This webinar was organised with support from the European Union.

Safe Access To Fuel and Energy webinar series: Overview of Terminology, Cross-cutting Issues, Challenges and Coordination

5 September 2017 – 15.00 - 16.45 CEST

Share your feedback on the event

Speakers:

• Kathleen Callaghy, Program Associate, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
• Owen Grafham, Project Manager Energy, Environment and Resources, Chatham House
• Cristina Sonzogni, SET4food Coordinator, COOPI-Cooperazione Internazionale

Moderator:

• Andreas Thulstrup, Natural Resources Officer, FAO

More than a third of the world's population relies on traditional fuels — wood, coal, animal dung, and agricultural waste — for their energy needs, including cooking their meals, heating their homes, and lighting their communities. The challenges they face in accessing clean energy are numerous, often dangerous and unsustainable, particularly during complex emergencies and protracted crises.

Safe and sustainable access to energy is being increasingly recognized as a human right — essential for the safety, well-being, and productivity of the people the humanitarian community serves. It is also essential for social and economic development, offering opportunities for improved lives and economic progress. 

The series of webinars presents how Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) and similar initiatives address this multi-sectoral issue by working to ensure access to fuel and energy for cooking, heating, lighting, and powering for crisis-affected populations. The events also highlight the synergies and multi-stakeholder approach of these initiatives by inviting key partners to present their role and experience in addressing energy access in emergencies and protracted crises.

The first SAFE webinar presented key concepts and terms related to energy in emergencies and protracted crises, the multi-sectoral risks and challenges associated with the collection and use of traditional biomass fuels and how organizations are coordinating and working together to build resilience by responding to the energy needs of affected populations.

The webinar covers:

• The linkages between energy and food security, nutrition, environment, gender, women’s protection, health and livelihoods as well as other aspects;
• The research and pilot projects implemented through the Moving Energy Initiative led by Chatham House and DFID to help ensure safe and sustainable energy access for displaced populations;
• The inter-agency Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) Humanitarian Working Group and the Set4Food project which bring various stakeholders together in order to raise awareness, establish knowledge-sharing platforms, address energy-related challenges and identify solutions in emergencies and protracted crises.