Professor Brown is a member of the UN Technical Advisory Group on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy – and will contribute to discussions on how the international community can accelerate progress towards ensuring access to modern energy for all by 2030.
He will also speak at an official side event organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank and the governments of the UK, Liberia and Uganda, calling for renewed action to address the fact that almost two billion people still lack access to clean cooking.
Professor Brown's involvement reflects Loughborough's leadership of the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme, which is helping governments, businesses and international organisations develop and scale cleaner, safer and more sustainable cooking solutions around the world.
Led by the University in partnership with the Collaborative Labelling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP) and the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), MECS supports governments to integrate modern energy cooking into national plans, funds innovation projects and pilots, and helps businesses bring new clean cooking technologies to market.
Since launching eight years ago, the programme has worked with more than 250 innovators, academics, entrepreneurs and civil society organisations and has become a recognised global voice on clean cooking and energy access.
This year's High Level Political Forum will assess progress towards several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG7 on affordable and clean energy, and explore the action needed to accelerate delivery ahead of the 2030 deadline.
Speaking ahead of the Forum, Professor Ed Brown said: “Despite significant progress in recent years, nearly two billion people still lack access to clean cooking. That has profound implications not only for health and wellbeing, but also for gender equality, climate change, economic development and environmental sustainability.
“The High Level Political Forum provides an important opportunity to bring together governments, international organisations and researchers to discuss how we can accelerate progress. Through MECS, Loughborough University has been working with partners around the world to develop evidence, influence policy and support innovation that can help make universal access to clean cooking a reality.
Professor Dan Parsons, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Loughborough University, added: “A transition to clean cooking is one of the world’s most urgent global challenges, affecting nearly two billion people.
“Professor Brown’s contribution at the United Nations is a clear signal of Loughborough’s international leadership in this space — work that directly impacts lives and livelihoods. Through the Modern Energy Cooking Services research programme, we are not simply describing the problem; we are shaping policy, accelerating innovation and helping deliver practical solutions that are making a real difference on the ground, day by day, around the world.
“We are proud to see Loughborough research helping shape the global conversation — from the High-Level Political Forum in New York to the forthcoming COP31 in Turkey.”
MECS is the lead modern cooking initiative under the UK Government's Ayrton Fund for clean energy innovation and forms part of the UK's International Climate Finance portfolio. Alongside supporting SDG7, the programme contributes to progress across a further nine Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action, health and gender equality.