UK government says energy poverty is unacceptable
UK Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, and Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, announced today that the UK will support two million people in some of the world’s poorest countries access clean and reliable energy.
In a press statement released after the Deputy Prime Minister meet with members of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) High Level Group, the Deputy Prime Minister said:
“It is completely unacceptable that in today’s world an estimated 900 million people will still be without electricity by 2030.”
The press statement goes on to say:
Access to reliable energy is a fundamental human need, allowing people to cook food for their families and heat and light their homes. A chronic lack of reliable energy is preventing low-income countries from developing and prospering.
ONE couldn’t agree more and welcome the Deputy Prime Ministers strong statement. Addressing energy poverty is crucial for human development and there is a strong need for political support to tackle the energy poverty challenge.
The UK government’s support of the ‘Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programme’ which funds green energy projects in developing countries, such as local energy grids or geothermal projects, will help support clean energy access for some of the world’s poorest regions.
The UK government announcement comes the day before ONE hosts a Civil Society Consultation event in London on Ban Ki-Moon’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative. The event will bring together members of the SE4ALL High Level Group, such as United Nations Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark, UK government representative and over 50 civil society organisations to look at ways to mobilise support for, and achieve the three goals of, the Sustainable Energy for All initiative as a first step to achieving clean, reliable, safe and affordable energy access for all.
ONE will be tweeting live from the SE4ALL Civil Society Consultation event co-hosted by Practical Action and Christian Aid and you can follow the conversation live from 9.15am (uk time) on the ONE blog and hashtag #energy4all.
The international Clean Energy Ministerial will also be taking place this week in London and ONE will be asking governments to make further statements of support for addressing energy poverty and support for the SE4ALL goals as a first step to tackling energy poverty.
Update: we’ve put together a storify page with tweets from the civil society meeting below:
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