European Union

The following events were covered by IISD Reporting Services on Friday, 7 December 2018: Maximizing Support for Indigenous Peoples' Adaptation and Mitigation Efforts: GCF & Climate Finance Building Capacity for Integrating Human Rights into Climate Action Getting to the Point: The Relevance of Wetland Ecosystems for Increasing NDC Ambition Because the Ocean: Incorporating the Ocean in NDCs Collective Intelligence Processes and Data for the Common Good in Climate Change Mitigation Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz / Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Maximizing Support for Indigenous Peoples' Adaptation and Mitigation Efforts: GCF & Climate Finance Presented by Tebtebba and Centro de Culturas Indígenas del Perú (CHIRAPAQ) L-R: Raymond de Chaves, Tebtebba; Helen Magata, Tebtebba; Kimaren Ole Riamit, Executive Director, Indigenous Livelihoods Enhancement Partners, Kenya (ILEPA); Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People; Lifeng Li, GCF; and Tarcila Rivera Zea, Executive Director, CHIRAPAQ This event explored how the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other climate finance can support the rights of indigenous peoples as well as their own mitigation and adaptation efforts, including through implementation of the GCF’s Indigenous Peoples’ Policy. It was moderated by Helen Magata, Tebtebba. Kimaren Ole Riamit, Executive Director, Indigenous Livelihoods Enhancement Partners, Kenya (ILEPA), highlighted the negative impacts that climate action, including the deployment of renewable energy, can have on indigenous peoples if not properly safeguarded. He also noted that climate finance modalities remain for indigenous peoples to access and called for the creation of a dedicated GCF access window with simplified modalities for indigenous climate action. Lifeng Li, GCF, presented the GCF’s Indigenous Peoples Policy, noting that it centers around the concept of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and was developed through extensive stakeholder consultations. He explained that the GCF is currently developing implementation guidelines for the policy, appointing an indigenous peoples’ specialist and establishing an indigenous peoples’ advisory group. Tarcila Rivera Zea, Executive Director, CHIRAPAQ, underlined the need for capacity building to help indigenous peoples better access climate finance. She called for the GCF to provide as much training and support to indigenous communities and organizations as it does to governments. She also emphasized the need for climate finance to help develop initiatives that come from indigenous communities themselves, noting the difficulties they face competing for funds with larger, outside organizations that have greater technical expertise. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People, highlighted that the GCF’s Indigenous Peoples Policy is stronger than that of other multilateral financial institutions but underscored that the critical challenge is ensuring its ful implementation. She called for indigenous communities to become actively engaged in the GCF to ensure their voices are heard in relation to all project proposals. She also emphasized that respecting and involving indigenous peoples, who possess a wealth of knowledge about their local ecosystems, is in governments’ self-interest. In the ensuing discussion, participants discussed: how non-compliance with the GCF Indigenous Peoples Policy could be addressed, including through the GCF’s grievance mechanism or sanctions; the need to fight racist and discriminatory ideologies among policymakers and in education systems that perpetuate them; and ensuring GCF policies and project proposals are translated into languages that are accessible for indigenous peoples. Helen Magata, Tebtebba Kimaren Ole Riamit, ILEPA Lifeng Li, GCF Tarcila Rivera Zea, Executive Director, CHIRAPAQ A participant takes notes at the event CONTACT Raymond de Chavez, Tebtebba | raymond@tebtebba.org MORE INFORMATION http://chirapaq.org.pe http://www.tebtebba.org/ Building Capacity for Integrating Human Rights into Climate Action Presented by the Paris Committee on Capacity Building (PCCB), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice L-R: Benjamin Schachter, OHCHR; Jennifer Hanna, PCCB; Amb. Luis Alfonso de Alba, UN Secretary General Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Summit; Verona Collantes, UN Women; Michael Windfuhr, German Institute for Human Rights; Agnes Leina, Illaramatak Community Concerns; and Sébastien Duyck, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) This panel discussed the importance of integrating human rights into the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Moderators Jennifer Hanna, PCCB, and Benjamin Schachter, OHCHR, introduced the event by underlining the need to address capacity gaps in integrating gender, human rights and indigenous peoples’ knowledge into national plans and the international climate regime. Via video link, Tara Shine, Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, emphasized that integrating human rights into climate action can inform mitigation and adaptation activities, while not integrating them will likely increase costs and undermine human rights. She highlighted a proposal to establish a human rights focal point in the climate regime to help mainstream these efforts.  