2012 is the UN's International Year of Sustainable Energy for All and Rio de Janeiro will host the third Earth Summit, or "Rio+20", in June this year--20 years after the first Earth Summit in 1992. Targeted to attract most of the world's heads of state and governments, Rio+20 will focus on the "green economy" and on creating an institutional framework for sustainable development. Against this backdrop, Dr Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), will speak on universal access to energy, the energy-food-water nexus and implications for inclusive and sustainable Asian development.
Dr Heyzer is the ninth Executive Secretary of ESCAP. Appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General in August 2007, she is the first woman to occupy this position since its founding in 1947. Since taking office as Under-Secretary-General, Dr Heyzer has positioned the regional arm of the United Nations as a powerful comprehensive platform for promoting regional co-operation among member states to achieve inclusive and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.
Dr Heyzer has promoted regional connectivity to enhance trade, transport, energy and water security, social protection and financial cooperation.
She has improved the engagement of countries with special needs; she has harnassed partnerships to respond to transnational development challenges and opportunities to achieve a more resilient and sustainable Asia Pacific founded on shared prosperity, and social equity.
She was listed by the Earth Times in 2000 as one of the most influential voices in the UN system. In recognition of her contribution to women, peace and justice, Dr Heyzer was also among the nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.