The Enel Group participated, together with global leaders, in the 79th United Nations General Assembly and New York Climate Week, held from September 22nd to 26th. The events held saw the active participation of the Group and its top management, sharing their perspectives on critical issues such as accelerating actions towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promoting sustained economic growth as well as a just energy transition.
“Our participation in this major international gathering demonstrates the Group’s focus on the achievement of climate and sustainable development goals set by the United Nations,” said Nicolò Mardegan, Enel’s Head of External Relations. “Enel is a leading player in zero-emission technologies and is actively committed in the strengthening of power grids, the acceleration of renewable energy development and the electrification of energy uses. For these reasons, we deem that collaborating with our global partners is key in order to drive meaningful actions addressing climate change alongside promoting a just energy transition.”
On September 23rd, Nicolò Mardegan participated in the ‘Accelerating Action for the SDGs’ roundtable at the UN Global Compact’s Private Sector Forum, hosted annually by the UN Secretary-General and held on the sidelines of the Summit of the Future, which gathers global leaders defining the path towards a more sustainable future. Furthermore, the annual report of the Global Compact’s Forward Faster Campaign, presented during the Private Sector Forum, features an Enel case study on sustainable finance, which is one of the five pillars of the Campaign.
On the same day, Gianni Vittorio Armani, Head of Enel Grids & Innovability, participated in the WBCSD - Council Meeting, specifically in the panel on EU support for clean tech ‘Alternative Beneficial Incentives’ inside the breakout session “The future of beneficial federal tax policies for industrial decarbonization”. He spoke on how the energy transition is largely dependent on investments in distribution infrastructure with the aim of increasing resilience and hosting capacity. Mr. Armani also represented Enel at the Annual Meeting of Commissioners of the Business Commission to Tackle Inequality, the leading private initiative on inequality and just transition, led by WBCSD, where he addressed needs and challenges of the just energy transition.
The following day, on September 24th, Mr. Armani participated in the Leaders Summit, the annual Global Compact event that brings together political and business leaders as well as representatives of civil society and the UN committed to advancing the SDGs. Specifically, he spoke at the end of the panel on corporate investments for climate ambitions, where Mr. Armani had the opportunity to address issues such as the opportunities and difficulties linked to the pursuit of sustainable development from both an environmental and a financial standpoint.
Additionally, Alberto De Paoli, Enel’s Head of Rest of the World, intervened on September 26th in the opening speech of the SDG Investment Forum organized by the CFO Coalition and in the ‘Scaling up financial innovations for sustainable development’ panel. The panel explored how blending public and private finance can catalyze sustainable investments globally. The ‘Revolutionizing Sustainable Finance’ report was also announced during the Forum; an Enel case study on sustainable finance is included in the report, like in the aforementioned ‘Forward Faster Campaign’ report.