A discussion with leadership from the UN and power companies on meeting the UN’s 80% renewable energy target by 2030 while reducing peacekeeping costs, security risks, and greenhouse gas emissions – and providing positive legacies for host communities.
Monday, 12 July, 2021 13:00 to 14:30 PM (EDT)
As part of High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the Permanent Missions of Norway and the United Arab Emirates to the UN, the International Renewable Energy Agency, and Powering Peace (a partnership between Energy Peace Partners and the Stimson Center) present the latest examples from the field on how missions are engaging the private sector to meet their power requirements, as well as the implications for cost, security, greenhouse gas emissions, and host communities.
The United Nations Secretariat has committed to 80 percent renewable energy by 2030, a goal which hinges largely on the ability of peacekeeping missions to obtain solar, wind, hydro, and other forms of renewable power from local sources. Energy procurement from local power producers relieves missions of the high upfront capital investment required of constructing UN-owned infrastructure, and it would allow mission budgets to both pivot away from diesel to often significantly cheaper renewable energy and reduce exposure to attacks on fuel convoys. This model also allows peacekeeping missions – often among the largest energy producers and consumers (and source of greenhouse gases) in the regions where they’re deployed – to serve as anchor clients for private sector developers, facilitating local renewable energy development and expansion of energy access.
Drawing on perspectives from heads of peacekeeping missions and power company executives, the event will assess what approaches deliver these potential cost, security, host community and climate benefits from private sector power sales to the UN, and how both missions and companies could scale and enhance cooperation.
The event is part of a series of workshops and panels organized by the co-hosts in 2021-2022 on renewables implementation in specific security contexts and broader UN peace operations.
