Closing Plenary
Providing a Just and Inclusive Clean Energy Transition for All
Friday, 7 June 2024
9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (GMT +8) | Auditorium Halls 1-4
While there is an urgent need to accelerate the clean energy transition and tackle climate change, it is equally critical to leave no one behind. No single country has successfully delivered a clean energy transition in a short period without some socio-economic impact on affected workers and communities in the fossil fuel industry.
The transition to a low-carbon future in Asia and the Pacific means more than just shifting to efficient, clean and renewable energy solutions. It will require the provision of access to electricity for the approximately 53 million people in the region who currently have no access, particularly in rural and isolated areas. It also requires that we deliver affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, which includes the 1.2 billion people in the region who rely on traditional uses of biomass for cooking and do not have access to clean cooking.
Governments and the private sector need to work together to ensure the just energy transition mitigates negative socio-economic impacts and increases opportunities associated with the transition to a clean energy economy, supporting affected workers and communities, and enhancing access to sustainable, inclusive and resilient livelihoods for all. There is a need for transparent and inclusive processes for planning, implementation and monitoring that involve all relevant stakeholders and affected groups, and that further enhance inclusion and gender equality.
The ACEF 2024 Closing Plenary Session aims to inspire regional collaboration and emphasize partnerships that are taking concrete and urgent action to address and finance the clean energy transition and climate change, through a just and inclusive process. It will also highlight and discuss some of the most transformative clean energy financing solutions that have been discussed throughout ACEF Week. We expect to have speakers from governments, private sector and leading international organizations.
Presenters and speakers in the session will share their experiences and ongoing work on delivering a just and clean energy transition, and will identify the potential challenges, strategies, solutions, and lessons learned.
AGENDA
9:00 - 9:03 a.m.
Overview of ACEF Week
Emcee: David Morgado, Senior Energy Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
9:03 - 9:20 a.m.
ADB’s Transformation
Woochong Um, Managing Director General, ADB
9:20 - 10:00 a.m.
Keynote Addresses:
Muaviyath Mohamed, State Minister, Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, Maldives
Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General for Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community
Abha Shukla, Additional Chief Secretary (Energy) Government of Maharashtra, India
Adnan Amin, Chief Executive Officer, COP 28
Annetje Ottow, President of Executive Board, Leiden University
Leena Srivastava, Former Deputy Director General of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and Former Vice Chancellor of TERI School of Advanced Studies
10:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Audience Pulse
Audience interaction with Mentimeter: Polling Questions
Peter du Pont, Co-CEO, Asia Clean Energy Partners
10:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:05 a.m.
Scene-Setter:
Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative, United Nations Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All
11:05 - 11:55 a.m.
Panel Discussion: Leaving No One Behind
Moderator: Susann Roth, Advisor, ADB Office of the Principal Director, Department of Communications and Knowledge Management, ADB
Panelists:
Suzanne Gaboury, Director General, Private Sector Operations Department, ADB
Gurbuz Gonul, Director, Country Engagement and Partnership, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Hongpeng Liu, Director, Energy Division, UN ESCAP
Sinon Vongkusolkit, Chief Executive Officer, Banpu
Kitty Bu, Asia Vice-President, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet
11:55 a.m. - 12:25 p.m.
Panel Discussion: Reflections on ACEF Week with Thematic Track Chairs
Moderator: Pradeep Tharakan, Director, Energy Transition, ADB
Scene-Setter: Results of Energy Future Survey
Panelists:
Cindy Tiangco, ADB, Co-Chair, Thematic Track 1: Tripling Renewable Energy Capacity by 2030
Melanie Slade, International Energy Agency (IEA), Co-Chair, Thematic Track 2: Doubling Progress in Energy Efficiency by 2030
Jiwan Acharya, ADB, Co-Chair, Thematic Track 3: Delivering Electricity Transmission and Distribution for the Future
Annika Seiler, ADB, Co-Chair, Thematic Track 4: Financing New and Innovative Clean Energy Solutions in Hard-to-Abate Sectors
Q&A
12:25 - 12:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Bhargav Dasgupta, Vice-President, Market Solutions, ADB
SPEAKERS
Woochong Um
Managing Director General - Office of the President, Asian Development Bank
Muaviyath Mohamed
Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, Maldives
Satvinder Singh
Deputy Secretary General for Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community
Abha Shukla
Additional Chief Secretary (Energy), Government of Maharashtra
Adnan Amin
Chief Executive Officer, COP 28
Annetje Ottow
President of the Executive Board, Leiden University
Leena Srivastava
Executive Director, TERI(Retd)
Damilola Ogunbiyi
CEO and Special Representative, The UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All
Susann Roth
Advisor, ADB Office of the Principal Director, Department of Communications and Knowledge Management, ADB
Suzanne C. Gaboury
Director General, Private Sector Operations Department, Asian Development Bank
Gurbuz Gonul
Director, Country Engagement and Partnership, International Renewable Energy Agency
Hongpeng Liu
Director, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Sinon Vongkusolkit
Chief Executive Officer, Banpu Public Company Limited
Kitty Bu
Vice President, Southeast Asia, GEAPP
Pradeep Tharakan
Director, Energy Transition, Asian Development Bank
Cindy Cisneros Tiangco
Principal Energy Specialist, Asian Development Bank
Melanie Slade
Senior Programme Manager, Energy Efficiency in Emerging Economies, International Energy Agency
Jiwan Acharya
Principal Energy Specialist, Sectors Group, Asian Development Bank
Annika Seiler
Principal Energy Specialist, Asian Development Bank
Bhargav Dasgupta
Vice-President, Market Solutions, Asian Development Bank
David Morgado
Senior Energy Specialist, Asian Development Bank
(Emcee)
Peter du Pont
Co-CEO, Asia Clean Energy Partners
(Emcee)