From July 9 to 11 local time, Xin Baoan, Chairman of Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) and President of China Electricity Council (CEC), held separate meetings in New York with H.E. Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations; H.E. Mr. Fu Cong, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the UN; H.E. Ms. Rania AL-Mashat, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA); H.E. Mr. Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA); Mr. Haoliang Xu, UN Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); H.E. Mr. Kozhoshev Arzybek Orozbekovich, Member of the Board (Minister) for Energy and Infrastructure of the Eurasian Economic Union; and Mr. Saifur Rahman, former President of IEEE, among others. The discussions focused on accelerating energy transition and advancing sustainable development, and resulted in broad consensus.
Xin Baoan briefly introduced the Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) thematic event held during the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and thanked the participants for their strong support. He stated that GEIDCO’s mission and objectives are highly aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Agenda. Building a Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) will help ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all while also contributing to multiple SDGs, including climate action, innovation and industrialization. In recent years, GEIDCO has established close partnerships with relevant UN agencies and carried out extensive and in-depth cooperation in concept promotion, think tank research, international exchanges, and capacity-building, achieving notable results.
Xin Baoan noted that the thematic event featured the release of the Global Electricity Development Index 2026, which scientifically assesses and ranks electricity development performance of 100 representative countries across four dimensions: supply security, electricity consumption and services, green and low-carbon development, and technological innovation. The report captures the latest landscape and trends of global electricity development and provides a reference for countries to explore electricity development pathways suited to their national conditions. Looking ahead, he expressed the hope of strengthening cooperation with relevant organizations in areas including clean energy assessment, energy interconnection, international standards, project development and capacity building, so as to accelerate energy transition and support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The parties extended welcomes to Chairman Xin Baoan and his delegation, reviewed their cooperation with GEIDCO, and offered suggestions for deepening cooperation.
Mr. Li Junhua stated that progress toward the SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda remains slow and that energy and electricity are key drivers of sustainable development. By holding the thematic event during this year’s HLPF, releasing the Global Electricity Development Index, and establishing the GEI Academy, GEIDCO can help developing countries strengthen their energy and power development capacity and accelerate energy transition.
Mr. Fu Cong spoke highly of GEIDCO’s achievements. He stated that the high-level, large-scale thematic event fully demonstrated GEIDCO’s significant influence and convening power in global energy governance. He added that the Permanent Mission would continue to support GEIDCO in carrying out its work and playing a greater role on UN platforms. He also expressed the hope that GEIDCO would strengthen the communication and promotion of its achievements, build greater recognition and broader support within the international community, expand its influence in key regions and countries, and further enhance its level of internationalization.
Ms. Rania AL-Mashat spoke highly of China’s efforts to advance energy transition. She stated that China has significantly reduced the costs of renewable energy development and utilization through technological innovation and enabled the rapid growth of renewable energy, offering valuable experience for countries in Western Asia to draw on. ESCWA and GEIDCO have maintained a long-standing and sound cooperative relationship. She expressed the hope that the two sides would strengthen cooperation in clean energy assessment, capacity-building programs, and other areas, and jointly advance renewable energy development and power grid interconnection in Western Asia.
Mr. Claver Gatete spoke highly of the research findings of the Global Electricity Development Index. He stated that Africa still has significant gaps in electricity development and regional interconnection, and faces challenges in technology and financing. Nevertheless, the continent has broad prospects in clean energy, electric vehicles, mineral resource processing, and other fields. He expressed the hope that GEIDCO would leverage its technological expertise and platform strengths to encourage greater participation by Chinese enterprises in energy and power projects in Africa.
Mr. Haoliang Xu stated that GEIDCO has core strengths in the energy and power sector, while UNDP has an extensive global network and strong policy coordination capabilities. He expressed the hope that the two sides would strengthen cooperation in capacity-building programs, country-level projects, and other areas, enhance energy and power development in developing countries, and help reduce the number of people without access to electricity worldwide.
Mr. Kozhoshev Arzybek Orozbekovich briefed on electricity development and investment in power projects in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. He stated that Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries are actively developing hydropower, solar and wind energy while enhancing regional power interconnection. He expressed his hope to strengthen cooperation with GEIDCO in project research, conference exchanges, and other areas to promote clean energy development and power interconnection in Central Asia to a new level.
Mr. Saifur Rahman spoke highly of the thematic event organized by GEIDCO. He outlined the global distribution of IEEE members and expressed his willingness to promote closer collaboration between IEEE’s branches and GEIDCO’s overseas offices, fully leverage IEEE’s technical expertise and global professional network, and support the development of the GEI Academy.
Dr. Cheng Zhiqiang, Executive Secretary for Cooperation, GEIDCO, and the head of the Cooperation Bureau attended the meetings.
