate change, as well as ensuring that financial resources is provided directly to Indigenous Peoples, we can work together to mitigate climate change for all.”

In what ways does the UNPFII address the unique challenges faced by Indigenous women and girls?

“The UNPFII has always served as a critical platform to amplify the already strong voices of Indigenous women and girls. Indigenous women and girls face intersectional discrimination, because their gender and their identity as Indigenous Peoples. With this intersectionality in mind, Indigenous women and girls face marginalization in many facets of their lives, including economic, political and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights.

However, Indigenous women are essential to society – we possess unique knowledge, transmit this knowledge, culture and traditions and are critical leaders in our own communities and families. Over the two decades since the UNPFII was established, through the Forum as well as beyond the halls of the United Nations, Indigenous women and girls have advocated to secure their rights. This has resulted in achievements such as the realization of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the ILO Convention 169 and more recently, the adoption of General Recommendation No. 39 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Again Women (CEDAW), which provides an important tool to advance the implementation of Indigenous women’s rights and should be integrated into this broader discussion.”

For more information: UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples

Photo credit: AFPAT.

Things You Need To Know

5 things you should know about financing for sustainable development

Financing is the fuel of development. With adequate financing, the world can tackle poverty, inequalities, hunger, education, and the climate crisis. Yet, the world faces a stark financing divide and shrinking fiscal space. Here are 5 things you should know about financing for sustainable development.

1. Sustainable development is a good investment

Investment in sustainable development is good value for money. For example, every $1 invested in girls’ education can generate a $2.80 return. Every $1 invested in water and sanitation can reduce health care costs by $4.30.

2. Financing gaps are large and growing

The SDG financing gap – an estimated $4 trillion shortfall in annual investment – has never been so large. This is up from an estimated $2.5 trillion in 2019.

3. Developing countries are facing high debt burdens that crowd out other spending

In 2023, developing countries spent a record $1.4 trillion to service their foreign debt. Around 3.3 billion people live in countries that spend more on debt interest payments than on health or education.

4. The international financial architecture needs urgent changes to ensure affordable access to finance

Many developing countries can’t access finance at affordable rates, especially during times of crisis. On average, developing countries face borrowing costs that are two to four times higher than developed countries pay.

5. The fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) is a once-in-a-decade opportunity for change

In June, world leaders will come together at FFD4 in Sevilla, Spain to take action to deliver an SDG investment push. They will also work on reforming the international financial architecture to enable the transformative change that the world urgently needs. FFD4 will showcase the power of multilateral cooperation to tackle these global challenges, which far exceed the capacity of any single country to respond to.

In the lead up to FFD4 in Sevilla, follow the ECOSOC Financing for Development Forum (28-29 April), and the Fourth Preparatory Committee Session (30 April-1 May).

Learn more and stay updated on the road to Sevilla and the FFD4 Conference.

Photo credit: UN DESA/Helen Rosengren.

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Read More Here: https://desapublications.un.org/un-desa-voice/april-2025