Energy for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development

General Information

Partnership website(s)

Expected Timeframe

September 2002 - Open Ended

Partners

Governments: Government of Austria Government of Barbados Government of Belgium Government of Bolivia Government of Democratic Republic of the Congo - Congo Government of Denmark Government of Finland Government of France Government of Germany Government of Greece Government of Grenada Government of Ireland Government of Italy Government of Kenya Government of Luxembourg Government of Malawi Government of Morocco Government of Netherlands Government of Portugal Government of Senegal Government of Spain Government of Swaziland Government of Sweden Government of Uganda Government of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - United Kingdom Government of United Republic of Tanzania - Tanzania	Major Groups: Organisation for Renewable Energy (OVE) (Denmark) ENEL Green Power (Italy) ITDG (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
UN System:	Other intergovernmental organizations: European Commission (Belgium) Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (Fiji) CCAD (Central American Commission for Env & Devt) ()
Other: Global Forum on Sustainable Energy (Austria)

Thematic Focus

Primary Themes:

Energy for sustainable development
Poverty eradication

Secondary Themes:

Water
Sustainable development for Africa
Climate change
Industrial development
Rural development

Geographic Coverage

Geographic Scope: Global
Country(ies) where the partnership is being implemented:
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia, Zimbabwe

National Focal Points

At present, no information is available as to whether the partnership has made contact with the national focal points for sustainable development in the relevant countries.

Goals and Objectives

Summary of the partnership's goals and objectives

Development Objectives: The Initiative aims to facilitate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people in extreme poverty and other MDGs by 2015, through the provision of adequate, affordable, sustainable energy services. This will be achieved within the context of beneficiary country driven activities.
Immediate Objectives: Through the Initiative the EU proposes to establish "Energy Access Partnerships" with developing countries, with the involvement of the private sector and civil society, that will develop in response to the energy needs of developing countries and regions. Through these Partnerships, donors will work with developing countries to help identify energy needs and necessary assistance to create the economic, social and institutional conditions that will enable their energy needs to be met.
The aim of the Partnerships is to enable the EU and its developing country partners, and other stakeholders, to work together to improve efforts for increasing access to energy services, particularly for poor women and men, based on their specific circumstances and requirements. Gender issues will be mainstreamed in all aspects of the Initiative. The Partnerships will ensure that existing energy activities and other initiatives will be well co-ordinated to provide coherent packages. They will be based on existing organisations, structures and procedures.

Targets and Progress

Partnership targets

The implementation of the Initiative will be organised into 2 phases.
Phase 1 Identification: Determination of mutual commitments, defining the scope and the nature of future action in the field of energy for poverty eradication and sustainable development in the countries or regions .
The fundamental basis for action through the Initiative, will be to develop Partnerships in areas where common efforts between the EU and participating countries could contribute to broadening access to energy services, in particular for poorer populations. These Partnerships will evolve through in-depth discussion of an action plan with participating countries or regions, so as to contribute to their specific needs, as defined, for instance in national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers.
Each National and Regional Partnership will be open to all concerned parties. Partnerships will evolve through discussion of the specific energy service needs resulting from National Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, Country Strategy Papers, Regional Strategy Papers, National Indicative Programmes, or other national Sustainable Development Strategies documents. Thus the actions decided upon will contribute to, and be part of, national/regional development strategies, by making explicit the energy needs that they imply.
The duration of Phase 1 will be variable, depending on the breadth and complexity of the issues raised in discussions. It is expected that in most cases, it should be possible to develop initial agreement on actions within two years from the initiation of discussions. The Partnerships will evolve in an iterative way allowing for periodic revision as a function of evolving needs and of lessons learned through partnership activities.
Phase 2 Implementation: Carrying out activities in each Country or Region on Energy for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development
The EU, through the European Community and Member States' co-operation and assistance programmes and activities, would support partner countries in carrying out the agreed upon national and regional action plans through concerted efforts at all levels.
This Phase will be open-ended, with specific objectives and milestones defined by the Partners, in accordance with existing co-operation mechanisms.
Co-ordination and Implementation mechanism
Please provide a brief description of expected co-ordination/implementation mechanism of the Partnership/Initiative.
For each National and Regional Partnership co-ordination and implementation of the agreed upon actions will be integrated into existing structures. Partners will agree upon the specific mechanisms to be used. Thus the Partnerships will avoid creating new structures or administrative burdens for partner countries.
The implementation of agreed upon actions may be carried out, as appropriate, by competent public organisms of the partner countries or by other bodies, such as:
* Service providers, who may be existing or new individual organisations, businesses, NGOs, Universities, etc.
* International organisations (UN agencies, International Financial Institutions, ...) and Initiatives (UNEP Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development, ESMAP/Global Village Energy Partnership, UNIDO, LPG Initiative, Global Forum on Sustainable Energy, ....).