Amb. Luis Alfonso de Alba, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Summit, lamented climate conference delegates’ lack of knowledge concerning human rights. He called on participants to build a specific strategy to integrate human rights into the 2019 Climate Summit so that the quality of Parties’ commitments can increase, and to avoid a summit that would be “just an excuse for a speech and a photograph.” Verona Collantes, UN Women, shared the lessons of her organization’s Gender Action Plan. She explained that the strategy for the Plan’s implementation was to be extremely specific regarding who was concerned, what should be created or changed, and when the deliverables were expected. She stressed that capacity building, especially for NDCs, is not a one-off activity but something that must be sustained. Michael Windfuhr, German Institute for Human Rights, argued that there is not enough systematic training in human rights spheres about climate change. He proposed that national climate policies must be based on human rights if states wish to successfully and justly implement the Paris Agreement. Agnes Leina, Illaramatak Community Concerns, decried the fact that human rights have largely been ignored within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Describing examples of renewable energy developments which have displaced indigenous communities, she framed the urgent need for capacity building within states by suggesting that National Adaptation Plans should contain gender and indigenous components.  Sébastien Duyck, CIEL, welcomed the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), recognizing that it cements the importance of human rights in climate action. He argued that populations must feel ownership of NDCs at the local, regional and national levels, and recommended that countries be forthcoming with their needs and experiences to help replicate climate action victories.  Participants then discussed limits of the UNFCCC and UN Refugee Agency frameworks, and the possible need for a new institution to deal with climate-related internally displaced populations. Panelists emphasized the need to understand that national policies must build adaptation within a human rights framework, lest those adaptations be doomed to fail from the outset. Benjamin Schachter, OHCHR, and Jennifer Hanna, PCCB Verona Collantes, UN Women Amb. Luis Alfonso de Alba, UN Secretary General Special Envoy for 2019 Climate Summit Rita Mishaan Rossell, Asociación Ak Tenamit Michael Windfuhr, German Institute for Human Rights, and Agnes Leina, Illaramatak Community Concerns Tara Shine, Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, addressed participants via video. CONTACT Julian Hodgkin | jhodgkin@unfccc.int MORE INFORMATION https://www.mrfcj.org/ https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/bodies/constituted-bodies/paris-committee-on-capacity-building https://www.ohchr.org/EN/pages/home.aspx Getting to the Point: The Relevance of Wetland Ecosystems for Increasing NDC Ambition Presented by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) L-R: Francisco Rilla, Ramsar Convention Secretariat; Arthur Neher, Wetlands International; Lisa Schindler Murray, The Nature Conservancy (TNC); Alfred Okot Okidi, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda; and Moderator John Matthews, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) This side event highlighted the relevance of wetland ecosystems for both climate change adaptation and mitigation, while addressing their importance for increasing Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) ambition and the question of how NDCs can be improved. John Matthews, AGWA, moderated the event. Paul Mafabi, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda, stressed, via video message, that wetlands constitute the Earth’s most effective carbon sink and have great potential for climate mitigation. He underscored that drained peatlands, by storing twice as much carbon as the world’s forests, are responsible for 5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and identified the need for awareness raising on the importance of wetlands in Uganda and their consideration in NDCs. Frank Fass-Metz, BMZ, underlined that 25% of BMZ’s adaptation portfolio is dedicated to water-related issues, with a special focus on mangrove coastal ecosystems. He highlighted that BMZ’s work on promoting water security is guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement and the Ramsar Convention. He stressed the need to protect wetlands to safeguard the wellbeing of the millions of people dependent on them. Arthur Neher, Wetlands International, noted that countries need to address the issue of peatland drainage due to the high GHG emissions associated with this practice, and stressed the need to include peatlands in NDCs, calling them a “low hanging fruit.” Lisa Schindler Murray, TNC, highlighted TNC’s