Access to electricity and clean cooking solutions remains a global development challenge. Around the world, about 1.4 billion people lack access to electricity, and 2.7 billion people continue to rely on the traditional use of biomass fuels for their cooking and heating needs. For this large share of the world population, welfare, health, and economic development are negatively impacted: children are unable to study at night; businesses, markets and health clinics have constrained operating hours; women and children are exposed to cooking smoke leading to premature deaths, to name just a few. Addressing the energy access challenge has become a global priority.

In 2012, the World Bank joined the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative launched by UN Secretary-General BanKi-moon. Secretary-General introduced World Bank President Jim Kim as co-chair of the multi-stakeholder advisory board for strategic guidance to the initiative. A summary is available of all World Bank's contributions to SE4All, both planned and underway with two goals to be achieved by 2030.

For more than 30 years, the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) has assisted low and middle-income countries to scale up access to modern energy. This assistance has included advice to establish conducive legal, regulatory and policy frameworks; training to strengthen capacities of energy institutions; dissemination of best practices; and support to pave the way for World Bank investments.