UNGA 81 (African Clean Cooking Transition)

Background:
Clean cooking remains one of Africa's most pressing energy access challenges, with hundreds of millions of households still relying on traditional, polluting cooking methods. The ACCT Forum brings together governments, financiers, innovators and development partners to address this gap directly, starting at the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA.
Why ACCT Forum :
The ACCT Forum provides a platform for governments, industry, financiers, development partners and other stakeholders to advance Africa's transition to clean cooking. Africa's traditional energy market is estimated at $101.75 billion in 2026, according to Mordor Intelligence, showing the scale of the market and the opportunity to expand cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions.
Vision :
The ACCT Forum aims to build an African-owned economic platform where clean cooking drives women's enterprise, energy access, digital innovation, climate finance, investment, circular economy, local employment, forest protection, mangrove restoration and sustainable development.

Purpose :
The UNGA 81 side event is the Pre-Launch of the ACCT Forum. The main launch will take place at the G-SEL Conference in Westminster, London, from 15 to 17 December 2026. The Pre-Launch is a high level event that puts Africa's clean cooking transition in African hands. It brings key stakeholders together to showcase African led solutions and innovation, and to adopt a shared communique that moves the conversation from debate into concrete commitments and execution. The communique will be substantially agreed ahead of the event, so the Pre-Launch is where it is formally adopted, not drafted from scratch. Commitments made at UNGA 81 carry forward into the full launch of the ACCT Forum in December.
Forum Objectives :
1. Increasing the utilisation of LPG as a cleaner cooking option.
2. Improving data availability and transparency for ESG reporting.
3. Improving livelihoods for African women through clean cooking, incentives and job creation, while supporting governments to meet their NDC targets.

Key Themes :
1. Advancing practical solutions for clean cooking access across Africa.
2. Financing clean cooking through carbon credits, carbon markets and blended finance.
3. Policy alignment and removing blockers across the clean cooking supply chain.
4. Innovation and technology showcasing what is already working on the continent.
5. Moving from shared statements to a clear, actionable plan