During his address to the opening ceremony of the fifth World Future Energy Summit (WFES), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon introduced the "International Year of Sustainable Energy for All", stressing the need to end energy poverty in order to ensure equal opportunities.

He emphasized the need for universal energy access and innovation and stressed the importance of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving energy efficiency. Ban described the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, also known as Rio+20) as the beginning of a multi-year mission to achieve sustainable energy for all.