23 January 2012: Practical Action, with support from GIZ, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and others, has launched a report titled “Poor People’s Energy Outlook (PPEO) 2012: Energy for Earning a Living,” which seeks to catalyze a “movement for change on energy access,” and provide a source of information to support it. The PPEO argues that, where poor people have access to sustainable energy to develop either large or small enterprise, the poverty cycle can be broken.

In order for sustainable energy to play a role in addressing poverty, the Outlook calls on: governments to set national targets for universal energy access by 2030; donors to increase investment in energy access; civil society in developing countries to, inter alia, create awareness of the benefits of energy access on health and development amongst communities; the private sector in developing countries to expand the quality and quantity of energy access products and services; and international institutions to pursue international agreement and commitment on the 2030 goal of universal access to energy.

The PPEO contains sections on energy for earning a living, people’s experience of energy, and a framework for action. Practical Action is a non-profit organization registered in the UK. [Publication: Poor People’s Energy Outlook]