Foreword

Energy plays a critical role in sustainable human development. It impacts on poverty, population, health, the environment, investment in industrial and agricultural development, foreign exchange and even security; it also has a strong gender implication. Policies aimed at providing energy services in a sustainable manner open doors to the achievement of a wide array of other development goals.

However, the manner in which the world currently produces and consumes energy is unsustainable. Furthermore, in the light of rapidly expanding world populations, the need for countries to follow sustainable development paths is becoming more and more urgent. Improving sustainability means improving the efficiency of energy production and end-use, identifying new and renewable sources of energy, and using existing sources of energy in a cleaner way. A key challenge is to incorporate strategies to limit the potential negative impact of human activity on the global climate.

Recognaising these issues, national governments, bilateral cooperation agencies, and international development institutions have made efforts to promote the provision of energy services in ways which contribute to sustainable development. However, a number of barriers continue to limit the adoption of existing options. Building on the 1997 UNDP publication, Energy after Rio: Prospects and Challenges, the present report analyses the energy situation of two particular country groupings of global interest, Sub-Saharan Africa and ACP Small Island Developing States. It goes on to identify the actions required by different role-players to increase the adoption of sustainable energy options in these two groups.

This publication is the result of a joint EC/UNDP initiative which aims to intensify the global dialogue on sustainable energy issues and to provide a basis for future concrete cooperation activities. It is the intention of the report to support developing countries in implementing more effectively the objectives of Agenda 21, and to contribute to the follow up to the Rio Earth Summit and the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development in preparation for its 9th Session in 2001. Coming at a critical time in the work of the European Commission, with the ongoing negotiation of a new framework development agreement to replace LomV, the report is an important contribution to the global debate on sustainable development strategies.