Launched by former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in 2011, Sustainable Energy for All, SEforALL, aims at achieving three ambitious objectives within Goal 7 “Clean and Accessible Energy” and the other related Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and of the Paris Agreement: ensuring universal access to modern energy services, doubling the share of renewable resources in the global energy mix, and halving the current energy waste, by establishing strategic partnerships among Governments, private sector, academia and civil society.
Since early 2020 the Chief Executive Officer of SEforALL is Damilola Ogunbiyi, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency. In early October 2020, Francesco Starace, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Enel S.p.A., has been appointed Chair of the SEforALL Administrative Board.
From an institutional point of view, following the approval by the Austrian Government of a specific law in July 2016, SEforALL has been granted the status of “quasi-international organization”. Such status of the Organization does not undermine its special relation with the United Nations, which is formally enshrined in an ad hoc agreement. Some institutional features of the original initiative also remain unchanged: the role of the CEO as Special Representative of the Secretary General and the existence of an Advisory Board consisting of 50 eminent persons at the international level (chiefs of states and governments, representatives of international organizations, NGOs and enterprises). SEforALL is the first initiative within the United Nations system to acquire progressive autonomy while maintaining close ties with the system itself, which allows for a more effective and flexible performance. SEforALL can thus act as a liaison structure which brings together UN bodies, public and private actors and civil society, facilitating the creation of private-public partnerships.
Since its establishment, SEforALL has implemented several initiatives to promote universal access to energy and increase energy efficiency, among which: the publication of reports and studies; inputs to international fora and initiatives on energy and environment-related issues; the conclusion of partnership agreements; thematic initiatives such as one to provide sustainable cooling for all.
Currently, the CEO and Special Representative of the Secretary General is the co-chair, together with the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), of the High Level Dialogue on Energy.
As far as Italy is concerned, SEforALL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ENEL aimed at promoting dialogue and supporting concrete initiatives in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, such as the “Electrification Accelerator” in order to promote global access to energy through a global network of partners, with a focus on the African Continent.