Progress against targets

Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer

Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer

Human resources development/training
Education/building awareness
Institutional strengthening, including local participation
Technology transfer/exchange

Partnership activities, as agreed upon by the Partners, could include activities (on a national or regional basis as deemed appropriate by partner countries) aiming at the following results: * Institutional capacity building. ODA should provide long term support to the public institutions, both national and regional, responsible for setting priorities, for planning, and for establishing appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks to ensure affordable access to energy services. Support to both national and regional centres of excellence could be considered. * Technical co-operation, transfer of knowledge and skills. Building the required human capital in the energy sector will require the promotion of education and training courses at the national and regional level, knowledge networks, development of autonomous capacity for RD&D, secondment activities for energy professionals etc. Activities should draw on national and regional resources and should strengthen regional co-operation in the field. * Market development. The Partnership should contribute to building the national and regional market mechanisms and to supporting the local market actors who sell, finance, install and maintain the technologies required for access to energy. This includes capacity building and training for private sector actors. Innovative financial mechanisms (ESCOs, guarantee funds, micro credits, etc.) should be developed to make best use of financial resources. * Facilitating adequate forms of public-private partnerships. The technologies, the expertise and much of the capital needed to provide energy services will come from the private sector. Appropriate forms of Public-Private partnerships should both attract private actors and contribute to achieving national development priorities. * Facilitate co-operation with financial institutions, so as to promote investment in energy efficient infrastructure, for instance, in public transport, in buildings, in industry. * Cross sectoral approach to energy. Specific tools - inter-disciplinary workshops and literature, for non-energy decision-makers in developing countries and within donors organisations, and financial institutions - are needed to integrate energy issues into decision making processes in all sectors of activity. Country and regional Partnerships, as decided upon by the Partners, could include as part of their activities: * Training and education, both for public institutions and for private actors; * Institutional support for a wide range of public bodies, including energy regulatory authorities, planning and policy bodies, and bodies responsible for sectoral policies. * Support for energy centres including dissemination of knowledge on sustainable use of energy for end users (demand driven) * Information capture and exchange, both on policy and technological issues * Support for market actors (both public and private), in order to foster the creation of dynamic energy service sectors; * Specific RD&D activities, focused on the specific needs of each participating nation or region. The specific activities will be determined through the dialogue between Partners. It is expected that much of the provision of adequate information and technology would be supported and/or facilitated by international initiatives (see below).

Relationship to International Agreements on Sustainable Development

How the partnership contributes to the implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation

The United Nations Millennium Declaration, as part of the "indispensable foundations for a more peaceful, prosperous and just world", fixes ambitious Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in particular to lift people out of poverty and to free the poor from hunger. Achieving these goals of social and economic progress requires, among other things, access to energy in a sustainable manner to: power productive machines; pump water for drinking and agriculture; prepare and cook food; run refrigerators in hospitals; use information and communication tools in schools. Ensuring adequate access to energy is thus one of the essential links in the chain which will make it possible to meet the objectives of national development strategies for health, education, rural development, new productive activities, gender equality etc 1.
It is expected that the Initiative will contribute towards improving access to energy services as an underpinning for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This will be encouraged in the following ways:
* Raising political awareness among high level decision makers, of the importance of access to energy services for achieving the MDGs;
* Making apparent the need for energy services in national/regional development strategies, as defined in PRSPs, CSPs, RSPs, NIPs, national sustainable development strategies and other national/regional policy documents;
* Stimulate coherence of energy related activities in the beneficiary country/region, through effective co-ordination among development co-operation activities (including other Type 2 Initiatives);
* Attract new resources (capital, technology, human resources) from the private sector (businesses) and civil society. Relevant Sections of Agenda 21

