Executive Summary

This report, a desk review, explores the potential for United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions to collaborate with national governments and international partners to expand access to renewable energy sources in conflict-affected countries with UN peace operations. Worldwide, nations seek to expand their economic development, meet climate goals, and live in peace. In conflict-affected countries, national governments and international partners, including UN peacekeeping missions, support lasting stability by working toward political solutions and greater security. Peace operations require a significant amount of energy to deploy forces and work effectively. Missions often operate in countries affected heavily by conflict, as well as by climate change and low access to electricity — worldwide, more than 700 million people lack access to electricity.

Peacekeeping Missions and Renewable Energy Sources

In 2019, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for UN operations to shift to renewable energy, launching a new UN Secretariat Climate Action Plan (UNSCAP) to transition UN Secretariat operations to obtain 40% of their energy from renewable sources by 2025 and 80% by 2030. UN peace operations represent the bulk of the UN Secretariat’s emissions. Missions are highly reliant on diesel generators for their electricity and power supplies. The push by the United Nations to adopt more renewable energy sources reflects concrete goals: greater use of renewable energy for the missions can improve security, support their mandates, save costs, and provide an opportunity to work with host nations on development and climate goals, thus supporting a positive legacy.

The only way to meet those goals is by changing how peacekeeping missions source their electricity. Owing to the dramatic worldwide growth in renewable energy capacity, renewable energy is now an affordable option for consumers. In pushing to transition their own operations to renewable energy sources, UN peacekeeping missions have tried to establish partnerships that would support this transition in local communities. These projects have not yet moved forward, even as access to clean energy has accelerated — almost 30% of the world’s energy is now generated from renewable sources. That transition remains aspirational for the peacekeeping missions serving in conflict-affected states.

Mutual Goals, New Partners?

Given the opportunity to shift to renewable energy for UN operations, this report asks: Do host governments and other international actors share the ambition to expand access to renewable energy? In asking this question, this inquiry explores whether access to energy is already part of efforts to meet the goals of sustainable development, climate, and peacebuilding and if so, where partnerships exist with the UN missions to meet these goals.

To start, this study considers whether host governments and international actors have stated a shared goal for developing greater access to renewable energy sources, focusing on the Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and South Sudan. These countries host UN peacekeeping missions and are nations where electricity access is significantly limited. This report considers potential partners such as national governments, UN Country Teams (UNCTs), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the United States government, and the European Union’s (EU’s) International Partnerships, and what all these partners identify as priorities pertaining to renewable energy access. Those goals may stem from seeking peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, and economic development, as well as supporting humanitarian efforts. The authors of this study explore whether expanding renewable electricity access is cited as meeting core goals of the host nation or aligning with the organization’s stated priorities. In doing so, the authors developed energy scorecards that summarize relevant data and facilitate comparisons across organizations and countries — and thus provide the potential to identify partnerships that can be a force for change.

Findings: Strategic Alignment

The comparison here finds that the national governments of CAR, DRC, and South Sudan prioritize expansion of renewable energy access. The UN Country Teams vary in prioritizing support for national renewable energy goals and do not cite UN peacekeeping mission transitions or purchasing power as an opportunity to support national renewable energy goals. The UNDP broadly supports national renewable energy goals and provides financial, technical, and legal support for general energy sector development. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. State Department support renewable energy goals in DRC, but they do not prioritize them in CAR or South Sudan. The EU’s International Partnerships for development cooperation include ongoing or planned initiatives to support specific renewable energy development projects in CAR, DRC, and South Sudan.

Country-Specific Findings

• Central African Republic: The national government, United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), UNDP, and the EU emphasize renewable energy access. The UNCT and U.S. agencies, however, prioritize other areas such as humanitarian concerns, peace, and climate change without focusing on renewable energy.
• Democratic Republic of the Congo: The national government, United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), UNDP, U.S. agencies, and the EU all prioritize renewable energy. The UNCT, however, does not.
• South Sudan: The national government, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), UNCT, and the EU prioritize renewable energy access, while UNDP and U.S. agencies focus more on peace, security, and economic development, with limited attention to renewable energy.

Comparative Findings Across Three Countries

• Consistent National Goals: All three countries have national strategic frameworks for expanding access to renewable energy sources.
• UN Peacekeeping Operations: A gradual shift toward renewable electricity is occurring within peacekeeping operations; current use remains low at around 7%. Initiatives to support local renewable energy access are emerging but have not yet been fully realized. Efforts by peace operations are under way to create partnerships to support a transition to renewable energy for local communities, but these projects have not moved forward.
• UN Country Teams: Support for renewable energy goals varies among these teams and is inconsistently aligned with national priorities. UNCTs do not cite UN peacekeeping mission transitions or UN purchasing power as an opportunity to support national renewable energy goals.
• UN Development Programme: The UNDP focuses on general energy sector development and supports national renewable energy goals, though specific initiatives vary by country. The UNDP views renewable energy access as linked to climate goals and as a lever for development.
• U.S. Agencies: Support for access to renewable energy sources is inconsistent, with a stronger focus in the DRC compared to CAR and South Sudan.
• European Union: The EU engages in renewable energy projects across all three countries, with varying focus areas such as rural electrification, hydropower, and support for specific sectors.

