Remarks at UN Agencies Side Event during the Renewable Energy Conference and Expo 2025

Salutations:

• The Commissioner Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development;

• The FAO Representative;

• UN Colleagues;

• Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good morning. 

It is a great pleasure to join you today at this important dialogue — UN Agencies Delivering as One for SDG7 “Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and clean energy for all" — held under the theme of “Transforming Livelihoods through Nature and Energy Finance for Climate Action”.

Allow me to begin by commending the Government of Uganda and all partners gathered here for your leadership and commitment to advancing renewable energy and climate action. These conversations could not be more timely. 

• Around the world, about 685 million people still lack access to electricity, with Sub-Saharan Africa counting for 83% of this deficit, with an estimated 660 million people having no access to electricity by 2030, of whom 85 will be in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

• Today, 2.1 billion people still rely on polluting fuels and technologies – such as charcoal, coal, crop waste, dung, kerosene, and wood – for cooking. Nearly 80% of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa. If current trends persist, 1.8 billion people will still be exposed by 2030 to the health, livelihood, and environmental risks associated with these fuels, with six in ten living in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• In Uganda, about 20% of the population has access to electricity from the national grid while 38% access electricity from off grid systems such as mini-grids and solar home systems.

• 94% of Ugandan households still rely on biomass for cooking (of which 73% firewood and 21% charcoal). This heavy reliance on biomass energy is among the key drivers of deforestation, a source of greenhouse gas emissions, and deepens energy poverty. It also places a heavy unpaid care workload on women, who spend up to four (4) hours daily collecting fuel and cooking with inefficient stoves , exposing them to harmful smoke and pollutants. Such exposure significantly raises health risks, contributing to severe respiratory diseases and an estimated 3.2 million deaths in 2020, mostly among women and children, from indoor air pollution caused by polluting cooking fuels.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are also witnessing the growing impacts of climate change – globally and here in Uganda — through changing rainfall patterns, rising energy demands, and increased pressure on our natural ecosystems. Yet within these challenges lies an opportunity: to harness renewable energy, invest in nature, and deliver real transformation in people’s lives while advancing the global transition toward decarbonized and resilient economies.

In this context, the joint initiative ‘Mission 300’, aiming to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030, strongly resonates with the United Nations’ core commitment to Leave No One Behind. Led by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, and supported by partners such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Sustainable Energy for All, and the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme, Mission 300 is a unifying platform to link energy access with livelihoods, gender equality, and local development. 

Under the leadership of the Ministry of Energy, and in close collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, UN agencies, and the Embassy of France, the Government of Uganda is advancing efforts toward the country’s inclusion in the third cohort of nations benefitting from the Mission 300 initiative. To this end, a Uganda National Energy Compact is being developed and a National Stakeholders Consultation convened in November, with the clear goal of aligning partners and key stakeholders – including development partners, the private sector, and national and international financial institutions – around a common strategy to catalyze a resilient, inclusive, and low-carbon development pathway for Uganda by 2030, fully in line with NDP IV, Vision 2040, Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030.

Ultimately, Mission 300 represents Uganda’s flagship effort to achieve universal access to affordable, clean energy by 2030, bringing together government, development partners, national and international financial institutions, and the private sector to connect every community, school, and health facility to reliable power.

The United Nations system in Uganda is united in supporting such transformative shift toward affordable, sustainable energy with joint efforts that are part of a coordinated, community-centered vision. The UN Country Team is developing a unified energy portfolio that tracks people reached, identifies service gaps, and maps opportunities for scale. This reflects our One UN approach to accelerating progress on the implementation of SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action), in full alignment with Uganda’s Vision 2040. For the United Nations in Uganda, this is what “Delivering as One” truly means — combining our strengths, our mandates, and our partnerships to deliver integrated solutions that respond to national priorities and accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 7 — affordable and clean energy for all.

Together, the UN family is demonstrating that clean energy and nature-based solutions can work hand in hand.

Through initiatives led by FAO, UNDP, UNHCR, IOM, UNICEF, WFP, UN Women, UNIDO, UNEP, UNFCCC, and UNOPS efforts span from solar-powered irrigation, storage, and clean cooking in schools, public spaces, women centers and refugee settings, to renewable energy solutions in climate-smart agriculture, health, education, and WASH systems that strengthen climate resilience and service continuity. 

Besides, UN agencies are driving innovation, capacity-building, and investment in renewable energy markets while empowering women, youth, and local communities. This includes promoting energy-efficient technologies, supporting policy and financing reforms, and expanding access to clean and affordable energy that cuts emissions, creates green jobs, and advances Uganda’s vision for a sustainable, low-carbon future.

Colleagues, advancing SDG 7 and climate action requires more than technology — it requires finance, partnerships, and inclusion. It requires that we bridge the gap between energy access and ecosystem protection, and that we ensure the benefits of the energy transition reach women, youth, and the most vulnerable. This is at the heart of our joint UN work in Uganda and aligns squarely with Uganda’s Vision 2040, the Parish Development Model, and the Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement.

As we engage today, I encourage us all to think beyond projects — to think in terms of systems, integration, and collective impact. Let us work together to unlock new financing, scale up renewable and nature-based solutions, and ensure that no one is left behind in Uganda’s green transition.

On behalf of the United Nations Country Team, I reaffirm our full commitment to supporting the Government and people of Uganda in building a resilient, inclusive, and climate-smart future — where clean energy powers opportunity, and where nature and people thrive together.

Thank you and I wish you the best in your discussions.