Access to Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings: A Pledge by GPA Coordination Unit at GRF 2023

Access to modern and sustainable energy in displacement settings is still well below the targets of SDG 7. Many refugees and internally displaced people have limited access to lighting at night, and harmful smoke remains a threat in the many households in displacement settings that depend on firewood for cooking. The level of access to energy for cooking and lighting varies significantly from one displacement context to another; however, recent studies have estimated a deterioration in the rates of energy access. In 2015 it was estimated that in camp settings, where about 22% of refugees live, 80% of people had minimal or no electricity access [1].  Similar analysis in 2022 found that the situation had worsened, estimating that 94% of forcibly displaced people living in camps do not have access to power, and 81% still lack anything other than the most basic fuels, such as firewood and charcoal for cooking.

The reduction in levels of access to energy is partly due to energy funding and programming not keeping pace with the rate of displacement worldwide and is also a function of the global energy crisis and the increasing costs of fossil fuels. The majority of electricity used by humanitarian organisations to provide essential services in displacement contexts is supplied by diesel generators – estimated by the GPA CU to cost over $100 million and emit more than 200,000 tonnes of CO2 globally every year – and UN institutions are not decarbonising fast enough to meet SDG 7 goals. This presents an exciting opportunity for sustainable energy solutions, but humanitarian organisations often lack the technical capacity, funding, and local market environments to implement them. 

This situation for both energy access for displaced people and for sustainable humanitarian operations makes the energy challenge in displacement considerable. Combined with the fact that energy is not recognised as an essential need by the humanitarian system, this means that achieving SDG 7 by 2030 remains a distant dream.

To meet these challenges, the GPA’s mission is to deliver collective change on energy in displacement settings by providing supporting services to mainstream sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy access for displacement-affected communities and those that serve them.

The Coordination Unit (CU) of the Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings (GPA), hosted at UNITAR, pledges to provide support to displaced persons, host communities, and associated humanitarian response mechanisms have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services by 2030. The GPA-CU will contribute through the following areas, in accordance with the GPA Framework document:

1. To lead planning and coordination efforts across the humanitarian energy sector.
2. To deliver policy and advocacy activities to support refugee and host community resilience.
3. To enable innovative financing and funding.
4. To build technical experience and capacity on climate and energy issues in displacement settings.
5. To develop data, research, and evidence to show what works for decarbonising humanitarian spaces and providing sustainable energy for displaced people.

Additionally, the GPA-CU aims to pursue several programmatic approaches to support humanitarian partners on decarbonization, inclusivity strategies, roadmaps for sustainable energy access, and transition to clean cooking that improve energy access for displaced people around the world. Details of these programmatic approaches follow:

The Decarbonising Humanitarian Energy (DHE) Multi-partner Trust Fund (MPTF) programme led by the GPA-CU at UNITAR, UNDP and NORCAP seeks to develop scalable, country-wide approaches to delivering sustainable energy transitions and energy access in humanitarian settings. The program will initially focus on Nigeria, Niger, and three additional pilot countries (yet to be identified) before scaling globally. These efforts will be facilitated through a Centralised Clean Energy Service (CCES) that aims to:

• Reduce the costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with delivering critical humanitarian assistance. 
• Bundle projects to create economies of scale and unlock innovative financing mechanisms
• Create opportunities to improve energy access for displacement-affected communities
• Support simplified entry point for commercial sector
• Create evidence-based material to promote low-carbon humanitarian operations

The German Federal Foreign Office formally committed 21 million USD to support the sustainable energy transition in displacement settings. This funding forms the initial investment in the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) and provides multi-year support for scaling up sustainable energy solutions for organisations serving displaced people and host communities. Around 600 million USD would be necessary to scale the programme across displacement settings worldwide and could save 180,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, and potentially catalyse 1.4 billion USD of organisational investment and private sector co-financing to avoid up to 550,000 tCO2 per year.

The Transforming Humanitarian Energy Access (THEA) programme provides inclusionary analysis and evidence on the energy needs of all displaced people, specifically by delivering high-quality research and knowledge to support policy and decision-making on humanitarian energy investments and enabling systematic change within the UN system and humanitarian partners. The programme will deliver transformative action in humanitarian settings, working with the Transforming Energy Access platform to mainstream energy access in humanitarian settings by:

• Providing expert advice and suggested mechanisms to all humanitarian energy programmes to ensure meaningful participation of displaced populations and host communities.
• Promoting the integration of cross-sectoral financing into energy initiatives and promoting collaboration, joint development, and implementation of programs and investments driven by substantial co-design with partners and displaced community members.
• Striving for the goal that all humanitarian energy programmes will be staffed by a minimum of 10% of people with a lived experience of displacement.

The THEA programme is funded by the UK-FCDO through its Transforming Energy Access (TEA) programme with partners Ashden, Chatham House and Global Refugee-led Network (GRN).

The Roadmaps for Energy Access in Displacement Settings (READS) Programme, implemented by the GPA Coordination Unit at UNITAR and funded by the IKEA Foundation, aims to identify viable implementation opportunities to increase sustainable energy in displacement settings. Spanning ten countries, the programme will develop a “roadmap report” for each nation. The reports will (a) concisely summarise the energy and displacement situation in each country, (b) identify gaps not currently met by the status quo and (c) put forward viable project opportunities to increase sustainable energy access in displacement settings. The programme focuses on all communities which are affected by forced displacement, spanning host communities, refugees, and other groups, and is inclusive of camps/settlements and urban settings in accordance with each specific national context. The READS Programme will support action towards increasing sustainable energy access in displacement settings by:

• Highlighting examples of best-practice and innovative approaches which are being implemented in its focus countries.
• Sharing the lessons learned by projects and promoting exchange between organisations to co-create solutions for common challenges.
• Showcasing viable project opportunities for sustainable energy investments for displaced people, host communities, and key stakeholders such as governments, UN organisations, NGOs, and the private sector.
• Presenting more than 50 high-impact project concepts across 10 countries, representing more than $75 million of investment opportunities to enhance sustainable energy in displacement settings.

The GPA-CU will contribute to SOLCO – a multi-stakeholder partnership committed to increasing access to clean and sustainable cooking solutions for displaced people and host community households across Africa. It is led by Last Mile Climate, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, and the GPA-CU, and will be implemented as part of the Global eCooking Coalition (GeCCo) - a global collaborative initiative led by the Modern Energy Cooking Services Programme (MECS), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). Launching initially in Uganda, SOLCO will advance investment-ready energy access projects aligned with the Sustainable Energy Response Plan for Refugees and Host Communities (SERP). Leveraging existing research and pilot studies, SOLCO will tailor solutions to specific contexts, emphasizing long-term maintenance and scalability. SOLCO aims to scale up solar-electric cooking solutions in at least eight African countries, enabling min. 250,000 households to access affordable solar e-cooking by 2027 by leveraging a total investment of min. USD 100 million. Specifically, the GPA-CU will support SOLCO and all the co-pledging organisations with building a self-sustainable model for delivering solar electric cooking solutions to the refugees, with seeking the necessary financing and engagement with private sector actors, as well as with the access to its wide network of humanitarian and energy stakeholders. The GPA Coordination Unit will also provide access to knowledge on energy access in humanitarian and other displacement settings and advice on issues of inclusivity to help guide the development of SOLCO’s activities and the projects, programmes or initiatives it will be supporting between 2024-2027.

Ensuring displacement affected communities and host communities have access to sustainable, affordable, reliable, and modern energy.