From July 6 to 15, the 2021 United Nations High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF) was held in New York. The proposal from GEIDCO, i.e. Promoting Energy Transportation Information Network (ETI) Integration to Advance Interlinkages with the SDGs submitted was incorporated into the policy briefs of this forum, providing a Chinese solution for implementing the "Agenda 2030" and fostering new paradigm of high-quality development of the global economy. This is the fourth year in a row since 2018 that GEI-related proposals have been included in the policy briefs of the UN High-Level Political Forum. On July 16, GEIDCO held a press conference to introduce the relevant information and research results of "ETI Integration”, and answered questions from the media.
Press Conference for the Inclusion of ETI Integration in Policy Briefs of the UN High-Level Political Forum
The United Nations High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF) is organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to review and take stock of the progress in the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The policy briefs of the HLPF offer important guidance for advancing the SDGs among the UN member states. As important reference material, the policy briefs will be reviewed and discussed by the representatives of the member states during the HLPF to form a ministerial-level declaration.
The proposal of GEIDCO innovatively puts forward a theoretical framework of energy, transportation and information networks (ETI) Integration, backed up by various application scenarios and case analysis. It calls for incorporating "ETI Integration" into the working framework of intergovernmental cooperation, strengthening policy support, and carrying out joint planning and construction in energy interconnection, transportation electrification and digitalization.
According to the policy briefs, the ETI Integration could support the development of each network and also create better synergies and resilience. The energy network could move towards large-scale development and use of clean energy through clean production and consumption, expanded electrification, and global interconnections. The transportation network would feature smart, efficient, clean, low-carbon and multi-modal global transportation interconnections. The information network would become highly intelligent, digital and secure.
As points out in the policy briefs, ETI integration would support SDG 7 on universal energy access as well as SDG 9 on developing sustainable and resilient infrastructure, and SDG 13 on taking action to combat climate change. For example, through enhanced ETI integration, the world would be able to achieve net-zero emissions faster and control temperature rise. It would also support more decent working opportunities and stable economic growth, which would help reduce economic inequalities based on gender and social marginalization. ETI integration could not only promote achievement of the SDGs, but also offer solutions to other issues that restrict the realization of the goals.
ETI Integration is an important part of the GEI theory and its research system. The related finding was first released at the 2020 Global Energy Interconnection (Asia) Conference, and then published in both Chinese and English monograph in December 2020. ETI integration refers to the transition from the relatively independent development of each individual network to an integrated, shared and coordinated system of combined networks. In-depth coordination in form and function will maximize network advantages, forming a comprehensive infrastructure system that is widely interconnected, intelligent, efficient, clean, low-carbon, and consumer-oriented. "Network-based infrastructure integration can generate huge benefits of the economy of scale, network effects and overflow property to achieve great synergy of '1+1>2'," said Mr. Chen Gesong, Deputy Director General of the General Office of GEIDCO. According to him, ETI Integration is a Chinese proposal to promote the high-quality development of global infrastructure.
Over the past three years, the GEI-related proposals from GEIDCO have all been included in the policy briefs of the HLPF. Mr. Lin Hongyu, the news spokesman and Director General of the Cooperation Bureau of GEIDCO, said, " the continual inclusion of GEI related proposals reflects the recognition and affirmation from the HLPF on the research work undertaken by GEIDCO and related theoretical findings over a long time."
To advance GEI from a China’s initiative to global action, GEIDCO has carried out a lot of cooperation and research work with relevant UN bodies. It has signed cooperation agreements with seven UN agencies and four regional committees of the UN, and obtained an observer status of the UN Climate Change Conference and a consultative status of the United Nations Environment Programme. GEIDCO has conducted specialized research under the framework of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and aligned GEI with such working frameworks for implementing Agenda 2030, the Paris Agreement, global environmental governance as well as addressing universal power access, poverty and health issues.
Attending the press conference on July 16 are reporters from People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group, Economic Daily, China Daily, Science and Technology Daily, China News Service, Economic Information Daily, China Science Daily, China Energy News, China Transport News, China.org.cn, 21st Century Business Herald, Economic Herald of Hong Kong, Nengapp and other media.
