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INTRODUCTION
Provision of clean and affordable energy is a catalyst for sustainable development in all countries of the world. Access to energy increases safety, improves the provision of health services, enhances access to education and economic opportunities.
Refugees worldwide face great challenges accessing energy. But innovative interventions by the humanitarian sector, together with affected communities, host governments, UN country teams, and a wide range of partners from various sectors, can improve access to energy.
UNHCR’s Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy 2019- 2025 aims to enable refugees, hosts communities and other persons of concern to meet their energy needs in a safe and sustainable manner, while also addressing health, protection and environmental concerns rising from access to energy. In line with the existing framework, UNHCR has adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of clean energy based on the impact on health. Fuel and technologies are considered clean only if they achieve WHO targets for particle matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO) emission. In addition, UNHCR defines the use of biomass in combination with improved technologies while moving as a transitional solution while moving towards more sustainable and cleaner practices.
The UNHCR energy strategy is part of the actions and parameters set in the Operational strategy for climate resilience and environmental sustainability 2022-2025, to respond to the growing global climate emergency. Guided by the Strategic Framework for Climate Action (SFCA), UNHCR focuses on mitigating the impact of cli- mate change and environmental degradation on forcibly displaced people and their host communities, sup- porting sustainability by preserving and rehabilitating the natural environment in displacement settings and minimizing the environmental footprint of humanitarian assistance.
This report presents case studies of clean and transitional energy interventions in refugee settlements implemented by UNHCR and partners in Uganda. Energy-related approaches from these case studies can be adapted and replicated in other refugee-hosting countries, as a means of meeting basic needs of people in displacement, improving their well-being and, when possible, creating sustainable livelihood opportunities through the provision of energy. The following case studies are based on experiences in refugee situations but can be adapted to internal displacement situations as well.
Innovative interventions [...] can transform the lives of those who've been forcibly displaced, helping them to build better futures for themselves and their families.