These alignments suggest a fertile ground for collaboration to advance development, climate, and peace objectives. This potential for partnerships among UN missions and other UN organizations, national governments (including host nations), international actors and other entities is underutilized, however. Given the benchmarks in each country, this inquiry is also time-sensitive, and should accelerate to link potential partners to support access to renewable energy sources in fragile states. Further evaluation is needed to determine whether the stated goals, initiatives, and aspirations pertaining to renewable energy access could lead or have led to progress in the field and the potential for additional partnerships.

Recommendations to Expand Partnerships, Renewable Energy Access

Given the strategic alignment in the CAR, DRC, and South Sudan for expanding access to renewable energy sources, an opportunity exists to accelerate the transition to renewable energy — provided that effective partnerships are formed. The authors of this report make six recommendations:

• Bridge National and UN Entities Works: Strengthen collaboration among national governments, UN peacekeeping missions, UNCTs, and UNDP to boost renewable energy access (which will also meet development, peace, and climate goals). Despite mutual goals, there is little to indicate that host governments, the UNCTs, and the UNDP recognize peacekeeping missions as potential partners to catalyze development/use purchasing power.
• Build on UN Peacekeeping Role: Leverage the purchasing power of UN peacekeeping missions to support national renewable energy goals, while encouraging other UN entities to take a more active role. While UN missions are more able to support renewable energy and replace diesel with alternatives, national governments do not necessarily recognize their potential as partners to expand demand. Moreover, other UN entities, including the UNCT and UNDP, apparently do not perceive UN peacekeeping mission transitions or UN purchasing power as opportunities to strengthen their own work to support national renewable energy goals, or more broadly, specific development, peace, and climate goals.
• Strengthen UN Transition Planning: Integrate renewable energy goals into the transition planning of UN peace operations, especially in the DRC and CAR. This will enable national governments to prepare a long-term strategy for using and maintaining the energy infrastructure that is installed. With the missions in DRC and CAR currently planning their transitions, this is the time to evaluate how the missions are including energy goals in the handoffs to the nation.
• Align EU and U.S. Efforts: Encourage better alignment of EU and U.S. projects with national and UN renewable energy priorities, particularly in CAR and South Sudan. Identify obstacles that may impede progress.
• Evaluate Real Actions: Conduct evaluations to ensure that stated renewable energy goals are leading to tangible progress and partnerships.
• Recognize Additional Partners: Identify and engage other potential partners — including international financial institutions, humanitarian actors, and private sector players — to expand access to renewable energy. Evaluation of whether the stated objectives for access to renewable energy sources have led to progress in the field is needed, as is exploration of additional partnerships.

Future Research

This report aims to identify areas where renewable energy access in conflict-affected countries could be accelerated and invites further input and collaboration. What is the best approach to align national goals, UN peacekeeping mission funding leverage, and potential international partners to support accelerated access to renewable energy in fragile states? What will accelerate potential partnerships in the short term? Next steps for research and engagement could include:

• Assess in the field. From this review, assess the actual on-the-ground collaborations in CAR, DRC, and South Sudan and how the UNDP and UNCT are coordinating to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pertaining to energy, climate, and peace.
• Consider other actors. Examine the role of additional UN programs and international financial institutions in supporting renewable energy access, such as the World Bank, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), African Development Bank, and UN Environmental Programme. Explore the potential of national plans and IRENA’s Renewable Readiness Assessments.
• Review climate finance, other partners. Investigate climate finance availability and mechanisms for fragile states, including financial support. Consider what other funding and support from development, NGO, and private sector actors are available to support national goals.
• Align timelines. Given the UNSCAP’s goals, consider accelerated timelines for UN missions and renewable energy projects. Do UN missions view expanded access to local renewable energy as part of their positive legacy? Under what conditions would renewable energy projects developed by or for the UN missions be viable sources of energy for local communities over time?
• Use report framework. Apply this assessment framework to other country settings with UN field missions. If useful, this framework could be used to assess potential partnerships in other country settings where UN field missions are deployed.

This report aims to help jumpstart these next steps, to support progress, as well as to spur insights, corrections, and comments from the entities considered here. The authors appreciate inquiries and efforts to move collaboration forward and accelerate the United Nations transition to renewable energy sources.