focus on increased commitments by countries to collaborate in including wetlands in natural GHG accounting inventories, and in including mitigation targets in revised NDCs. She noted that enhancing ambition in NDCs can also include the strengthening of the adaptation sections of NDCs. Francisco Rilla, Ramsar Convention Secretariat, underlined that wetlands contribute to resilient ecosystems and noted that adaptation without water is not possible. He stressed that wetlands must figure more prominently in national climate change plans, including with the participation of local stakeholders and communities in the process. Alfred Okot Okidi, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda, highlighted that Uganda has experienced a 44% reduction in wetland coverage since 1994, and stressed that strong political will is needed at the highest level as well as at the local level to facilitate the wise use and restoration of wetlands in Uganda. Neher stressed the need for synergies at the highest level to jointly address the 2030Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets around wetlands, climate mitigation and NDCs. In the ensuing discussion, panelists responded to questions on: wetland banking; conservation of urban wetlands; ways to encourage farmers abandon drained peatlands opting for their rewetting; and the European Union’s legislation on recognizing emissions resulting from wetlands. Arthur Neher, Wetlands International Francisco Rilla, Ramsar Convention Secretariat Alfred Okot Okidi, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda Lisa Schindler Murray, TNC Moderator John Matthews, AGWA Participants during the event CONTACT Monika Zimmermann | monika.zimmermann.cop24@online.de MORE INFORMATION www.german-climate-pavilion.de/ www.bmz.de/en/cop24 Because the Ocean: Incorporating the Ocean in NDCs Presented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile, Prince Albert II de Monaco Foundation, Tara Expéditions, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), Ocean Conservancy, Ocean Climate and World Resources Institute Amb. Peter Thomson, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean Sylvie Goyet, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, moderated the event, reminding participants that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) will be approved in Monaco in 2019. In a keynote address, Amb. Peter Thomson, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, underscored the importance of addressing sewage, which has connections to coastal ecosystems. Stating that it is naïve to talk about Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) (life below water) in isolation, without linking it to climate change and all the other SDGs, he stressed the need to ensure action on land-based sources of ocean pollution, calling for urgent “Source to Sea” actions, including building sewage lines to promote sanitation. He urged bridging the disconnect between the project financiers and information about ocean-related projects. He said there will be a second Ocean Conference in Lisbon in June 2020. Juan Angulo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile, noted that his country is active in international processes related to the ocean, including negotiations on biodiversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ), and reiterated Chile’s commitment to enhancing the interlinkages between oceans and climate change. Underscoring the need to strengthen the science-policy interface, he underlined the importance of policymakers using the best possible science to address climate change and oceans issues. Teresa Solana Méndez de Vigo, Office for Climate Change, Spain, announced the European Regional Workshop on the “Because the Ocean” initiative in April 2019, reiterating her country’s support for the initiative since COP 21 in 2015. Noting that this will be the last regional meeting before the release of the SROCC, she noted that the workshop will also feature a high-level segment. Thérèse Coffey, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK, highlighted the UK’s support for the protection of mangroves, or “Blue Forests,” and spoke about the UK’s Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership, which reports on climate change in marine areas. She noted that the UK is on track to create even more marine protected areas, highlighting ongoing discussions to protect 30% of the world’s marine areas by 2020. Nilesh Prakash, Ministry of Economy, Fiji, reiterated the importance of the Ocean Pathway Partnership to large ocean states, and announced an upcoming workshop on incorporating oceans in Nationally Determined Contributions in Suva, Fiji, in 2019. Susan Ruffo, Ocean Conservancy, noted the important role of the Because the Ocean initiative in making the Paris implementation guidelines ocean-friendly. Loreley Picourt, Ocean and Climate Platform, announced the launch of a report on the Decade of Ocean Science that will take place during Ocean Actions Day on Saturday, 8 December 2018, and that the Tara vessel will be in Monaco for the launch of the IPCC Report. Biliana Cicin-Sain, Global Ocean Forum, reported the