Special Event to celebrate the International Day of Clean Energy on 23 January:

I commend the organizers for gathering us to observe the International Day of Clean Energy.

Clean energy is central to our efforts to achieve sustainable development across all three of its dimensions, namely, Economic, Social and

Environmental.

On the economic front, the renewable energy industry created 16.2 million jobs in 2023. A closer look shows that every dollar invested created three times more jobs than the fossil fuel industry.

There are likewise cost savings to these investments. Net zero efforts are estimated to save 4.2 trillion dollars annually, delivering 26 trillion in benefits by 2030.

At the social level, 685 million people still live in the dark today – a reality that hinders their access to education, health care, and economic opportunities.

Renewable energy production can dramatically reduce these numbers, while clean cooking fuels can help prevent the 3.2 million premature deaths each year caused by more pollutive sources.

On the environmental front, the message from science is clear: fossil fuels account for 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The world has just experienced the hottest year on record.

By increasing the use of clean energy, we can replace power generated from fossil fuels, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions.

Renewable energy is an undeniable win, on all fronts.

With less than 20 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goal targets on track, and the 1.5-degree target agreed in the Paris Agreement slipping out of reach, clean energy can be a gamechanger for meeting our 2030 commitment; a commitment that we have only recently reaffirmed through the Pact for the Future.

Indeed, the Pact recommits to the “United Arab Emirates Consensus”, reached at COP28, which outlines a tripling of renewable energy capacity and doubling of energy efficiency by 2030.

To reach these ambitious goals, we need large-scale investments and rapid progress on renewable energy deployment.

While we can be proud that renewable energy capacity increased in record numbers in 2024 – this is still well below the target addition that we have set for ourselves to reach by 2030.

And while global investment in renewables and energy efficiency reached almost 1 trillion US dollars in 2023 – this falls far short of the almost 4 trillion needed annually until 2030.

This pattern sounds unfortunately familiar.

We must do better.

In my address to the 15th session of the International Renewable Energy Agency Assembly, I urged all Parties to build on the COP29 agreements – including through the New Collective Quantified Goal for climate finance of 300 billion US dollars annually.

I also called on Parties to “walk the talk” to achieve a just and inclusive energy transition that leaves no one behind.

We are in a race against time.

We need bold action to end poverty, tackle climate change, and create a more safe, just and prosperous world for all.

Together, we must accelerate progress towards affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy access for all.

And let us ensure that no nation, no community – and indeed no one – is left behind.

I thank you.

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