International cooperation to accelerate sustainable development in developing countries and related domestic policies; Combating poverty; Changing consumption patterns; Integrating environment and development in decision-making; Protection of the atmosphere; Integrated approach to the planning and management of land resources; Financial resources and mechanisms; Transfer of environmentally sound technology, cooperation and capacity-building; Promoting education, public awareness and training; National mechanisms and international cooperation for capacity-building in developing countries; International institutional arrangements; Information for decision-making

Relevant Sections of the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21

Integration of economic, social and environmental objectives

Relevant Sections of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation

Poverty eradication ; Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production ; Protection and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development ; Sustainable development for Africa ; Sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean; Sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific; Sustainable development in the West Asia region

Coordination and Implementation

Coordination Mechanism of the Partnership

The Partnerships will provide flexible and transparent frameworks to achieve synergies with other international energy related initiatives. Moreover, they will ensure linkages between objectives agreed within the Johannesburg Political Declaration and Plan of Implementation and Partnership activities on the ground, and provide a monitoring and feedback mechanism that will enable progress to be assessed and evaluated.
The Initiative will strive to work with all ongoing Sustainable Development efforts, and in particular the international energy related initiatives, whenever this can contribute to the National and Regional Partnerships. Among these can be:
* NEPAD;
* UNEP Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development;
* Global Forum on Sustainable Energy;
* ESMAP/Global Village Energy Partnership;
* UNIDO Energy Initiative.

Each Partnership will determine the appropriate monitoring and review arrangements, based on existing co-operation practices, so as to inform the governments involved of progress made and lessons learnt. The Partnerships will ensure transparency in monitoring and reporting, and will be ready to share experience with other Partnerships, as suggested in the 'Guiding Principles for Partnerships for Sustainable Development'

Implementation Mechanism of the Partnership

The EU Energy Initiative will have a particular focus on poverty eradication by improving access to adequate sustainable energy services in rural, peri-urban and urban areas, through the full menu of technical and institutional options, including rural electrification, decentralised energy systems, increased use of renewable energy (such as hydropower, tidal energy, wave energy, wind power, biomass, solar energy or geothermal energy), and enhanced energy efficiency (including cleaner, more efficient fossil fuel technologies, technology for more efficient appliances and the more efficient use of traditional biomass).
The results for a Partner Country or Region will be measured against the specific objectives and development priorities agreed upon in the context of the specific national or regional Partnerships.

Resources

Funding Currently Available

Amount in US$: 0

Source(s): Government - IGO
EU development funds
Member State Development funds

Non-financial resources available

Type(s):

Source(s):

Funding Sought

Required Amount in US$: not specified

Source(s) already approached: Funding for the Initiative will be organised through appropriate combinations of public and/or private resources, both from domestic and international sources. European Commission and European Union Member State co-operation agencies will contribute financing, respecting the procedures and priorities established with respect to the National Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, Country Strategy Papers, Regional Strategy Papers, National Indicative Programmes, etc. This could take the form of public-private partnerships. Public resources will be provided in a variety of forms, so as to maximise their impact. This could take the form of:
* Grants
* Loans
* Risk guarantees
* Equity investments, for instance in special purpose Energy Service Companies
* Technical assistance.

Given the magnitude of needs for access to energy services, the Initiative will strive to attract a major contribution from private sources. Specific Initiative activities will be designed to create the conditions for maximising private sector involvement.