completion of the second annual progress report on oceans and climate, which calls for urgent action on climate to ensure the world meets the 1.5ºC target. L-R: Juan Angulo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile; Teresa Solana Mendez de Vigo, Office for Climate Change, Spain; Amb. Peter Thomson, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean; Thérèse Coffey, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK; and Nilesh Prakash, Ministry of Economy, Fiji Juan Angulo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile Thérèse Coffey, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK Biliana Cicin-Sain, Global Ocean Forum Moderator Sylvie Goyet, Secretariat of the Pacific Community Susan Ruffo, Ocean Conservancy, and Remi Parmentier, the Varda Group Loreley Picourt, Ocean and Climate Platform Participants listen to panelists CONTACT Remi Parmentier, The Varda Group | remi@vardagroup.org MORE INFORMATION https://www.becausetheocean.org/the-initiative/ Collective Intelligence Processes and Data for the Common Good in Climate Change Mitigation Presented by GreenGoWeb in collaboration with International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) This event, moderated by Katie Sullivan, Managing Director, IETA, discussed collective engineering strategies to unleash collective intelligence and to gather data in communities. The session also examined the ways data is transformed into information that can be used to develop services for governments or non-stakeholder organizations. During the event, participants explored “Data 4 Good” and exchanged views on how co-construction leads to collective intelligence processes that provide insights for projects and to which business models can be applied. Marie-Laure Burgener, GreenGoWeb, said that bottom-up data is important, as it enables understanding of what decisions people make for sustainability. She noted that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally would be hampered by missing the data of millions of people who are excluded from national censuses. This, she emphasized, means that it is impossible to understand their current living conditions and is therefore difficult to deliver services that support the eradication of poverty, improve education and fulfill other SDGs. Burgener showed how the principles of gamification could be used to collect data through phone apps, for example, and noted that hackathons, where stakeholders gather with data experts, are key in bringing together interest groups to discuss ways of solving challenges using data. She gave examples of hackathons held in the Pacific to develop ways to link small-scale producers to shipping facilities for their goods. She further highlighted ways in which data can be used as a bridge between citizens and UN processes, allowing people to access data on air quality, for example. Moderator Sullivan asked questions about: complementarities with artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain in the context of addressing the SDGs, climate change, and other fora; concrete examples from the hackathon; and who invests in these kinds of platforms. Burgener said that blockchain helps increase transparency, while AI can increase the speed of data processing, contributing to improved responses to climate change and natural disasters. Citing the example of a gender equality project on why female entrepreneurs raise less money than male entrepreneurs, she highlighted the challenge of missing data, including on poverty and climate change, to generate appropriate, informed decisions by governments and potential project funders. In the ensuing discussion, participants discussed: the issues of security and privacy; opportunities for multi-stakeholder collaboration; and the need for fundraising vs. “steward-ownership.” L-R: Marie-Laure Burgener, Founder and CEO, GreenGoWeb, and moderator Katie Sullivan, Managing Director, IETA Marie-Laure Burgener, GreenGoWeb Moderator Katie Sullivan, Managing Director, IETA Mary Stewart, Sustainable Business Australia Participants at the IETA Hub CONTACT Marie-Laure Burgener, GreenGoWeb | marla@GreenGoWeb.com MORE INFORMATION http://www.greengoweb.com/ Around the Venue

The following events were covered by IISD Reporting Services on Thursday, 6 December 2018: Climate Resilient Development: Comprehensive Climate Risk Management Strategies to Secure Livelihoods for All Can CCS Help Poland and Similar Countries to Decarbonize Industry? Innovative Energy Systems for Refugee Settlements Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz / Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Climate Resilient Development: Comprehensive Climate Risk Management Strategies to Secure Livelihoods for All Presented by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Family photo at the end of the event The side event discussed the use of synergies between comprehensive risk management (CRM) and disaster risk management (DRM) to ensure a smart mix of implementation instruments to cover the full range of potential risks to sustainable development and secure livelihoods. Pablo Suarez, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, moderated