Powering Peace

Over two dozen countries — primarily in Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Asia and home to over 850 million people — are classified as fragile states, as vulnerable to climate change, and as lacking access to electricity. Often, the UN is engaged in these countries to promote peace and prevent conflict, as well as to lead on humanitarian responses. This important work could be strengthened with more effective sources of energy in remote locations, and, in turn, leveraging the UN presence for sustainable peace. UN missions need alternatives to inefficient diesel generators – to serve their own needs, to benefit the communities they support, and to encourage energy access and align with climate goals.

Powering Peace, a project of the Stimson Center and Energy Peace Partners, was created to identify opportunities for renewable energy within UN field missions and to address the links to longer-term goals in fragile states. Powering Peace works to modernize peace operations and foster new clean energy investment as a form of peacebuilding. We seek to facilitate a shift toward clean energy throughout the UN system, and with it, improved security and safety, long-term cost savings, efficiency, and introduction of energy infrastructure to areas most in need.