Event World Day
International Day of Clean Energy 2025
The observation of the International Day of Clean Energy on 26 January was declared in 2023 by the General Assembly (resolution A/77/327) as a call to raise awareness and mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet.
About
The International Day of Clean Energy on 26 January was declared in 2023 by the General Assembly (resolution A/77/327) as a call to raise awareness and mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet.
26 January also marks the founding date of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a global intergovernmental agency established in 2009 to support countries in their energy transitions, serve as a platform for international cooperation, and provide data and analyses on clean energy technology, innovation, policy, finance and investment.
Clean Energy for People and Planet
Clean energy is key to supporting communities lacking access to reliable power sources – still today, 675 million people live in the dark – 4 in 5 are in Sub-Saharan Africa – in securing education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, and halt the reliance on polluting fossil fuels for their daily life, perpetuating poverty. If current trends continue, by 2030 one in four people will still use unsafe, unhealthy and inefficient cooking systems, such as burning wood or dung.
Although this situation has been improving, the world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. The General Assembly will hold a Global Stocktaking on SDG7 in April 2024 to assess progress and recommend solutions.
Adopting clean energy is also integral to the fight against climate change. Fossil fuels are the single biggest contributor to the climate crisis. Moving away from fossil fuels is essential in the transition toward sustainable energy. The science is clear: to limit climate change, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable. Renewable energy sources – which are available in abundance all around us, provided by the sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth – are replenished by nature and emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air.
Transition to Sustainable Energy and the Role of Geneva
Energy drives economies and sustains societies, but its production and use are the most significant contributors to global warming, accounting for roughly two-thirds of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Several organizations in International Geneva are taking action toward a transition to sustainable energy for a cleaner future.