Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organization working with leaders in government, the private sector and civil society to drive further, faster action toward achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which calls for universal access to sustainable energy by 2030, and the Paris Agreement, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate warming to below 2° Celsius.
Achieving these goals will require a radical rethink of the way we produce, distribute and consume energy. SEforALL is at the heart of this foundational shift to ensure no one is left behind. Drawing on data and evidence, we identify a critical path to success in achieving SDG7.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. Now an independent organization, we maintain close links with the UN, including through a relationship agreement, partnerships with UN agencies and with SEforALL's CEO acting as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.
Our staff is based at our headquarters in Vienna, Austria and at our satellite office in Washington, DC in the United States. Governance is provided by the SEforALL Administrative Board.
SEforALL drives the kind of action we need to put the world on this “well below 2° Celsius pathway” while lifting billions of people out of energy poverty. They:
- Build partnerships to connect stakeholders to each other—and to solutions.
- Marshal the data and the evidence to understand the problems and identify potential solutions.
- Benchmark progress to show where we are, and where we need to be, to help government leaders and other decision-makers stay on track and to give us a clear direction going forward.
- Amplify the voices of the energy poor to ensure marginalized groups are heard, making the human case for the SDG7 targets.
- Raise the profile of our partners to encourage involvement, reinforce successes and generate momentum.
- Tell stories of success to inspire change and create networks of practitioners.
