© ADEME.
Solar electrification in Towé (Bénin)
In the framework of the 40th anniversary of UNESCO International Congress “The Sun in the service of mankind”, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and UNESCO organise jointly on 3 October 2013, an international initiative on “Renewable energies in the service of humanity: the current challenges and prospects by 2030 and 2050″.
This event is organised under the High Patronage of Mr François Hollande, President of the French Republic.
It will review the development of renewable energies as well as the prospects and futures opportunities to meet the global challenges. The international congress is composed of a scientific day at CNRS and the anniversary ceremony organised at UNESCO House from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
The anniversary ceremony, at UNESCO, will be opened by Ms Marie-Hélène Aubert, Advisor to the President of the French Republic. It will be followed by interventions of the organizers as well as presentations of two “Great witnesses”: Mr Kandeh K. Yumkella, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Chief Executive for “Sustainable Energy for All” Initiative, Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Mr Wolfgang Palz, Chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy. The event will be closed by Mr Brice Lalonde, Special Advisor on Sustainable Development to the United Nations Global Compact.
In 1973, the international congress « The Sun in the Service of Mankind » which marked the beginning of renewable energies theme as a major international cause was held in Paris under the auspices of UNESCO. The year 2013 marks a turning point which is at mid-way between the 1973 founding congress and 2050 as the symbolic year for addressing the climate change challenges. Moreover, several milestones are emerging such as the willingness to launch, in 2015, a Post Kyoto international agreement, or the United Nations «Sustainable Energy for All» Initiative (SE4All) which aims to ensure universal access to modern energy services by 2030. In this context, this anniversary constitutes an opportunity to review the unprecedented industrial and economic development of renewable energy and look into their development prospects by 2050.
Source: UNESCO
