Energy for All

2012 is the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. During the year, GVEP along with many other NGOs, civil society organisations and governments will seek to promote energy access for sustainable economic development and support work to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. GVEP is supporting four initiatives to achieve universal energy access by 2030.


Call on the EC commissioner to give people the power to challenge their poverty

 
With Practical Action taking the lead role, GVEP along with 71 other NGOs from across Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa are calling on EU leaders to commit to eradicating energy poverty and achieving universal energy access by 2030.
 
 
Together we are asking the EU to:
 
 

  • Commit to the UN objective of making access to modern energy services universal by 2030

  • Make energy access a key objective ahead of the Rio+20 Sustainable Development conference

  • Ensure universal energy access is integral to the new Multi-annual Financial Framework

  • Encourage Sub-Saharan African governments to use energy access as a catalyst for community, national and regional development

  • Model EU and global energy financing mechanisms on the pro-poor ACP-EU Energy Facility and commit to a long-term, scaled-up Energy Facility beyond 2014

  • Adopt an action plan for EU contributions to universal energy access from now until 2030, including targets for contributions as well as monitoring and reporting of progress

  • Ensure the Africa EU Energy Partnership targets and cooperation programmes prioritise energy access for the poor and promote investment in small-scale infrastructure and enhanced civil society engagement

  • Integrate energy access into climate financing.

These demands encompass the key principles of increased finance for energy access; placing poverty reduction and sustainable development at the heart of the discussion; involving local communities and civil society effectively; considering the full range of energy services from cooking and heating to refrigeration and communications, as well its role in income generation; and harmonising all relevant EU financing instruments and policies.

Commenting on the launch of this campaign, GVEP’s CEO, Ben Good acknowledged the EU’s admirable lead in supporting energy programmes, saying: “The EU is a major champion of sustainable development and has a critical role to play in mobilising stakeholders to support the priorities of universal energy access. It has already demonstrated a strong leadership on addressing the energy access issue through its co-funding of the Developing Energy Enterprises Project (DEEP). As a result 800 energy entrepreneurs are engaged in expanding the modern energy market and providing access to clean energy to one million people. And in the process 500 new jobs have been created and about 200,000 tonnes of carbon emissions avoided.This is an investment of just €2 per person with access to energy. We welcome more such initiatives to meet the target of Energy for All by 2030.”
 
Find out more about the Energy for All 2030 campaign. Please help spread the message as widely as possible and please promote the campaign through your professional and social networks.


 

Recommendations in the lead-up to Rio+20

GVEP is working with the UN Foundation on its Sustainable Energy for All campaign. We are represented on two working groups, which are drawing up recommendations to present to the UN Secretary General prior to the Rio+20 Sustainable Development conference. We hope that next year’s Rio+20 conference will define a global approach for universal access to energy – about 1.5 billion people worldwide, more than one in five, lack electricity.

The first working group we are involved with is concentrating on mini-grids. We shared a policy paper with the group, advocating small-scale and locally built and managed mini-utilities that can help solve Africa’s power crisis.

The second group is looking at enterprise and supply chain issues. We are sharing our expertise and experience in this arena to support the development of real world recommendations.

You can get involved with the recommendations process through the UN Foundation.

  

The International Climate and Energy Partnership, Energy +

Headed by the Norwegian Government, Energy + is supporting the UN Secretary General’s initiative, Sustainable Energy for All. The Partnership has twin aims:  

  • to ensure access to sustainable energy for all

  • to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency to avoid greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy + recognises the key role that the private sector has to play. GVEP is closely involved in this work. From our unique perspective, we are demonstrating to the Partnership how energy SMEs can participate in this process. We are steering funding towards supporting the growth and development of small businesses’ capacity to meet energy needs in rural areas.

 

EU Africa Energy Partnership

This Partnership is a framework agreement for increased cooperation between European and African governments around energy access. As part of the civil society component, early next year NGOs, the private sector and researchers from across Europe and Africa will take part in a forum to present their reflections and recommendations on the energy access agenda to EU and African governments. GVEP will be participating in this forum. We hope it will impact on the EU’s response to the broader UN agenda.

 

 

 

 

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