Can Climate and Development Goals Align in Fragile States?
Peacekeeping Missions and Renewable Energy Sources
In 2019, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for UN operations to shift to renewable energy, launching a new UN Secretariat Climate Action Plan (UNSCAP) to transition UN Secretariat operations to obtain 40% of their energy from renewable sources by 2025 and 80% by 2030. UN peace operations represent the bulk of the UN Secretariat’s emissions. Missions are highly reliant on diesel generators for their electricity and power supplies. The push by the United Nations to adopt more renewable energy sources reflects concrete goals: greater use of renewable energy for the missions can improve security, support their mandates, save costs, and provide an opportunity to work with host nations on development and climate goals, thus supporting a positive legacy.
Mutual Goals, New Partners?
Given the opportunity to shift to renewable energy for UN operations, this report asks: Do host governments and other international actors share the ambition to expand access to renewable energy? In asking this question, this inquiry explores whether access to energy is already part of efforts to meet the goals of sustainable development, climate, and peacebuilding and if so, where partnerships exist with the UN missions to meet these goals.
To start, this study considers whether host governments and international actors have stated a shared goal for developing greater access to renewable energy sources, focusing on the Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and South Sudan. These countries host UN peacekeeping missions and are nations where electricity access is significantly limited.
Findings: Strategic Alignment
The comparison here finds that the national governments of CAR, DRC, and South Sudan prioritize expansion of renewable energy access. The UN Country Teams vary in prioritizing support for national renewable energy goals and do not cite UN peacekeeping mission transitions or purchasing power as an opportunity to support national renewable energy goals. The UNDP broadly supports national renewable energy goals and provides financial, technical, and legal support for general energy sector development.
Comparative Findings Across Three Countries
- Consistent National Goals: All three countries have national strategic frameworks for expanding access to renewable energy sources.
- UN Peacekeeping Operations: A gradual shift toward renewable electricity is occurring within peacekeeping operations; current use remains low at around 7%. Initiatives to support local renewable energy access are emerging but have not yet been fully realized. Efforts by peace operations are under way to create partnerships to support a transition to renewable energy for local communities, but these projects have not moved forward.
- UN Country Teams: Support for renewable energy goals varies among these teams and is inconsistently aligned with national priorities. UNCTs do not cite UN peacekeeping mission transitions or UN purchasing power as an opportunity to support national renewable energy goals.
Recommendations to Expand Partnerships, Renewable Energy Access
- Bridge National and UN Entities Works: Strengthen collaboration among national governments, UN peacekeeping missions, UNCTs, and UNDP to boost renewable energy access.
- Build on UN Peacekeeping Role: Leverage the purchasing power of UN peacekeeping missions to support national renewable energy goals, while encouraging other UN entities to take a more active role.
- Strengthen UN Transition Planning: Integrate renewable energy goals into the transition planning of UN peace operations, especially in the DRC and CAR.
These are extracts from the executive summary of a report by Victoria K.Holt and Anaise Boucher-Browning, published in September 2024 by the Stimson Center, in cooperation with the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding and Energy Peace Partners. The full report can be accessed through the link here.