UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)
Description of the Committee
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a programme and fund of the United Nations which reports directly to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN General Assembly. It is the main UN entity that works in the area of development. Formed in 1965, and headquartered in New York City, the UNDP actively promotes development in 177 countries by carrying out activities aimed at reducing poverty, supporting democratic governance, increasing crisis prevention and recovery, promoting sustainable development, and achieving international development goals like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).1
The UNDP leads the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) which is responsible for development coordination across the UN system. It includes 32 UN funds, offices, programs, departments and agencies.2 The UNDG chair also holds the office of UNDP administrator and considered the third highest-ranking official of the United Nations Secretariat after the United Nations Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General. 3 The entire group works towards the adoption and coordination of the UN development activities to make them effectively efficient and ensure that they comply with the mandate of the respective UN bodies.4Operating on the goals set by world leaders at the 2000 Millennium Summit, the UNDP utilizes its global network to link the UN’s resources to countries in need of assistance. The UNDP’s mandate is to “coordinate all UN development activities at the country level.” This responsibility is given to the UNDP due to its role managing the Resident Coordinator (RC) system, which encompasses all UN system entities that “deal with operational activities for development, regardless of their formal presence in the country.”5
TOPIC: SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FOR ALL
Introduction
In 2010, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched a pioneering new initiative, “Sustainable Energy for All,” to mobilize urgent global action through the UN General Assembly resolution 65/151. The initiatives gathers the forces of all sectors of the society to the table: businesses, governments, investors, community groups and academia to support three interlinked objectives: (1) ensure universal access to modern energy service, (2) double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency, (3) double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.6
Sustainable Energy mainly tackles the usage of energy wisely and through clean sources and technologies. It involves introducing energy efficiency measures. In the past, sustainable energy was thought of simply in the terms of availability with respect to the rate of use. Today, and regardless in which part of the world, sustainable development includes concern of environmental side effects and future impact. 7
UNDP's Administrator, and Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mrs. Helen Clark, describes how access to basic energy can transform lives in all countries of the world. Energy is central to sustainable development and poverty reduction efforts. It affects all aspects of social, economic, and environmental development -- including livelihoods, access to water, agricultural productivity, health, population levels, education, and gender-related issues. None of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set in the year 2000 can be met without major improvement in the quality of energy services in developing countries.8
“The UNDP's recent efforts in energy for sustainable development support the achievement of (1) Universal access to modern energy for the poor, and (2) Enhanced quality, security and affordability of modern energy.” 9
Background
In January 2011, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called, for a “a global clean energy revolution – a revolution that makes energy available and affordable for all”, adding that this was essential for minimizing climate risks, reducing poverty and improving global health, empowering women and meeting the Millennium Development Goals, for global economic growth, peace and security, and the health of the planet. He made these statements at the World Future Energy Summit that took place in Abu Dhabi. 10
Moreover, access to modern energy services for cooking, heating, lighting, communications, and mechanical power for productive uses is a huge area of need. The energy access challenge is particularly acute in the underdeveloped countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The poor are particularly the disadvantaged. “The urban poor typically have some access to electricity, but of poor quality, service is unreliable and broken, and their connections are often informal. In rural areas, physical access is often non-existent.”11 If the rural poor do have access to electricity, it tends to be of insufficient quality and quantity from stand-alone systems or poorly run and incompetent mini-grids that are unaffordable and subject to everyday failure.
In 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, gave birth to the first true notion of sustainable development, which at the time was called ‘eco development’. Since then, the main conflict rose between the ecology and the economy. In 1987, the World commission on Environment and Development defined Sustinable development as a source that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.12In 1992, the Rio Earth Summit was attended by 152 world leaders, and “sustainability was enshrined in Agenda 21, a plan of action, and a recommendation that all countries should produce national sustainable development strategies. “Despite binding conventions and numerous detailed reports, there seems to have been little known about the details to ordinary citizens around the world.”12 As noted by the World Development Movement, in the 10+ years since Rio, there has been little change in poverty levels, inequality, or sustainable development. “Despite thousands of fine words the last decade has joined the 1980’s as another ‘lost decade for sustainable development’ with deepening poverty, global inequality and environmental destruction”.13 Thus, the record towards achieving world sustainability so far appears to have been quite poor. According to the United Nations Human Development Report issued in 1998, we are currently facing “immense wealth in increasingly fewer hands”.14The inequality of consumption and the use of resources is terribly twisted as “20% of the world’s people in the highest-income countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditures — the poorest 20% are a minuscule 1.3%”14 We have been living in a world where over a billion people are without access to clean water; about half of humanity lacking access to adequate sanitation and living on less than two dollars a day; and approximately two billion do not have access to electricity.
