Description
The Asian Development Bank, along with its co-organizers the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Korea Energy Agency (KEA), is inviting clean energy practitioners from across the Asia and Pacific region—including government agencies, private sector, equipment and service providers, financiers, researchers, and other stakeholders—to join the 18th Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) to be held on 13–16 June 2023 in Manila, Philippines.
Over the last few years, we have seen the mainstreaming of carbon neutrality, with numerous countries committing to net zero targets and setting more ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The pledges by countries and corporations to carbon neutrality are welcome and represent a revitalization of commitments made through the Paris Climate Agreement. Yet, these decarbonization pledges are rarely articulated within a framework that emphasizes a just energy transition and contributes to the human and social development needs of developing countries.
Certainly, the transition to carbon neutrality in Asia and the Pacific entails more than just a shift to cleaner and renewable energy resources. It entails providing access to electricity for the approximately 133 million people who are still without access, the majority of whom live in rural and isolated areas. It also necessitates the delivery of affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, which includes the 1.3 billion people who rely on the traditional use of biomass for cooking in the region (1.5 billion have no access to clean cooking).
Hence, ACEF is a venue for clean energy practitioners to come together and share insights on how to take action using clean energy solutions in the pursuit of a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific. These solutions enable clean and sustainable energy development that improves energy security, promotes good governance, and encourages private sector participation. It is imperative that all individuals have access to energy that is not just clean, but also affordable, reliable, and sustainable.
Objectives
ACEF 2023 will be guided by the theme "Navigating Toward a Carbon-Neutral Future through Clean Energy Solutions."
ACEF 2023 aims to deliver practical knowledge, increased awareness, and opportunities for collaboration to a range of clean energy stakeholders and practitioners from across Asia and the Pacific. The intended audience comprises public and private sector entities, academic and research institutions, and other stakeholders. Ultimately, ACEF 2023 aspires to have the following impacts in the region:
- Improved governance approaches, regulations and policies, and energy planning methodologies among ADB developing member countries (DMCs), with the aim to address the barriers to clean energy development and create enabling conditions for increased private and public sector investment into carbon-neutral technologies and systems.
- Increased development of innovative clean energy initiatives and business models that mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), while enabling more inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development and climate adaptation.
- Increased private sector participation and leadership in the delivery of clean energy innovation, through the development and incubation of new businesses; transfer of business practices and technology; and a significant acceleration in clean energy financing and investment.
Target participants
- Main DMC counterparts, the Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Energy,
- Implementing agencies of ongoing or future energy projects,
- Energy professionals and developers,
- Financing institutions,
- Academia and research,
- Media
Resource speakers
Speakers are to be confirmed soon. Interested clean energy practitioners may submit their abstracts through the ACEF website.
How to register
Registration will be available in April 2023.
Language
The forum will be delivered in English.
Event organizers / partners
- Asian Development Bank (ADB)
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Korea Energy Agency (KEA)