Standardization offers real opportunities for countries to engage national stakeholders in planning for a sustainable future, said IEC's Ian Gardner at the United Nations (UN) High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2023 held in New York this month.

Speaking at the "SDGs Learning, Training and Practice" side event, Mr Gardner, who is head of Academy and Capacity Building, said that IEC's work has a direct impact on many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy).

"There are real opportunities for IEC National Committees to share the good practice of multi-stakeholder consensus-based working and get involved in the sustainable development planning underway worldwide," he said.

Through the publication of standards and conformity assessment processes, the IEC supports the development of renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency, and improved access to electricity, he said.

In this way, the IEC contributes to the achievement of SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Additionally, their efforts align with other SDGs by fostering sustainable practices, circular economy models, and resource optimization.

Mr Gardner presented the IEC's Global Impact Fund initiative as an example of how IEC helps to address global challenges and support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing innovative solutions to address many of the SDGs.

The fund's first project focuses on converting old batteries into new resources in Sub-Saharan Africa. Once complete, it will demonstrate that with the help of off-grid solar technologies, batteries will become more reliable and better serve communities that have no or inconsistent electricity access.

(Source: IEC)