HLDE 2021 | Ministerial Thematic ForumsDecentralized Renewable Energy Solutions for Sustainable Livelihoods
Decentralized renewable energy (DRE) solutions plays a central role in achieving universal modern energy access. Linking such solutions with livelihoods across sectors, such as agriculture, cottage industry, tourism and retail, offers the opportunity to translate electricity connections and kilowatt-hours into higher incomes for communities and enterprises, local jobs and well-being in rural and peri-urban areas. Achieving this transformative change requires greater efforts than simply deploying DRE systems. It requires investing in an ecosystem that can foster technology solutions tailored to livelihood needs and deliver the financing, capacity and skills training, market access and cross-sector policy support to realize the full benefits of DRE solutions.
Alongside the Ministerial Thematic Forums for the UN High Level Dialogue on Energy, IRENA and SELCO Foundation organized a virtual side-event on “Decentralized renewable energy solutions for sustainable livelihoods”. The side event convened practitioners, policymakers, and financing institutions to discuss how to build an enabling ecosystem for linking DRE solutions with livelihoods. Based on practical experiences and case studies, the side-event showcased potential solutions and cross-sector partnerships to transform energy access outcomes.
The event took place on Thursday, 24 June at 06:00 EDT (New York time) / 14:00 GST (Abu Dhabi time).