GEI Included in Policy Briefs of UN High-level Political Forum for Three Consecutive Years

The thematic session on energy of the 2020 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development was held on July 8, EDT. The Policy Briefs on Accelerating SDG7 Achievement in the Time of COVID-19 presented at the meeting officially included the policy brief submitted by Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO), which will provide guidance and reference for UN member states to push for the SDG7 achievement. This was the third year in a row that GEI has been included in the policy briefs of the UN high-level political forum.

The policy brief --Building Global Energy Interconnection and Strengthening Interlinkages with the SDGs, submitted by GEIDCO this year, consists of five parts, including Key Concept, Energy Interconnections: Current Status, Benefits of GEI, Obstacles to Developing GEI and Policy Recommendations.

The policy brief puts forward that GEI can facilitate the overall development and global allocation of energy resources through infrastructure connectivity to secure energy supply, achieve clean electricity interconnections to advance regional economic and social development, and tackle climate change and environment sustainability.

The policy recommendations include: Mobilize nations to include regional grid development as a vital component of green stimulus plans within the overall economic recovery work; Establish work mechanisms at the level of the United Nations to support GEI development; Establish regional cooperation centres around the globe at the level of the United Nations to support R&D and implementation of GEI plans.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa has clearly identified GEIDCO as its important partner and supporting institution in its regional policy recommendations. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) have also incorporated the concept of clean energy development and grid interconnection put forward by GEIDCO into their regional policy recommendations.

Under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, a high-level political forum is held every July in New York to discuss the progress made in pushing for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This year's forum is held online from July 7 to 16, with a three-day ministerial meeting starting from July 14.

The policy brief is an important reference material for the forum. Against such a special backdrop when countries around the world are struggling with the virus, the report aims to provide practical recommendations for countries to press ahead their post-pandemic economic and social recovery.