An International Legal Framework for SE4All: Human Rights and Sustainable Development Law Imperatives

This Article examines the genesis and context of SE4All, placing the effort within both its historical and international policy contexts. It highlights the voluntary nature of the initiative and argues that its effective implementation and the achievement of its goals require the articulation of an applicable international legal framework that aids the transformation of SE4All’s policy actions into binding international legal commitments. The article contends that such a transformation does not depend on the creation of entirely new legal rules or institutions. Instead, an effective framework for successful implementation of SE4All can be derived from existing rules of international human rights law and sustainable development law.

Reliance on these twin bodies of international law will increase the prospects for SE4All to achieve energy access and related goals that its predecessor initiatives have failed to accomplish.