Check against delivery UNIDO Director-General s Opening Remarks on the occasion of Vienna Energy Forum 2015 Excellences, Honourable Ministers, Ambassadors, Deputy Mayor of Vienna, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of UNIDO and as co-organizer of this Forum, I wish to extend a warm welcome to all of you in Vienna. It is a great honour and a special privilege for me to speak at the opening session of the 2015 Vienna Energy Forum, which is being co-hosted by UNIDO together with Government of Austria, Sustainable Energy for All and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). At the outset, let me express a heartfelt thank you to all our Vienna Energy Forum 2015 key partners. These are among others, the Government of Austria, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the Government of Germany, the Government of Poland, the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, Consus, Spirit Design, CI Biogas, Wien Energie and Verbund in cooperation with National Park Carinthia. This is the fourth edition of this Forum. Over the years, this event has provided a platform for thought leaders, policy-makers, academics, the private sector and civil society from around the world to shape the energy agenda at the globallevel. Indeed, this Forum is the only one where we discuss energy and
development issues holistically. Our previous discussions at past Vienna Energy Forums have contributed significantly to setting the direction of the global agenda on energy and development. As all of us know, it is here at the Vienna Energy Forum that the seeds of a global partnership on Sustainable Energy for All were sown. This year s edition of the Vienna Energy Forum is being held under the theme of Sustainable Energy for Inclusive Development. It represents a unique opportunity to explore the global challenges facing us in the 21 st century from the perspective of sustainable energy in terms of promoting jobs, clean technologies and structural transformation. This year s Vienna Energy Forum should therefore provide a platform for debate on identifying practical solutions to address these challenges. Excellences, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, This Forum is taking place at a defining moment for humanity as in terms of paving the way towards sustainable development. Indeed, the coming months will see three major events that will shape the common sustainable future that we all want and very much need. In Addis Ababa in July of this year, high-level political representatives will define the blueprint for the financing of the development agenda. In September, world leaders will gather in New York at the UN Summit on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, where Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be adopted to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). And later in December, the landmark COP 21 UN climate change conference will be convened in Paris to forge a global agreement to ensure the climate security of the planet. 2
Energy is at the centre of the decisive global issues, and this Forum could not have been convened at a better time than today. Since the first Industrial Revolution, societies have relied on increasing supplies of energy to meet their need for economic development and expansion. Addressing today s global challenges requires a profound rethinking of the way we produce and consume energy. Evidence shows that energy systems can be overhauled to support a sustainable future. However, for this to be realized, energy systems need to be affordable, reliable and environmentally sound. Such an energy transformation requires committed and bold action. Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen, Today, industry accounts for more than one third of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and will continue to drive growth of global energy demand over the coming decades, particularly in developing and emerging economies. At the same time, structural change through industrialization will remain the main driver of poverty reduction and wealth creation in the post-2015 world. Thus, the main challenge still remains to make economic growth and development more inclusive and sustainable. Throughout our history, industrialization has been the primary driver of economic growth and development whether we look at the development processes in Europe, the United States, Japan, or in the many fast growing economies in Asia, Africa and Latin America that achieved rapid growth in more recent times. It was industrial development in these countries that generated wealth and shaped their success. In our view, industry provides greater opportunities for value addition, productivity, capital accumulation, economies of scale, and technological progress than any other economic sector. However, we need to remember that any progress on poverty eradication will be 3
short-lived if we do not succeed in achieving economic growth within an environmentally sustainable framework. We cannot deny that our industries leave a significant global environmental footprint. Indeed, there is no country in the world that is not struggling with the issues of waste management, water purification and Greenhouse Gas emissions reduction it remains a major learning and moral process for all of us. We therefore need to realize that we have no alternative but to rapidly reform of our industrial processes towards sustainability. We must promote energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy more effectively. We must reduce our carbon footprints. We need to also work on the constructive inclusion of women and youth through their economic empowerment and entrepreneurship development in order to address inequalities and unlock the full potential of countries and societies to innovate and motivate for solutions. We must use our scarce resources more efficiently and effectively. And lastly we must also advance our cleaner production abilities. But let me reassure you that we do not need to choose between prosperity and sustainability. With the right choice of policies, practices, technologies, business models and partnerships, both can go hand-in-hand. This is the rationale behind our pursuit of sustainable development with lasting prosperity for all through Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development. At UNIDO, through our growing energy and environment programme, we are already working to assist member states, institutions and partners towards achieving green growth and green industrial development. Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen, We are very mindful of the fact that partnerships remain a centerpiece for successful approaches in a fast-evolving, interconnected world. Harnessing and 4
sharing knowledge and experience amongst various stakeholders is instrumental in the transition to sustainable development. This is why this global Forum aims to forge partnerships at the global, regional and sub-regional levels where sustainable energy solutions can contribute to both the post-2015 development agenda and to effective climate change stabilization actions, as well as setting the pace for future discourses on important issues such as financing, regional approaches, and nexus issues such as food security, health and climate change adaptation. We trust that the Vienna Energy Forum 2015 will prove to be as influential, or even more so, than previous editions. On this note, let me wish you all the best for the deliberations over the coming days. I am looking forward to interacting with you in the context of this Forum and its side events and special events. Thank you very much for your kind attention. 5