The UAE, through Masdar, has been a strong partner of the UN's Second Annual Sustainable Energy for All, SE4All Forum, since UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, called on the international community to enhance sustainable energy access across the world at the 2012 World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

The SE4All Forum, which will be held from May 18th-21st in New York City, will seek to find solutions through innovation, sustainability, and ways in which global leaders can collaborate to make clean energy affordable for the 1.3 billion people worldwide who lack access to electricity.

Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, will reflect on the country's strong partnership with SE4All at the first-ever Global Energy Ministerial initiative.

Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company, and the Zayed Future of Energy Prize, will have a vital role throughout the forum, which has an overarching theme, "Financing Sustainable Energy for All," which aligns with Masdar's achievements in expanding safe, secure and affordable renewable energy across the world.

Representing Masdar and the Zayed Future Energy Prize at SE4All is Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, the company's Director of Sustainability and Director of the Zayed Future Energy Prize. During the event, Masdar will host an SE4ALL Advisory Board meeting at NASDAQ, which will be attended by senior representatives of the UN and national governments. Al-Hosany will take the opportunity to invite attendees to the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2016, the Middle East's largest conference devoted to sustainability and renewable energy.

SE4All will also host a WiSER panel (Women in Sustainability, Environment and Renewable Energy), which will be dedicated to sharing ideas that can shape new approaches for sustainable development. The panel, entitled: "Mobilising Bold Ideas for Impact", is scheduled for later today. The UAE, through Masdar, established the WiSER initiative as a platform aimed at inspiring women to be active leaders in advancing innovations.

While at the forum, Masdar will participate in a high level panel entitled "Energy for Women's and Children's Health." The panel, comprised of government representatives from Uganda, and Senegal, with Radha Muthiah, of the ‘Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves,' and Maurizio Vecchione, of ‘Global Good and Research, Intellectual Ventures' will examine how energy access is a facilitator for health and welfare improvements, particularly for women and children.

Ahead of the panel, Al-Hosany said, "Access to clean energy does impact women's and children's health through improving quality of life and better economic opportunities. Masdar has a strong track record in delivering renewable energy solutions to remote communities around the world. We have helped communities in Tonga, the Seychelles, Afghanistan and Morocco to secure access to clean power while reducing costs and cutting emissions."

On the final day of the forum, a special awards ceremony will be held in the UN General Assembly Hall to recognise the winners of the Global High Schools category of the Zayed Future Energy Prize. The Global High Schools category was introduced by the Prize in 2012 as part of the UAE's commitment to SE4All.
Source: WAM