Energy access is crucial to development and poverty reduction. The Department for International Development (DFID) works closely with other government departments to meet its clean energy commitments overseas as well as in the UK. The Government has committed to end public funding for coal fired power plants, except in very rare circumstances, in the world’s poorest countries and DFID will continue to support international initiatives to promote cleaner energy sources and low carbon technologies through the UK’s International Climate Fund (ICF). By 2015-16, DFID had helped to improve access to clean energy for nearly 5.3 million people, which is something we can all be proud of.
At last year’s UN General Assembly the Government announced that it will provide £5.8 billion through the ICF over the next five years. This includes support to renewable energy in developing countries, with the aim of increasing the availability of affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. Focussing on issues like this is in the interests of the people in these countries, as well as in the long term UK national interest.
DFID has a number of priorities as part of its ICF work. For example, you may be aware, the Energy Africa campaign was launched in October last year to accelerate access to clean energy across sub-Saharan Africa via the market-based delivery of solar household systems – a new and sustainable way of tackling energy poverty. This will help provide the poorest people with critical household electricity for the first time.
The UK remains committed to working towards Goal 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030.
By Patrick McLoughlin on September 22, 2016