Sustainability for All benefits
According to the General Assembly Resolution 65/151, which declared the year 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, “access to energy, particularly sustainable energy, is indistinguishable from a sustainable future for the developing world. Not only does access to energy transform the lives of the energy-poor by raising living standards, it also:
•Enables income generation through solar pumps for irrigation or electricity for a small business;
•Provides power to community health clinics and refrigerators to store medicines, as well as cell phones;
•Reduces the time of collecting fuel wood, supporting cleaner, more efficient cooking and heating options;
•Provides lighting, so children can study after dark;
•Enables businesses to operate and creates new opportunities for entrepreneurs.” 16
According to the UN.org press realease on 21st of December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared the decade 2014‑2024 as the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, “underscoring the importance of energy issues for sustainable development and for the elaboration of the post-2015 development agenda.”17 In adopting the resolution, the General Assembly reaffirmed its determination to make sustainable energy for all a reality as it mainly involves narrowing the gaps between rich and poor countries, in so far as these gaps, if maintained, could be the cause of violent conflict, which by its very nature leads to regression rather than development.
Past International Action
On the policy level, and as mentioned before, the topic was brought to light in 1972, as “Eco-development”, and was governed by several UN General Assembly resolutions, ECOSOC documents, and reports of the Secretary-General. The last of these was GA Resoultion 65/151, in which the United Nations declared 2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.18 Moreover, other intiatives were done both within and outside the UN system. These are summarized by (1) National Coordinating Committees which are led by the United Nations Development Programme and focused on national committees and country focal points to drive forward activities and programs on the ground; (2) Energy Access Practitioner Networks which are led by the United Nations Foundation. These networks are global systems that will bring together experts working to improve access to modern energy services.
In response to the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, the Secretary-General launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. The initiative seeks to support the objective of sustainable energy for all by identifying and mobilizing action by all stakeholders in support of a major global transformation of energy systems. “The initiative seeks to ensure sustainable energy for all by 2030 through the achievement of three major objectives: (a) ensuring universal access to modern energy services; (b) doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and (c) doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.”21In the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 66/288, countries stated that “we are all determined to act to make sustainable energy for all a reality and, through this, help to eradicate poverty and lead to sustainable development and global prosperity”. They went on to recognize “the critical role that energy plays in the development process, as access to sustainable modern energy services contributes to poverty eradication, saves lives, improves health and helps provide for basic human needs”.22 In the latest Report of the Secretary-General issued in September 2014 about the sustainable development, commitments announced included the following: (a) 70 developing countries opted to work with the initiative, (b) $50 billion was pledged in support of the objectives of the initiative from the private sector and investors; (c) Tens of billions of dollars were committed by multilateral development banks in Asia, Europe and Latin America; (d) Hundreds of actions were catalysed and commitments made in support of the three core objectives; (e) Commitments to support energy access will provide more than 1 billion people with access to modern energy during the lifespan of the initiative; (f) New public-private partnerships are being formed with regard to transport, energy efficiency, solar cooking, finance, and energy access for the poor. 21Significant commitments by Governments, “multilateral development banks, the private sector and civil society and 80 developing States have partnered with the initiative, while developed countries, civil society, and businesses are continuing to pledge contributions in the tens of billions of dollars”.