the event. Frank Fass-Metz, BMZ, noted that progress on mitigating the impacts of climate change is essential, especially for the vulnerable populations of small island states. He also stressed the importance of providing support for CRM and climate risk financing in line with the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Nasry Asfura, Mayor of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and ICLEI Regional Committee, highlighted Tegucigalpa’s commitment to reducing emissions and stressed the need for politicians to change their attitudes and understand their commitment towards future generations. He also stressed that donor funds need to be invested in the best way possible to help vulnerable groups. Debra Roberts, Co-Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability), noted that the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15) stresses the importance of redirecting financial flows to manage risk effectively. She also stressed the need for new governance patterns, ensuring local governments, youth and indigenous communities have a voice in the process. Tania Osejo Carrillo, World Food Programme (WFP), underscored the need for scientists and policymakers to speak the same language when dealing with the issues of climate change and food security. Michael Mullan, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), noted that climate-resilient infrastructure takes into account risks associated with climate change. He also highlighted that the benefits deriving from adaptation are tangible for people, such as increased reliability of service provision, stressing the challenge of turning these benefits into a funding stream. Anne Hammill, Director, National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, stressed that the main challenge of creating integrated national planning processes is the identification of priorities for action when knowledge and efforts of different sectors are brought together. In the ensuing discussion, participants replied to questions regarding the role of institutional arrangements in linking climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, the transparent management of funds by politicians responding to long-term challenges, and the inclusion of the private sector. L-R: Anne Hammill, Director, NAP Global Network; Tania Osejo Carrillo, WFP; Frank Fass-Metz, BMZ; Nasry Asfura, Mayor of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and ICLEI Regional Committee; and Michael Mullan, OECD Moderator Pablo Suarez, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre Frank Fass-Metz, BMZ Tania Osejo Carrillo, WFP Nasry Asfura, Mayor of Tegucigalpa, Honduras and ICLEI Regional Committee Anne Hammill, Director, NAP Global Network Michael Mullan, OECD Participants listen to panelists CONTACT Monika Zimmermann, BMZ | monika.zimmermann.cop24@online.de MORE INFORMATION www.german-climate-pavilion.de/ www.bmz.de/en/cop24 Can CCS Help Poland and Similar Countries to Decarbonize Industry? Presented by the University of Texas, in collaboration with Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), International CCS Knowledge Centre (ICKC), Bellona, and IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEAGHG) This side event highlighted developments on the issue of carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a mitigation option for industry. Moderator Tim Dixon, IEAGHG, opened the event. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Vice-Chair Thelma Krug noted that according to the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, renewables will account for 49-67% of the global energy mix by 2050, with coal reduced to 1-7%, stressing that a large fraction of this coal use will be combined with CCS. Manuela Ojan, HeidelbergCement, noted that her company has a target to reduce by 30% CO2 emissions in cement production by 2030. She stressed that while use of alternative fuels and thermal efficiency are required to meet the 2°C scenario, innovative technologies such as CCS are key in this regard, and pointed to the importance of enhancing funding for research on Carbon Capture and optimizing related energy consumption. Mike Monea, ICKC, said his organization is advancing CCS around the world, noting that the next generation plant developed by ICKC can contribute to reducing the cost of capture and create value by capturing 95% of CO2 produced. Calling for more optimistic messaging from climate meetings, Brian Kohler, IndustriALL Global Union, outlined that, in light of job losses forecasted for coal and oil and gas workers, a just transition would be best achieved by greening existing industries to ensure that workers are not left behind in the transition to low carbon economies. Stressing the urgency of action to operationalize CCS technologies, Jonas Helseth, Bellona and European Union Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP), described ZEP’s work in supporting the European Commission on the research, demonstration and deployment of CCS. Katherine Romanak, University of Texas, noted that, in order to understand how CCS can fit into sustainable development