The Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership aims to help countries in the region transition from using fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change.
- The partnership aims to support sustainable energy transition in Southeast Asia while helping to create socio-economic opportunities.
- It will initially focus on Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam – countries with significant coal consumption.
- UNOPS is the fund manager and supports the partnership’s secretariat.
A group of governmental and philanthropic donors has launched the new Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership, which aims to support sustainable energy transition in Southeast Asia while helping to create socio-economic opportunities.
UNOPS is the fund manager and supports the partnership’s secretariat.
“I commend the donors of this partnership for establishing a new and forward-looking, dynamic and agile platform to support Southeast Asia in its efforts to achieve climate and sustainable development goals,” said Samina Kadwani, UNOPS Director in Thailand, which is also responsible for Indonesia and the Pacific.
The partnership will work with governments and philanthropic organizations to encourage the integration of renewable energy into the energy mix for Southeast Asia. It will initially focus on Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam – countries with significant coal consumption.
This is a key step in meeting the rapidly growing demand for energy in the region. Southeast Asia’s economic growth has generated new opportunities, raising the standard of living for many across the region. However, growth has largely been fueled by an enormous increase in the use of fossil fuels, leading to steeply rising greenhouse gas emissions, persistent environmental pollution, increased local health risks and heightened climate vulnerabilities worldwide.
“The Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership is a bold initiative at a crucial time. It will provide policymakers in Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines with the evidence and expertise required for the first step to net zero: the clean energy transition. This transition will bring green jobs, cheaper electricity and cleaner air to Southeast Asia,” said Kate Hampton, CEO Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
The partnership will work to boost leadership in and financing for energy transition in Southeast Asia by providing financial support for technical assistance projects aligned with ongoing programmes in the region. It will also encourage dialogue and help expand knowledge to support the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
“The innovative approach of the Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership can make a real difference. Its members’ funds and projects are pooled and aligned, thus maximizing their effect. We highly value the partnership’s contribution as a forum for exchange and coordination with engaged stakeholders. For these reasons, we have supported the partnership as a founding member from the very start,” said Svenja Schulze, German Federal Minister of Environment.
“By gathering diverse stakeholders willing to collectively support Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines to unlock their potential of renewable energy, this coalition also builds on the Finance in Common Summit and fosters partnership-oriented initiatives to scale-up green finance,” said Rémy Rioux, CEO Agence Française de Développement.
ENDS
Notes to the editors:
Press contact details:
For media inquiries and to arrange interviews, please contact:
- Sirpa Jarvenpaa – Director Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership
Email: sirpaj@unops.org Mobile: +66 22 881 1965
Members of the Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership:
Agence Française de Développement; Bloomberg Philanthropies; Canada’s Department of Environment and Climate Change; the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation; Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety; the High Tide Foundation; and the United Kingdom’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
About UNOPS
UNOPS mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. We help the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, and deliver sustainable infrastructure and procurement in an efficient way. Read more: www.unops.org
About AFD:
The Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD) is a public institution that implements France’s policy in the areas of development and international solidarity: climate, biodiversity, peace, education, town planning, health, governance, etc. Our teams are actively involved in more than 4,000 projects with a high social and environmental impact in the French Overseas Departments and Territories and in 115 countries. We thus contribute to the commitment of France and the French people to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read more: www.afd.fr
About CIFF:
The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation is an independent philanthropic organisation with offices in Addis Ababa, Beijing, London, Nairobi and New Delhi. CIFF works with a wide range of partners seeking to transform the lives of children in developing countries, with the ultimate goal of solving seemingly intractable challenges to ensure all children have the chance to survive and thrive. CIFF aims to play a catalytic role as a funder and influencer to drive urgent and systemic change at scale. CIFF’s climate portfolio is driven by a vision of a climate-safe future for today’s children and future generations that also bear the benefits of cleaner air, energy security and sustainable jobs. Read more: www.ciff.org.
Source: RealWire