Organizer

Background

The Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition (CSET) Agenda is a platform for collaborative action amongst member countries towards acceleration of the transition to low carbon energy systems and the achievement of SDGs (focus on SDG7) on access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy. It is anchored on three key pillars - Inclusive Transition; Technology and Innovation; and Enabling Frameworks and is being implemented through targeted approaches including member-led Action Groups.  

With more than 60 percent of the Commonwealth population under the age of 30, the Commonwealth is committed to investing in young people, building their capacity, and placing them at the centre of sustainable and inclusive development. Young people across the Commonwealth have an important role to play in driving the change and innovation required to meet global targets, leveraging their skills and competencies, technological know-how and strong networks.  

The CSET team launched an action-oriented task group (CSET Youth) under the Commonwealth Youth for Sustainable Urbanisation network to facilitate a greater participation of youth across the Commonwealth in the Energy Transition, driving policy, technology, and business model innovation towards meeting the Net Zero agenda and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets while building the youth’s capacity to lead the future generations towards sustainability. 

The Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition (CSET) Agenda seeks to partner with governments, private sector, financial institutions, and civil society to accelerate action that will address these huge gaps in access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030, thereby contributing to a clean and just energy transition that leaves no one behind in all Commonwealth member countries. 

Objectives 

• Sharing scenarios where policy, technology and business model innovation contributed to the achievement of net-zero emissions and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets 
• Highlighting the transition from carbon-intensive hubs and markets as smart economic decisions for all stakeholders – a showcase of projects using Renewable Energy with Long Duration Energy Storage and Geothermal. 
• Highlighting the relevance to youth-led capacity-building and linkages with the Action for Climate Empowerment as well as the power of Youth Voices 
• Highlighting Low-hanging fruits that correctly designed capacity building can accomplish in transfer of skills from non-common trades and professionals into sustainable energy  
• Share a diversity and complementarity of experiences of youth in capacity building and contributions to climate action from developed, developing and least developed countries 
• Exchange of knowledge and information around the good practices, tools and case studies of meaningful youth involvement and capacity-building; as well as any lessons learned. 

Structure 

The session was jointly hosted by the Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition Team, and the World Federation of Engineering Organisations Young Engineers and Future Leaders with speakers from the UN Major Group for Children and Youth SDG7 Youth Constituency, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll), public and private sector.  

The panelists were selected from experts who are driving policy, technology and business model innovation in their spaces and are integrating capacity building into traditional market approaches to facilitate the achievement of net-zero emissions and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets especially in carbon-intensive hubs and markets.  

The participants consisted of youth and young professionals, researchers, policy makers, public- and private sector leaders involved in driving sustainable energy deployment and climate action locally and regionally. 

Speakers

• Alache Fisho, Legal Adviser, Natural Resources, Commonwealth Secretariat 
• Dominica Una, Registrar, Asteven Energy Institute (AEI) 
• Eileen Goh, Programmes Officer, Sustainability & Development, The Commonwealth Secretariat 
• Josh Wiart, Mechanical Engineer, Long Duration Energy Storage, Breeze 
• Brian Kakembo, Founder/CEO, WEYE Clean Energy Company 
• Evangelos Pastras, Steering Committee, Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition (CSET) Youth

Moderator

• Christopher Chukwunta, Vice President, International Renewable Energy Systems Inc.
• Micheala Chan, UK G20 Youth Representative, Arcadis Consulting (UK) Ltd

Key Outcomes

• This session focused on the innovative capacity-building activities possible for energy transition.
• The importance of the youth within the Commonwealth was highlighted, as well as the need for just, equitable and inclusive transition. Transitioning the energy industry to Net-Zero requires technical capacity-building, as well as scaling up the inclusion of the youth through networks, and early childhood education of capacity-building for climate action.
• Capacity-building for youth was also discussed as a focal point for innovative technology development, government collaboration, and private sector activities.