Forum: Human Rights Council

Question of: Increasing access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services in LEDCs

Human Rights Council,

Recognizing the fact that globally 3 billion people rely on dirty biomass fuels such as wood,
charcoal, or animal waste for cooking or heating, over 759 million people do not have access to
electricity, and that Africa accounts for more than half of these figures,

Reaffirming that each country must take primary responsibility for its own development,

Emphasizing that the access to affordable, reliable and modern energy sources is a significant
step towards economic development and poverty reduction in Less Economically Developed
Countries (LEDCs) and the achievement of the the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically
SDG goal 7,

Concerned that, at current rates of progress, and the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,
the goal of providing universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services appears
to be unachievable by 2030,

Noting that the effects of climate change caused by unsustainable energy usage are currently
negatively impacting coastal communities, especially Small Island Developing States, despite
them only producing 0.14 of the world’s greenhouse emissions;

1. Calls upon governments, international and regional organizations and other relevant
stakeholders to collaborate and develop national rural development programs, in
accordance with local conditions in the following areas of but not limited to
a. Promoting and increasing use of new and renewable modern energy sources,
b. Ensuring sustainable use of traditional energy sources to fulfill dual objective of
providing universal access to energy services and addressing climate change as
part of sustainable development agenda,
c. Providing access to affordable and reliable energy through strategic public private
partnerships (PPPs) and targeted government funding,
d. Expanding access to low income households through innovative cost effective
business models and technologies particularly suited to developing countries such
as pay as you go models, solar home systems and off grid connections,
e. Shifting to more efficient and cleaner energy sources from biomass and fossil
fuels through adoption of modern energy technologies by:
 i. fobilising efforts to ensure availability of such modern energy
technologies through collaboration with International Energy Association
and
ii. financing Projects through financial instruments and initiatives of World
Bank Group where possible,
f. Strengthening community development, livelihood, employment opportunities
and improving overall quality of life through strategic planning and
implementation of national programs in above mentioned areas;

2. Recommends that governments respond to the adverse impacts of COVID-19 pandemic

to ensure continued expansion of energy access by means such as but not limited to:
a. Working with private sector investors, relevant stakeholders, non profit
organisations and donors to prevent closing of off grid developers,
b. Providing policy support and subsidies to small and medium sized enterprises
(SMEs) in the energy utility sector;

3. Encourages the sharing of technical assistance in operations, introduction of capacity

building programs and transfer of modern environment friendly technologies by MEDCs
to LEDCs for the purpose of building strong and locally sustainable energy foundations;

4. Endorses the transition from centralized energy generation centers such as power plants,
to distributed energy generation, in which energy conversion units are situated close to
energy consumers, substituting large units for smaller ones:
a. Increasing the ease of and consequently the affordability and sustainability of
energy distribution,
b. Removing the need for inefficient and insecure legacy grids,
c. Implementing smart grid technology, including advanced metering and demand
response;

5. Endorses the development of renewable energy production in Small Island Developing

States (SIDS), who are especially susceptible to rising sea levels brought upon by climate
change. through collaborating with NGOs such as the SIDS Lighthouse Initiative,
utilizing the sustainable natural resources available to these nations, such as but not
limited to:
a. Onshore wind farms,
b. Various ocean energy sources—tidal streams, ocean currents, et cetera,
c. Geothermal energy,
d. Solar PV;
6. Strongly recommends strengthening regulatory frameworks in regards to electricity
service providers in LEDCs, especially in Africa and the MENA region, in order to
increase energy distribution through the following changes:
a. Implementing cost-reflective tariffs for electricity providers, so electricity
providers do not lose money through generating, transporting, and distributing
power, for the purposes of:
i. increasing financial incentives to connect new consumers
ii. further investing in power generation and the grid
iii. decreasing offtaker risks,
b. Developing environments conducive to investments into renewable energy
sources from the private sector, via mitigating risks such as but not limited to:
i. policy or regulatory risks, associated with changes in legal or regulatory
policies causing adverse impacts
ii. grid and transmission risks, associated with interconnection and grid
management
iii. technology and labor risks, associated with the use of outdated technology
or unskilled labor to implement it
iv. currency risks, associated with the use of volatile currencies to fund
renewable projects
c. Ensuring fair and equal market conditions with sustainable financial incentives
and market transparency for service providers;

7. Expresses its hope for LEDCs in areas of high amounts of solar radiation, such as those
in the Saharan and Sub-Saharan regions, to implement large-scale solar farms to harvest
solar energy for the purposes of:
a. Weaning the nation off of its reliance on fossil fuels,
b. Lowering the cost of and increasing the sustainability of energy usage for their
citizens,
c. Exporting solar energy to other nations, to accrue capital to be used to further
invest in green, subsidized energy generation and distribution.