UNDP in Asia and the Pacific 5d ago

At June’s Asia Clean Energy Forum 2026, Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific remarks at the closing plenary call for shift to smart energy systems. As Kanni notes, the energy transition into smart and energy systems is both a development and security issue. Traditional grids — designed as passive conduits — are no longer equipped to meet rising demand and costs in a rapidly changing energy landscape. She further emphasizes that the future of smart energy needs systems that respond better to mixed energy inputs, are cheaper to maintain in remote areas, powered by new technology , flexible to respond to changing demand in real-time and capable of integrating renewables at much greater scale. The Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 2026 marks a significant milestone to celebrate the Asian Development Bank's 60th anniversary while addressing the most pressing challenges in clean energy transition.