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Greetings from ACCESS!
It has been a while since you've heard from us. In the meantime, there have been interesting developments within ACCESS and we have participated in some exciting events. Below is an update of our work over the past 6 months.
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ACCESS has participated in several events over the past few months. Descriptions of the events, activities, and subsequent outcomes can be found in the next section.
Secretariat: The Coalition is currently in the process of establishing a permanent Secretariat, with regional nodes in East, West, and Southern Africa. The restructuring will also include an Advisory Board and a Coordination Group to advise and guide the International coordinator. More information will be shared once the Secretariat is in place.
Learning Group: In an effort to strengthen the Knowledge and Capacity building vertical of ACCESS, and create a single node for better sharing of knowledge and enabling training around energy access issues, ACCESS, with a group of International and Regional CSOs, is in the process of designing the NGO Learning Group. The Initiative will focus on two aspects to fulfill this purpose: a knowledge function and capacity building function.
- Knowledge function: Mapping existing expertise and knowledge gaps among CSOs; Identifying and commissioning new research to bridge these gaps, Bringing together and sharing existing knowledge, best practices- learnings and failures.
- Capacity building function: The above information will also be used to create short and long- term training options where members, and other key stakeholders are able to more effectively share their expertise while also receiving training or longer-term support on issues where they lack the information and capacity.
Policy Advocacy: One of the key priorities for ACCESS is to work with members to effectively engage with the African Development Bank (AfDB). Since the AfDB CSO forum in May, ACCESS is collaborating with the larger CSO coalition and will co-lead the energy vertical. The focus will be on ensuring greater AfDB investments for energy access, including decentralized renewable energy and clean cooking solutions. Over the next few months, regional strategies will also be developed to support ACCESS members to effectively engage on the development of Country Strategy Papers and individual projects of the AfDB.
Outreach: The ACCESS Coalition website is undergoing an update that will be completed over the next few weeks. Additionally, member profiles outlining regions of operation and activities will be available on the Energypedia website, along with an overview of the ACCESS membership.
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The SEforAll forum 2018 saw a range of stakeholders coming together over 2 days (May 2nd and 3rd, 2018). ACCESS with its partners organized a Working session on ‘Last mile first: Maximizing the impact of energy access across SDGs’. More information on the session and its outcomes is available here.
In addition, ACCESS was represented on a partner session discussing ‘Unlocking finance’ to highlight the role of CSOs in supporting and building the capacity of local financiers to extend credit to end users as well as small and micro energy enterprises to enable energy access.
The Forum also witnessed the launch of the Shine Campaign of which ACCESS is a member and close collaborator.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) organized the first Civil Society Forum on the 7th and 8th of May 2018 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, ahead of the Annual meetings in Busan. Collaborating with like-minded organizations, the ACCESS coalition used this opportunity to organize the energy session at the forum and published an Energy communique, recommending DRE investments for energy access, support for productive use, active involvement of CSOs in decision making and adoption of clear and appropriate metrics to measure achievement. For more information about the Forum, follow this link.
A pre-forum strategy meeting was organized with 40 civil society representatives (CSO coalition on AfDB) to discuss the structure, impacts, challenges, and investment model of the AfDB. Smaller working groups also strategized on key issues of gender, energy access, accountability, and community participation. Specialists and bank officials were also invited to present and respond to questions.
Through the course of the forum, ACCESS was also represented at meetings with Executive Directors and key staff members from the Gender, CSO division as well as the Energy division. This provided an opportunity to introduce ACCESS and articulate the key messages of the Coalition.
The High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development took place this month (July 2018) at the UN location in New York City where 47 countries met to evaluate the progress of achieving the SDGs. With SDG7 being one of the SDGs under review this year, ACCESS issued a call-to-action (CTA) addressing the key stakeholders participating in the forum suggesting alternatives to the business as usual approaches. The CTA touched on issues including, but not limited to, investments in energy access, metrics to measure the progress of achieving SDG7, and gender-sensitive energy planning. The full CTA is available on the website, here.
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- IRENA Innovation Week 2018
- Global Climate Action Summit
- 12th - 14th September
- San Francisco, California
- More Info
- Climate Journeys: Tales of Displacement Across a Changing Planet hosted by Oxfam
- 12th September
- San Francisco, California
- More Info
- 4th International Off-Grid Renewable Energy Conference (IOREC)
- October 31st - November 1st
- Singapore
- More Info
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Head of KCCWG (ACCESS member) elected as Chairman of SEAF-Kenya
The Sustainable Energy Access Forum Kenya (SEAF-K) is a forum bringing together energy sector players in Kenya with the aim of enhancing multi-stakeholder engagement to address the various challenges encountered in the sector. More information on SEAF-K is available here: www.seafkenya.org.
On 2nd August SEAF-K held an AGM and Mr. John Kioli (who also leads the Kenya Climate Change Working Group) was elected as the SEAF-K Chairman taking over from its Former Chairman Mr Paul Mbole -Programme Manager Royal DANISH EMBASSY.
NEW MEMBERS:
The following is a list of new ACCESS members. Follow the links below the logos to learn more about the organizations.
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Energy 4 Impact, seeking Consultant for: MEI Landscaping Study – Energy Interventions in Situations of Displacement
- Deadline for applications: August 31, 2018 at midnight EAT
- Salary: payment in 3 tranches
- Full scope of work here.
CAFOD, seeking to fill the permanent position: Climate Change Policy Analyst
- Deadline for applications: September 7, 2018
- Salary: £33,316 - 34,712 per annum
- Full scope of work here.
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AfDB Electricity Regulatory Index
This publication outlines and describes the sectors of the Electricity Regulatory Index (ERI), recently developed by the AfDB. The ERI was launched as a way to identify the ongoing challenges in electricity regulation as the continent aims to achieve universal electricity access by 2025.
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The Role of Youth in Climate Change Adaptation, Report by SYND
Ghana recognizes the role of youth to the fight against climate change at a national level. This recognition was the foundation of completing a survey of youth leaders, ranging in age from 15 to 35 years, in communities representing the three main zones of the country as part of the Youth Role in Climate Change Adaptation project. The survey was executed in 2016 and the results have been compiled in this report.
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Pioneering Power, Report by Tearfund and ODI
The Pioneering Power Report highlights and explains the benefits of decentralized renewable energy, including micro-hydro and solar power systems, to improve people's health, education, gender equality, jobs, and climate change. The report also outlines some of the barriers and policy opportunities for increased investment in 5 country case studies: DRC, Nepal, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Tanzania.
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Off-Grid Industry Yearbook, from Sun-Connect
The most important and relevant articles of the year 2017 were selected for the present anthology, covering the entire spectrum of the off-grid business. The contributions do not provide a comprehensive handbook, but give suggestions, hints and tips. Some essays are also challenging, stimulate in-depth discussion or opposition.
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Blogs
Two ACCESS members located in Southern Africa have highlighted their efforts to promote and advance clean energy and gender equality. Visit our blogpage to read posts by Fahima Dassu of Renew’N’Able Malawi (RENAMA) and Gilda Monjane of Loja de Energias.
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*Note: If you would like your work or reports to be featured in future mailers and newsletters, please connect with us at coordinator@access-coalition.org
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