The United Nations Foundation, has led several initiatives about Sustainable development such as the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and the International Bioenergy and Sustainability Initiative. The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstovers supports “large-scale adoption of clean and safe household cooking solutions as a way to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and reduce climate change emissions.”23Its goal is enabling an additional 100 million homes to adopt clean and efficient stoves and fuels by the year 2020. The International Bioenergy and Sustainability Initiative “advances environmentally and economically sustainable strategies for harnessing biomass energy in ways that minimize competition with food production.” 23 The initiative seeks to identify, share, and promote best practices for the sustainable use of bioenergy with government leaders, UN agencies, scientific experts, and nongovernmental organizations. 23
During the past two decades, UNDP has built up an extensive portfolio of projects in the energy sector. “In the process, it has acquired a wealth of experience and expertise in supporting countries to use, expand and shift towards sustainable energy for development.”24 Capital investment required for universal energy access represents only around 3 per cent of the total global energy investment. Governments must make universal energy access a top political priority. “Practical, effective and large-scale actions are needed by NGOs to invest in capacity development, activate public-private partnerships and vastly scale up innovative solutions to overcome extreme energy poverty.”24
Possible Solutions
Two years have passed since Rio+20, where world leaders declared: “we are all determined to act to make sustainable energy for all a reality and, through this, help to eradicate poverty and lead to sustainable development and global prosperity.”25
UNDP’s mission helps developing countries to expand access to reliable and modern sources of energy in order to reduce poverty and to improve the health of their citizens, while at the same time promoting economic growth and mitigating climate change. Investing in clean, efficient, affordable and reliable energy systems is indispensable for a prosperous, environmentally sustainable future. “Ensuring energy security will require diversification of types and sources of energy, with increasing focus on consumer needs, on indigenous energy supplies, energy efficiency and regional interconnections.”27
UNDP is helping developing countries to achieve these outcomes. The call for action is already declared, and the main focus points are clear; mentioning the strengthening of energy efficiency, the devlopment of solutions associated with the lack of access to clean modern energy solutions, and reducing inefficient energy use.
Further Research
Research Sources
Sustainable Energy For All Forum
United Nations Development Programme
UN Energy
Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly
65/151 International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Report of the Secretary-General – 22 September 2014
United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All
Renewables 2014 Global Status Report
Terms and Concepts
Millenium Development Summit: The 55th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held in 2000. At the summit, countries produced the Millenium Declaration, which set forward international priorities for the new century. One of the key results of the production of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), which set goals to tackle 8 important world issues by 2015.
General Assembly Resolution 65/151: This United Nations General Assembly Resolution sets 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.
Agenda 21: A comprehensive plan of action set forward by the United Nations in 1992, for the purpose of environental sustainability.
United Nations Foundation: An international organization that seeks to promote and support issues and campaigns of the United Nations.
Rio+20: This refers to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It focused on how countries could cooperate to build a sustainable future.
References
1 United Nations Development Programme, About us, 2014.
2 United Nations Development Group, About UNDG, 2014.
3 United Nations Development Programme, Our Partners, 2014
4 United Nations Development Group, About UNDG, 2014.
5 UN Development Group, Resident Coordinator System.
6 The Secretary General’s High Level Group on Sustainable Energy for all
7 Energy Linx
8 United Nations Foundation YouTube Channel – Sustainable Energy Helen Clark
9 UNDP – Environment and Energy - Focus Areas
10 UNIDO - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon : 2012 will be International Year for Sustainable Energy for All - Tuesday, 18 January 2011
11 UNDP - Universal Access to modern energy of the poor
12 Global Issues - Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All
13 World Development Movement, UK
14 UNDP – Human Development Report 1998
15 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: DEFINITION, BACKGROUND, ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES
16 The Declaration of the International Year 2012 of Sustainable Energy for All
17 UN.ORG – Press United Nations General Assembly declares 2014-2024 decade of Sustainable Energy for All
18 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [On the report of the Second Committee (A/65/436 and Corr.1)] 65/151. International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
19 Energy for Sustainable Future - Secretary General’s Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change (AGECC) – Summary Report & Recommendation 28 April 2010, New York
20 The Paris Nairobi Climate Initiative -
21 C- 17 - United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All - Report of the Secretary-General - 22 September 2014
22 C- 22- United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All - Report of the Secretary-General - 22 September 2014
23 United Nations Foundation-ACHIEVING UNIVERSAL ENERGY ACCESS
24 UNDP – Environment & Energy – Focus Area - Universal access to modern energy for the poor
25 Sustainable Energy for All Forum Website
26 Sustainable Energy for All Forum Report
27 UNDP – Environment & Energy –
28 E-3-41 - United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All - Report of the Secretary-General - 22 September 2014
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