Accelerating Citizen-Centric Energy Transition - A Special Event on India’s efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda

UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy 2021 Ministerial Thematic Forums

[24 June 2021]

Statement by Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti

Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations

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Hon’ble Shri R.K. Singh, Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy

Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, International Solar Alliance

Ms. Damilola Ogunbiyi, SRSG & CEO, Sustainable Energy for All

Mr. Stéphane Crouzat, French Ambassador for Climate Change Negotiations

Shri I.S. Charturvedi, Secretary, MNRE

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Permanent Mission of India in New York, allow me to welcome all of you for the Special Event on India’s efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda by “Accelerating Citizen-Centric Energy Transition”, being organised on the sidelines of the Ministerial Thematic Forums of UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy.  I am particularly grateful to Hon’ble Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy for participating in this important event.

It is a matter of pride that India has been chosen as Global Champion for the theme of “Energy Transition” at the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy 2021.

The onset of the pandemic has brought home to us that the initiatives of all Governments should have at their core the welfare and needs of their citizens. What we need now is a more compassionate, environment-friendly and citizen-centric world.

It is evident that Energy Transition based on Sustainable Energy sources will be the key to respond to the world’s climate challenge and to fulfil the needs of citizens. We need to ensure that a balance is maintained between development needs of countries and their impact on environment. Needless to add, while we undertake this transition, it is important that we are fully sensitive to the energy-mix and national circumstances of countries. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution.

India had insisted and ensured that the Sustainable Development Goals were negotiated in the UN and not handed down like Millennium Development Goals were earlier. Since we all own the SDGs now, having negotiated them together in the UN, implementing the SDGs is our collective responsibility.

We need to find innovative ways of expanding access to affordable and modern energy, promoting renewable energy and increasing energy efficiency, as we progress in our journey in this decade of action and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7. We therefore support the call for accelerating action on energy transition and ensuring that adequate means of implementation are made available to developing countries to achieve them, whether finance or technology.

India envisions a leadership role in renewable energy and has introduced several new initiatives for clean and green energy and set a voluntary target of installing 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030. Apart from ambitious targets for solar and renewable energy, India has also deployed a range of citizen-centric measures. In this, the private sector in India is also playing a significant role. I am sure we will hear more on this from other speakers.

Today’s event is an effort to highlight and share experience of how India, a developing country, is implementing citizen-centric energy transition initiatives to achieve the 2030 Agenda and fulfil its Paris Agreement commitments.

Before I conclude, allow me to thank the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Council on Energy, Environment and Water for all the arrangements made for this event. I once again welcome you all for what promises to be an engaging discussion today.

I thank you.