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Energy for humanitarian response discussed at UN event in New York

18/09/2016

A broad coalition of governments, international organisations, businesses, and civil society groups joined forces at the United Nations to call for and consider urgent action to address the substantial energy needs of refugees and displaced people worldwide.

The assembled organisations agreed that access to clean and sustainable energy can transform broken lives, create empowering opportunities, and bridge the humanitarian-development divide by improving livelihoods, food security and nutrition, health, safety, education and the environment.

At the event, the leaders committed to develop new partnerships, to share information, and to continue to meet to report on future progress on the integration of sustainable energy solutions into humanitarian responses.

Universal access to clean energy could vastly improve the health and well-being of millions of
refugees and other forcibly displaced persons

- said Kelly T. Clements, Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

We have a long way to go to ensure clean energy access for all, but going forward with governments, civil society, and the private sector, we can together develop effective solutions for the 21st century.

Energy is an essential factor for sustainable development and poverty eradication; yet, 1.1 billion people do not have access to electricity. 2.8 billion still rely on wood, charcoal, animal and crop waste, or other solid fuels, to cook their food and heat their homes. For the over 125 million people affected by conflict-related crises and natural disasters, the situation is even more dire. With a huge shortage in funding as well as limited policies and practice on sustainable - and clean energy provision within the humanitarian community, current energy practices in camps are often dirty, inefficient, polluting, unsafe for the users, and damaging to the surrounding environment.

The consequences are staggering. Refugee children are five times more likely to be out of school than non-refugee children. Only 50% have access to primary education, compared with a global level of more than 90 per cent. Only 1% of refugee youth go to university. About 10% of refugees have reliable access to electricity for lighting, heating, cooking and powering. 80% of those in camps rely on firewood for cooking and heating and, as a result, an estimated 20,000 people – primarily women and children – die prematurely each year due to the pollution from indoor fires. Wood equaling around 49,000 football pitches worth of forest (64,700 acres) is burned by displaced families living in camps each year. Rape and violence against women is common in many unlit camps, and is a risk during the many hours that women spend collecting firewood for fuel.

Access to sustainable energy can deliver quick returns in humanitarian situations; enhancing safety, security, productivity, and health for camp inhabitants, host countries, camp operators, and the environment. It can also serve as a powerful means for bridging the gap between humanitarian response and development, create opportunities to pursue education, businesses and social enterprises, and spur innovation.

Without safe and reliable access to energy, it can be impossible to meet the basic needs of life

- said Ben Good, Chief Executive Officer at Energy 4 Impact (on behalf of the Moving Energy Initiative)

The Moving Energy Initiative – a ground-breaking international partnership – is working to change this, enabling the energy needs of refugees and displaced persons to be met sustainably.

Co-hosted by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in cooperation with the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, the IKEA Foundation, the Moving Energy Initiative, Schneider Electric and UN-Energy, the event that took place on the eve of the high-level United Nations Summit on Refugees and Migrants, brought together stakeholders from government, business, energy, development, climate -and humanitarian sectors to discuss challenges and opportunities, while committing to further actions, innovative partnerships and solutions.