The International Energy Agency (IEA) convened hundreds of leaders from around the world at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, on Tuesday, for a Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa to make 2024 a turning point for progress on ensuring clean cooking access for all.

Azerbaijan is represented by a delegation led by Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, COP29 President-Designate Mukhtar Babayev at the first plenary session of the Summit.

Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol made opening remarks.

Presidents of Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Togo, the former President of Chile, the President of the African Development Bank Group, the UN Secretary-General, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Executive Vice President of the European Green Deal of the European Commission, the Prime Minister of Norway, the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan and the Minister of Natural Resources, COP28 President and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates are attending the session.

The IEA was the first international agency to start tracking energy access more than two decades ago and has been a steadfast voice advocating for clean cooking access ever since.

The Summit will be co-chaired by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania H.E. Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Prime Minister of Norway H.E. Jonas Gahr Støre, the President of the African Development Bank Group Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina and the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Dr. Fatih Birol.

The aims of the Summit are to elevate clean cooking on the global agenda and mobilise a broader coalition of support for this critical issue, mobilise financial commitments for clean cooking from governments, development agencies, development banks, climate funds, the private sector, philanthropies and nongovernmental organisations, develop a roadmap of concrete, action-oriented strategies around financing, carbon markets, policies and partnerships that will help better mobilise additional support to scale successful clean cooking efforts.

To prepare for the summit, the IEA has conducted over 150 technical consultations with key stakeholders in governments, development agencies, financial institutions, international and nongovernmental organisations and the private sector. Through these consultations, the IEA identified several outcomes and commitments that could be made at the Summit, which have proven successful in other parts of the world.