Sustainable energy for all: Towards Rio+20

Energy powers human progress. From generating employment to creating economic competitiveness, from strengthening security to empowering women, energy is the great uniter. It cuts across all sectors and lies at the heart of all countries’ core interests. Now, more than ever, the world needs to ensure that the benefits of modern energy are available to all and that energy is provided as cleanly and efficiently as possible. This is a matter of equity, first and foremost, besides being an issue of urgent practical importance, and it was the impetus for the launch, on 7 November 2011, of the new Sustainable Energy for All Initiative by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.