The Asian Development Bank, along with its co-organizers, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Korea Energy Agency (KEA), invited clean energy practitioners from across the Asia and Pacific region—including government agencies, private sector entities, equipment and service providers, financiers, researchers, and other stakeholders—to join the 18th Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) held on 13–16 June 2023 in Manila, Philippines.

Over the last few years, the mainstreaming of carbon neutrality had been observed, with numerous countries committing to net zero targets and setting more ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The pledges by countries and corporations to carbon neutrality were welcome and represented a revitalization of commitments made through the Paris Climate Agreement. Yet, these decarbonization pledges were rarely articulated within a framework that emphasized a just energy transition and contributed to the human and social development needs of developing countries.

Certainly, the transition to carbon neutrality in Asia and the Pacific entailed more than just a shift to cleaner and renewable energy resources. It entailed providing access to electricity for the approximately 133 million people who were still without access, the majority of whom lived in rural and isolated areas. It also necessitated the delivery of affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all, which included the 1.3 billion people who relied on the traditional use of biomass for cooking in the region (1.5 billion had no access to clean cooking).

Hence, ACEF served as a venue for clean energy practitioners to come together and share insights on how to take action using clean energy solutions in the pursuit of a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific. These solutions enabled clean and sustainable energy development that improved energy security, promoted good governance, and encouraged private sector participation. It was imperative that all individuals had access to energy that was not just clean, but also affordable, reliable, and sustainable.