Delivered by: Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, Deputy Permanent Representative

Colleagues, the draft resolution before you is a testament to the importance of clean energy and the role that it has played and will continue to play in ensuring universal energy access and transforming our energy systems.

Before I continue, I wanted to briefly reflect on how we arrived at the current draft resolution, and why we partnered with Panama to bring you this text.

We were intitially working on two different drafts that were quite similar in nature. Panama on a draft titled “International Day of Sustainable Energy”, and the UAE on a draft titled “International Day of Renewable Energy”. After learning of one another’s initiatives, and in the spirit of cooperation, we decided to join forces and work together to come up with the current draft.

In fact, the suggestion of introducing an “International Day of Renewable Energy” to the UN came from the General Assembly of IRENA. I am sure that most, if not all, of the countries present ghere are members of IRENA.

Having said that, we are very pleased and proud of the work we did with Panama and the Core Group on this resolution and in unifying the text of our two proposals.

With regards to clean energy, the UAE has been championing renewable energy investments and clean energy solutions for almost two decades now.

And as has been demonstrated in many parts of the world, clean energy solutions create new jobs, livelihoods, and contribute to economic development and reducing poverty.

In the context of SDG7 we have all agreed to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”, including through clean energy research and technology.

The draft resolution before you is a contribution to the ongoing efforts in the context of SDG7 to further recognize the role clean energy can play in achieving the sustainable development goals.

It reiterates the commitment to close the gap that still exists globally in terms of universal access to electricity, while recognizing the common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in light of different national circumstances, especially in the developing countries. It is also an acknowledgement of the actions that have been implemented and milestones achieved towards an energy transition.

The draft resolution aims at increasing public awareness and promoting global advocacy initiatives towards clean energy and is particularly salient as the international community prepares for COP 28 that will be held in the UAE. Mitigation and adaptation efforts will both be essential to ensure we achieve the SDGs and avoid the worst effects of climate change.