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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank expressed their commitment today to strengthen cooperation on energy access, an important advance in the drive for more efficient and more effective support to poverty reduction and sustainable development.

Discussions took place at a ministerial luncheon (read the related PowerPoint document at the bottom of this page) at the tail end of the two-week Commission on Sustainable Development meetings at UN Headquarters. The cooperation will build on existing partnerships such as the UNDP/UNEP Poverty Environment Facility and the broad collaboration between UNDP and the World Bank on strategies for reducing poverty.

“As our work grows, so does the need for cooperation and harmonization, in order to be effective and relevant,” said UNDP Associate Administrator Ad Melkert after speaking at a high-level ministerial session at CSD yesterday morning (http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2007/may/ad-melkert-commission-on-sustainable-development.en?categoryID=349463). “So, for us, cooperation and harmonization in the area of energy access for the poor are not theoretical; they are real and indeed critical if we are to be delivering results.” Melkert stressed the importance of ensuring national ownership and leadership in crafting development strategies, and the need to imbue all support efforts with a strong focus on tangible results in the lives of the poor. In recent years, UNDP’s activities to expand access to energy services for the poor have grown substantially, with a particular upsurge in Africa.

“As it becomes increasingly apparent that climate change is the major crisis facing us all, it’s also clear that we have to provide clear energy solutions to solve the critical problem of energy access in developing countries, particularly those in Sub Saharan Africa,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. “Closer collaboration between UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank on the transition to a low-carbon energy future will foster more practical support on the ground.”

“The financing challenge in the energy sector is truly daunting” added Jamal Saghir, Director of the World Bank’s Energy, Transport and Water Group. For the electricity sector alone, developing countries need nearly US $165 billion annually, of which less than half is currently available. The case for Africa, where many countries have electricity coverage of less than ten percent, is particularly compelling. “Countries, development partners, NGOs, civil society and the private sector have to act in concert to address this challenge or we face the prospect of serious impacts on growth and development,” added Saghir, expressing the growing need to pool efforts and resources for the benefit of country partners.

Presenters at the luncheon demonstrated how stronger operational partnerships and coordination on the ground can deliver better results in energy development, and paid special attention to issues of energy access in Africa. Vijay Iyer, Manager of the World Bank’s Africa Energy Group, presented several ways to strengthen ongoing collaboration and mentioned several new areas of potential cooperation among the three organizations. “The coming together of these three organizations is one example of increasing donor collaboration in the energy field,” emphasized Iyer. Panelists included Alain Edouard Traore, Vice Chair for CSD-15 representing the African Group; Laurent Sedogo, Minister for Environment and Life, Burkina Faso; Salvador Namburete, Minister of Energy, Mozambique; and Ton Boon von Ochssée, Ambassador for Sustainable Development, The Netherlands.

Access to modern energy services is an essential part of the development equation. It affects all aspects of development--social, economic, and environmental--including livelihoods, access to water, agricultural productivity, health, education, and gender-related issues. None of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) can be met without major improvements in the quality and quantity of energy services in developing countries.

The three organizations will work to flesh out the way forward in greater detail in coming months.

For more information, contact Ben Craft, +1 (212) 906-5344or benjamin.craft@undp.org.

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