UN Private Sector Forum Calls for Faster Public-Private Action on Clean Energy
More than 100 CEOs and government leaders met at the UN Private Sector Forum on September 20, 2026, calling for faster investment in clean energy and grids.
Photo by Tom Fisk on Pexels
More than 100 chief executives, heads of state and government, and United Nations leaders called for stronger public-private cooperation to accelerate clean energy investment as the 2026 UN Private Sector Forum concluded at UN Headquarters in New York on September 20, 2026. The invitation-only Forum, hosted by the UN Global Compact on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, focused on what is needed to deliver a clean, just and secure energy transition at greater speed and scale, according to a UN Global Compact statement.
Participants said growing private-sector demand for clean power and falling technology costs are creating investment opportunities, but flagged persistent barriers: insufficient grid infrastructure, policy and regulatory uncertainty, financing constraints and limited energy access in emerging and developing markets. Opening the Forum, Guterres addressed the urgency of closing the gap between existing climate commitments and the pace of change needed to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal within reach.
“The companies in this room have the capital, technology, supply chains, consumer base and expertise to supercharge the renewables revolution: by investing in clean power and energy efficiency, using your purchasing power to create markets for clean technologies, and continuing to build the infrastructure of the future,” Guterres told the Forum, according to the UN Global Compact.
Investment barriers and proposed fixes
Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and executive director of the UN Global Compact, said business has “an essential role to play in delivering the energy transition” but that “ambition and capital alone are not enough.” She said the Forum’s goal was to identify “the grids, policy frameworks, financing structures and partnerships that allow investment to move from the balance sheet into the real economy.”
Discussions centered on three practical levers. Chief executives and public-sector leaders examined how blended finance, public investment and risk-sharing mechanisms could mobilize private capital in markets where investment risk is perceived as high. Participants also identified grid infrastructure, namely transmission, distribution and storage capacity, as a critical constraint on the next phase of the energy transition, warning that rising renewable generation and electrification cannot proceed without matching investment in networks. A third theme was policy stability: participants said governments can unlock more private investment by creating stable regulatory frameworks, accelerating permitting and giving businesses greater long-term visibility for capital allocation decisions.
Leaders also stressed that the energy transition should expand economic opportunity rather than deepen inequality, pointing to the persistent lack of affordable and reliable power as a constraint on growth in many emerging markets.
| Forum fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and location | September 20, 2026, UN Headquarters, New York |
| Host | UN Global Compact, on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres |
| Participants | More than 100 CEOs, heads of state and government, and UN leaders |
| Format | Invitation-only roundtable discussion |
| UN Global Compact reach | More than 25,000 participants in over 100 countries, through 5 regional hubs and 70-plus country networks |
Source: United Nations Global Compact, “UN Private Sector Forum calls for faster public-private action to deliver a clean, just and secure energy future,” September 20, 2026.
Part of a wider push on grid investment
The Forum’s emphasis on grid bottlenecks echoes findings the International Energy Agency published two days later in its Special Report on Global Electrification, which found electricity could cost-effectively meet 33% of global final energy consumption by 2035, up from 23% today, but only with faster investment in generation and grids. Winss Solutions has also tracked the scale of the financing gap the Forum’s participants discussed, including the finding that 655 million people worldwide still lack access to electricity and that global renewable energy investment reached $327.5 billion in the first half of 2026, with the IEA separately finding a cost-effective path to 33% global electrification by 2035.
The Forum did not announce new funding commitments or a specific investment target, focusing instead on identifying structural barriers and areas for continued public-private dialogue ahead of COP31.
Background
The United Nations Global Compact is a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General that calls on companies worldwide to align their operations and strategies with 10 principles covering human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Describing itself as the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, it counts more than 25,000 participants across over 100 countries, organized through five regional hubs and more than 70 country networks. The UN Private Sector Forum is one of the Global Compact’s recurring convenings pairing business leaders with heads of state, government officials and UN leadership on specific development and climate priorities; the 2026 edition focused on clean electrification and energy security, held the same week that intensifying disruption around the Strait of Hormuz pushed global energy prices higher and sharpened governments’ focus on diversifying away from fossil fuel dependence.
Source: United Nations Global Compact (PR Newswire/Cision)
Featured image: photo by Tom Fisk on Pexels (free Pexels license).
Become a Sponsor
Our website is the heart of the mission of WINSS – it’s where we share updates, publish research, highlight community impact, and connect with supporters around the world. To keep this essential platform running, updated, and accessible, we rely on the generosity of you, who believe in our work.
We offer the option to sponsor monthly, or just once choosing the amount of your choice. If you run a company, please contact us via info@winssolutions.org.
I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
