Thank you so much to my Danish colleague for hosting us all here today, and for those very kind words of welcome.
And also to my colleague from Pakistan for his opening remarks which provide a good frame for our discussions today and of course the informative presentation from the SRSG.
I am very much looking forward to moderating our dialogue. But before we jump into that, it is also my pleasure to also make a short announcement.
As you may know, under the leadership of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) the custodian agencies for the SDG7 indicators are currently preparing the SDG7 Energy Progress Report 2020.
Which this year will include a focus on interlinkages with other SDGs.
The custodians have proposed to launch the report at the UN in May 2020. And they have asked this Group of Friends to be the host!
With the expectation that good progress is made by the secretariat by that time, this could also be combined with a briefing to Member States on preparations of the: UN General Assembly-mandated, Secretary-General-convened, High-Level Global Dialogue on Energy.
Which is anticipated to be held in the second quarter of 2021.
I understand that the Technical Advisory Group on SDG7- convened by DESA and UN-Energy- are planning to prepare a Framing Paper. Which will present a list of key issues that should be discussed at the High-Level Global Dialogue on Energy in 2021.
Colleagues, it is clear that in order to make progress, we need to push the SDG7 agenda both here in New York, and in our capitals. And I see these as good opportunities to do so.
We must accelerate the global energy transformation to achieve SDG 7 and the Paris agreement.
I very much look forward to cooperating with you.