During the 12th edition of the World Government Summit in Dubai, Minister for the Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness Miriam Dalli was appointed Chairperson of the Global Council on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG seven) Affordable and Clean Energy.

Together with Vice Chairperson Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, Dr Dalli will be occupying this role until 2026 as part of this initiative set up by the United Arab Emirates.

The Minister said that the Global SDG seven Council will be calling for collective action to ensure a global transition to cleaner energy and to secure progress toward this goal.

“This role is closely aligned with the ongoing work of the United Nations, which promotes a comprehensive approach to SDG implementation, with affordable and clean energy as a fundamental pillar. We will continue to promote this policy on international platforms, keep pushing for cleaner energy, and ensure that energy remains affordable and accessible to everyone, while also strengthening our partnership with other countries in the region and beyond,” Dr Dalli said.

According to a press release, over the past two days the Minister participated in the Ministerial Roundtable meeting where the urgency of action to address global pressing challenges including those related to climate change while achieving the SDGs were emphasised.

In parallel discussions, the potential of the blue economy was highlighted as an integral component of global efforts to implement the SDGs. During a bilateral meeting with Amna Al Dahak, the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment of the United Arab Emirates, possibilities for future collaborations particularly those related to water, energy, climate change and sustainable development among others were discussed, it added.

Malta will be presenting the second Voluntary National Review on the implementation of the 17 SDGs at the United Nations High level political Forum in New York this July.