19 September 2014: The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) organized a policy dialogue and study tour to Indonesia for government officials from five countries to promote rural energy access through pro-poor public-private partnerships, a cooperation model dubbed the ‘5P’ approach.

Government officials from energy, development and planning ministries from Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Malaysia, Myanmar and Nepal took part in the event, which took place from 12-17 September 2014. Participants visited Indonesia’s Cinta Mekar mini-hydropower plant, which continues to be managed by the local community ten years after its establishment in 2004.

Estimating that around 628 million people in the Asia-Pacific region lack access to energy services, UNESCAP is scaling up the 5P approach in support of the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative. Rae Kwon Chung, ESCAP, said his organization is piloting the 5P model in Nepal and Lao PDR from 2012-2015. At the policy dialogue on 17 September, participants discussed strategies for strengthening energy access and energy security, and how the 5P approach could be adapted to their national circumstances.

SE4ALL is a UN global initiative that aims to: provide universal access to modern energy services; double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

At World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, the previous week, Kandeh Yumkella, UN Under-Secretary-General and head of SE4ALL, said the UN plans to raise US$120 billion to halve energy poverty through various measures, including the scaling up of green bonds. He noted that the seventh goal under the proposed sustainable development goals (SDGs) focuses on access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy services for all. [UNESCAP Press Release] [UNESCAP Event Description] [UNESCAP Webpage on Energy] [SE4ALL Website] [SE4ALL Interview with Kandeh Yumkella]