Changes between two versions
What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text
From · plenary report· 15 Dec 2023
on EU development cooperation in support of access to energy in developing countries
To · adopted text· 17 Jan 2024
EU development cooperation in support of access to energy in developing countries
Changes to the text itself, in document order. Cover page, citations and punctuation-only edits are left out; they are under “Every difference”.
The changes · 18
Change 1
Changed:D. whereas access to energy varies greatly across developing countries; whereas 52 % of the population of sub-Saharan Africa lives without access to electricity and it is the only region in the world where the proportion of people without electricity is increasing; whereas this figure conceals deep disparities, with only 30.430,4 % of the region’s rural population, compared to 80.780,7 % of its urban population, having regular access to energy; whereas education is recognised as one of the most essential components of poverty reduction; whereas access to electricity also supports quality education, but only 47 % of schools in sub-Saharan Africa have electricity;
Change 2
Changed:M. whereas traditional cooking fuels (solid biomass, kerosene and coal) are the main contributors to carbon emissions, deforestation and climate change and represent a threat to people’s health; whereas 2.42,4 billion people worldwide rely on these fuels, resulting in around 3.73,7 million premature deaths a year, with women and children being the most affected; whereas in 2019, Africa alone recorded 700 000 deaths from household air pollution;
Change 3
Changed:P. whereas the lack of access to clean cooking increases the time women and girls spend cooking; whereas this reinforces the unequal distribution of domestic work between men and women; whereas it is estimated that access to clean cooking would give women and girls an average of 1.51,5 more hours per day, which they could dedicate to leisure and/or education;
Change 4
Changed:R. whereas the EU has a long tradition of energy cooperation in Africa; whereas the EU together with its Member States provided the vast majority of Official Development Assistance financing for SDG 7 projects in Africa, amounting to EUR 13.813,8 billion between 2014 and 2020; whereas this is still not enough and more effort needs to be made; whereas an estimated 53 % of the disbursements were in the form of loans, but this additional debt reduces these countries’ ability to invest in the SDGs, including SDG 7; whereas in 2023, 21 low-income countries in Africa are in, or are at risk of, debt distress;
14 more changes
Change 5
Changed:a)(a) conduct independent and unbiased mapping of traditional land and water use, including for temporal grazing, indigenous cultural heritage and high-value biodiversity systems, prior to the development of renewable energy projects, with a view to encouraging sustainable land-use planning and assessing the environmental and social impact;
Change 6
Changed:b)(b) seek free, prior and informed consent from the local communities, while guaranteeing their right to say no, and their rights to justice, redress and compensation or remuneration;
Change 7
Changed:c)(c) define environmental and social criteria and responsible business practices in line with international regulatory frameworks and ensure their compliance through mechanisms for oversight and grievance;
Change 8
Changed:d)(d) ensure the protection of climate activists;
Change 9
Changed:e)(e) facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practices between developing countries and regions that have successfully managed land-use conflicts related to energy projects;
Change 10
Changed:a)(a) direct investments into the distribution segment, in particular rural electrification, and to prioritise decentralised, small-scale and off-grid renewable energy systems when such solutions are more appropriate than grid extension for enabling rural populations to access electricity;
Change 11
Changed:b)(b) coordinate investments among different institutions to maximise the impact and avoid the duplication of efforts;
Change 12
Changed:c)(c) ensure that independent and unbiased human rights impact assessments are carried out and that all required governance, social and environmental safeguards and remedies are duly implemented and monitored, including the human rights and land tenure guidelines;
Change 13
Changed:d)(d) ensure that local communities are included and properly informed throughout the entire project planning and delivery phases;
Change 14
Changed:e)(e) implement and strictly apply the rights-based approach, providing effective complaint and redress mechanisms, in compliance with international standards of responsible business practices, and requiring impact studies for projects, particularly with regard to climate change, inequalities and the displacement of local populations, including in projects under the Global Gateway initiative;
Change 15
Changed:f)(f) ensure that any dam projects with approved financing respect the World Commission on Dams’ guidelines;
Change 16
Changed:g)(g) support local and regional electricity interconnection projects;
Change 17
Changed:h)(h) offer technical support and capacity-building initiatives to empower developing countries to implement clean energy projects effectively;
Change 18
Changed:58. Welcomes the 2023conclusions COP28of Presidencythe programme2023 priorities,COP28, which are tocall, fast-trackfor the energyfirst time in history, for a transition away from fossil fuels and make a clear commitment to phasethe out1.5 greenhousedegree gastarget, emissionsto taking action towards achieving, at a global scale, a tripling of renewable energy capacity and a doubling of energy efficiency improvements by 20302030, and to globally promotepromoting a people-centred approach to climate finance and energy infrastructure projects;