The 25th edition of the climate conference, known as COP25 will be held under the Presidency of the Government of Chile in Madrid from 2 to 13 December. The conference is designed to take the next crucial steps in the UN climate change process. Following agreement on the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement at COP 24 in Poland last year, a key objective is to complete several matters with respect to the full operationalization of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

As in previous years, Hivos will visit the COP to call for inclusive climate action that puts people at the center. Our focus this year is on increasing political momentum and investments in clean cooking for climate, health and development.

Clean cooking for climate, health and development

Energy is inextricably linked to public health and climate change. Over 3 billion people around the world still rely on polluting fuels and technology combinations to meet their basic daily energy needs for cooking, heating and lighting putting them at increased risk for disease and injury. Almost 4 million deaths per year are attributed to household air pollution from cooking alone, the majority of which are among women and children, who mostly carry the burden of fuelwood collection and are exposed to health issues linked to cooking with unsafe fuels and technologies. Black carbon emissions from cooking also contribute to short-lived climate pollutants whose reduction can improve air quality rapidly and help slow the rate of near-term climate change.

A key outcome of the review of SDG7 was the need to prioritize clean cooking, which has not received the attention it deserves from policy-makers. It lags well behind the rate of electrification in almost every country, despite the smaller costs needed to ensure clean cooking solutions for all, compared to electrification.

In response, WHO, UNDP, UN DESA and World Bank along with other key stakeholders, such as Hivos, are currently building a mechanism for strengthening the political and technical cooperation among health and energy actors through the establishment of a multi-stakeholder Health and Energy Platform of Action (HEPA). The long-term vision of the Global Platform is to improve the health and livelihoods of the poorest populations though the adoption of clean and sustainable energy, which is critical to maximizing health and social benefits of the clean energy transition set forth by the SDG 7. This Platform has already gained high-level and technical support by different actors, including the Director-General of WHO, other UN agencies and Member States.

Apart from the HEPA, the World Bank launched the Clean Cooking Fund during the high-level event on the energy transition track of the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit. Moreover, progress towards mobilizing a High-Level Coalition of Leaders for Clean Cooking, Energy and Health is made.

Hivos at COP25

To put clean cooking firmly on the agenda, Hivos is organizing, together with ENERGIA, WHO, UNDP, UN DESA, World Bank and others a session called:

Cooking for Climate: Scaling up clean cooking for climate, health and development

Thursday 12 December 2019, 11:00-12:30, SDG Blue Pavilion

Session description

An overview of the health, social and climate benefits associated with access to clean cooking will be presented to ‘set the scene’ for discussion. Included in this presentation will be a description of how different stakeholders in the health and energy community will work more closely together through the newly formed Health and Energy Platform of Action to improve health and livelihoods through the adoption of clean energy. Following the presentation, the session will transition into an interactive moderated discussion with panelist on how the progress towards building cooperation among different sectors, creating an enabling policy environment, and scaling up investment. The panel consists of a diverse set of actors representing government, non-governmental organizations, private sector, and technical experts working on energy access, clean cooking, climate change and public health. The session is for a general audience to increase awareness on clean cooking and has a policy focus.

Tentative program

Introduction of the session: Under-Secretary General Liu Zhenmin

Panel discussion with panelists:

• Carola van Rijnsoever – Ambassador for sustainable development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands
• Eng. Isaac Kiva – Secretary of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy, Kenya
• Heather Adair-Rohani – Team Leader, Household Energy and Health, WHO
• Rohit Khanna –  Practice Manager, Energy Climate Finance & Energy Sector Management. World Bank
• Katie Pogue – Manager, Environment & Climate, The Clean Cooking Alliance

Her Excellency Mrs. Hajia Samira Bawumia, The Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana and Global Ambassador for the Clean Cooking Alliance will take care of the closing remarks.

The session will be moderated by Sheila Oparaocha, ENERGIA International Coordinator and Programme Manager

For more information on the COP25 please visit the website of UNFCCC.