By Rachel Kyte, special for Gulf News

Think of the small business owner. She makes fruit juices to sell in the local market. With new lights she can work at night, while the kids do their homework. The juice is in the refrigerator, dinner on the electric stove. Her mobile phone is charging. The TV murmurs in the background.

This is not the future. This is now. Cheap solar technology, business models linked to mobile phone platforms, super-efficient appliances mean a woman can build a business, earn income, keep her family safe and well. She can thrive.

2015 was the year we changed gears, determining as an international community the future shape of growth and development. Through the universal Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change, we committed ourselves to a low-carbon, resilient future with no one left behind.