This site uses cookies, as explained in our terms of use. If you consent, please close this message and continue to use this site.
A regional centre of excellence on Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) was launched at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on 13 November 2018 to improve access to sustainable energy services in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. As an integral part of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Capability for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (REEECH) initiative, the centre aims to deliver innovative and sustainable energy solutions in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation to meet the social and economic development needs of mountain populations of the HKH.
1 min Read
The HKH region is energy poor in spite of its vast potential for hydropower and other sources of energy such as biogas, wind, and solar. About 1.8 billion people living in the eight HKH countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan – depend on biomass (mostly firewood) for cooking and heating, while nearly 370 million people were without electricity, as of 2014 (Table 1).
Table 1: Energy access in HKH countries, 2000–2014
Source: International Energy Agency and World Bank 2017
To address energy poverty in the region and contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, which is to ‘ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all’ by 2030, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) has been supporting ICIMOD establish the regional centre of excellence on Sustainable Energy for All with the technical assistance of the the United Nations’ Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The REEECH initiative will function as a regional thematic hub under the umbrella of the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centres (GN-SEC), which is coordinated by UNIDO.
In his keynote address, Martin Ledolter, Managing Director ADA, emphasized the central role energy plays in advancing sustainable mountain development. He reminded everyone present that “the role of REEECH is crucial as it initiates opportunities for coordinated and concerted action, and, ultimately, helps all renewable energy and energy efficiency stakeholders, including the private sector move forward the sustainable energy agenda.”
ICIMOD’s Director General David Molden highlighted the significance of the REEECH initiative for the region.
“As a global community, we have the knowledge to address energy poverty. We know that solar, wind, biogas, micro-hydro, and micro-grid renewable energy technologies can be effective,” Molden said in his keynote address. “What we lack is a clear focus on the mountains and a mandate to reach the last mile of connectivity. With REEECH, we will do that.”
Share
Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.
related content
Agroforestry, the cultivation of trees and agricultural crops in close combination with one another, is an ancient practice used by ...
By 7am, we were in Ziro. Rubu got us on the road that crisscrossed the vast horizon of paddy fields. ...
Himalayan countries can look to the Arctic Council, Alpine Convention and the Carpathian Convention to build multilateral cooperation mechanisms, advises ...
Published in 2016, the study showed that the soil loss rate estimated was 22 million tonnes per hectare of barren ...
During the workshop, Kinlay Tshering, Director of the Department of Agriculture, Bhutan, emphasized the need to capitalize on the unmet ...
The participants were given a brief background of the Dhungetar Reconstruction Project. This was followed by an interaction with the ...
A five-day training for 20 Myanmar journalists on reporting climate change adaptation was organised by the International Centre for Integrated ...
