The Access to Modern Energy (AME) programme of RVO and DCHI provides the
perfect means to get into action around Humanitarian Energy. The AME
programme enables innovation and collaboration for humanitarian organisations,
for energy experts from the private sector and development organisations, as
well as for potential supporters and investors. Following the success of
previous programmes and responding to the need for support, DCHI and RVO
are launching the second Humanitarian Accelerator Programme (HAP) for
Access to Modern Energy (AME).
Global level playing field
At the global level these issues raise high on the programming agenda with the
Global Plan of Action for Sustainable Energy Solutions in Situations of
Displacement (GPA) and the Clean Energy Challenge launched by UNHCR at the
first Global Refugee Forum in December 2019. A wealth of innovative and smart
technological solutions are available and a lot of experience is being gathered
regarding programming which aims to support the energy transition in fragile
contexts.
To spread awareness and increase experience with this theme, in 2019 DCHI and
RVO launched a pilot accelerator programme. The programme created a lot of
attention on this topic among humanitarian organisations in the Netherlands and
beyond. The programme resulted in Access to Modern Energy projects in
Uganda, Sudan, and Ethiopia implemented jointly by humanitarian and
development organisations. The programme resulted in strong partnerships, joint
learning on the tremendous potential of energy and market-based approaches in
displacement settings, participation in the Clean Energy Challenge market place,
and plans for scale-up of the pilots. Yet, humanitarian organisations expressed
the need for more support to create systemic change and integrate energy in
their work.
YEP Programmes is carried out in a public private partnership between the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands Water Partnership, the Food & Business Knowledge Platform and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.
Access To Modern Energy Programme
Access to Modern Energy is increasingly recognized as an area of humanitarian concern. If communities affected by crises go without proper access to energy, it becomes impossible for them to meet the basic needs of life. The programme enables humanitarian organisations to be the catalysts for tackling specific energy challenges, whilst opening themselves up to receiving the knowledge and business insights from energy experts and private-sector partnerships. Ultimately, the projects will provide local insights for humanitarian partnerships to enable cost efficiency and improve quality of humanitarian work.