Ministerial Thematic Forums for the United Nation’s High-Level Dialogue on Energy brought together key stakeholders from business, political, and academic backgrounds for a five-day virtual discussion from June 21 to June 25, 2021. Centered around five core themes — Energy Access, Enabling Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Through Inclusive Just Energy Transitions, Innovative Technologies and Data, Energy Transition, and Finance and Investment — ministers from nation-level governments, as well as leaders from city-level and local governments, businesses, and academic institutions, showcased solutions, proposed partnership opportunities, and made commitments on future actions. Technical Working Group co-lead organizations facilitated these discussions and compiled five research reports, paving a global roadmap to achieve affordable and clean energy for all by 2030 and meet net zero emissions by 2050.
Dr. Feng An, Founder and Executive Director at Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation (iCET), was invited to speak at two panels. At the “Urban Energy Technology Innovation” panel, moderated by Vincent Kitio, Lead Urban Energy Solutions at UN-HABITAT, Dr. Feng An discussed the influences of innovation technology in urban sustainable development. He was joined at the panel by Matthew Jordan-Tank, Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Policy and Project Preparation at EBRD, Svante Myrick, Mayor of Ithaca, and Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, Ghana.
At the “Leader Dialogue” panel, Dr. Feng An engaged in discussions with Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor of London, Angela Wilkinson, Secretary-General of the World Energy Council, Robert Stoner, Director of the MIT Energy Initiative, and San Rahi, Vice President of Sid Lee Agency. He stressed the vitality of constructing a strong leadership in the new energy area and pointed out that uniting leaders from different backgrounds is a fundamental aspect of meeting clean energy goals.
Click here to access the recorded panel discussions and supportive documents: https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1q/k1qhhpwz92