in developing countries, the Gulf Coast Carbon Center explores the safest sites for carbon storage, highlighting the need to accelerate the sharing of lessons learned with developing countries. Andrew Jupiter, University of the West Indies, said that more than 80% of overall carbon emissions from petrochemicals are from methanol and ammonia, and reported that the main concerns of CCS in Trinidad and Tobago involve public perception and costs. Mark Field, Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK, stressed the need to transition to low carbon economies by reducing the world’s appetite for carbon and removing it from the supply chain, while ensuring communities do not bear an undue burden. He underscored that CCS should be viewed as an opportunity for innovation and employment creation as countries transition to low-carbon economies. In the ensuing discussion, participants considered, inter alia: the effect of carbon pricing schemes on industry; the need for optimistic messaging from climate meetings, to prevent social upheaval such as the Yellow Vest protests in France in 2018; and the need to incorporate the cost of carbon into cement products. One participant also stressed that, until developing countries see the positive effects of CCS, including employment creation, it will be difficult to get them on board. L-R: Thelma Krug, IPCC Vice-Chair; Tim Dixon, IEAGHG; Jonas Helseth, Bellona and ZEP; Manuela Ojan, HeidelbergCement; Mike Monea, ICKC; Brian Kohler, IndustriALL; David Jupiter, University of the West Indies; Katherine Romanak, UT Jonas Helseth, Bellona and ZEP Mike Monea, ICKC David Jupiter, University of the West Indies Katherine Romanak, University of Texas Mark Field, UK A participant takes a photo during the event Mark Field, United Kingdom CONTACT Katherine Romanak, ICDF | katherine.romanak@beg.utexas.edu MORE INFORMATION https://ieaghg.org/ http://www.beg.utexas.edu/gccc Innovative Energy Systems for Refugee Settlements Presented by the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) L-R: Moderator Dean Cooper, SNV; Arturo Gianvenuti, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO); and Thomas Fohgrub, UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) This event aimed to find lasting solutions to clean energy access for refugees. Moderator Dean Cooper, SNV, opened the event by highlighting that: the current level of displacement is the highest on record; due to the lack of energy access, 20,000 forcibly displaced people die prematurely each year from a lack of indoor heating; and annual displaced populations cause about 65,700 acres of deforestation per year. Thomas Fohgrub, UNITAR, highlighted that 90% of refugees lack electricity access and that 80% rely on fossil fuels for cooking. He outlined five key challenges to providing energy access to refugees: energy not prioritized in the humanitarian system; displaced people usually located far from national grids and energy access agendas; underfunded energy in displacement settings; high humanitarian staff turnover; and limited data and expertise on humanitarian energy needs. Speaking via video link, Arturo Gianvenuti, FAO, said that the demand for energy in refugee settlements is significant, and that the need for cooking fuel increases the rate of forest loss and degradation in settlement areas. He outlined FAO’s responses to these problems, including: promoting alternative energy sources to reduce pressure on the surrounding environment; and creating dedicated woodlots, managed through sustainable agroforestry practices. He noted that long-term affordability and availability are concerns for energy demand, and underlined the importance of including local stakeholders, authorities and communities in finding solutions. In a video address, Sixtus Odumbe, SNV Kenya, showcased the introduction of market-based interventions in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. He reported that the intervention aimed to provide sustainable, market-based access to clean stoves and solar energy, reducing indoor pollution and allowing increased access to electricity in situations where both lighting and cooking fuel are often generated by polluting or unsustainable sources. Cooper then moderated an audience discussion aimed at feeding into SNV’s liaison with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Participants considered: the importance of  partnerships; the importance of bringing in private financing, especially when refugees are able to work; how camps are heterogenous and defy one-size-fits-all approaches; links between energy and food and water; how interventions in refugee camps connect with surrounding landscapes and communities; and the importance of recognizing existing solutions and avoiding reinventing the wheel. Sixtus Odumbe, SNV Kenya Participants watched a video during Sixtus Odumbe’s address Alan Leslie Nicol, CGIAR Kumar Abhishek, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy System Peter Akkerman, the Netherlands Allison Felix Hughes, Liberia Participants during the discussion CONTACT Dean Cooper, SNV | dcooper@snv.org MORE INFORMATION http://www.snv.org/ Around the Venue