- Updated June 16, 2023
The Powering Peace Initiative looks at the role of UN Peace Operations, which operate with mandates to advance a range of peacebuilding, civilian protection, and conflict resolution efforts, and how the role of renewable energy transitions in these missions can potentially help advance these other goals. The five peace operations - in Mali, Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan and Somalia – all have annual budgets of roughly $1 billion and are often the largest single electricity providers and consumers in the regions where they are deployed. As these missions begin to transition from a reliance on diesel generators to renewable energy solutions, their energy footprint and purchasing power can serve as anchor customer to jump start new projects and increased access to clean power in these fragile settings.
Patterns of underdevelopment in fragile states
Climate sensitivity, insecurity, and lack of access to reliable and sufficient electricity can severely limit human development. These three factors, while not directly correlated, do have causal connections and are prevalent in fragile states. Improvement across these areas is difficult and takes time, yet increased energy access offers a concrete entry point and should be a priority in promoting and sustaining economic development.
Increased use of renewable energy can limit exposure to the war economy
Renewable energy installations controlled by the UN can limit the opportunities for violent conflict by reducing reliance on diesel provisions, and reducing its exposure to armed groups and corrupt officials. Reduced dependence on diesel supply chains to fuel electricity generation at UN peace operations can also help mitigate adverse local climate effects.
The five largest UN peace operations are at greatest risk
These operations are in countries that are at greatest risk across the climate-energy-insecurity nexus. South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Mali are among the 12 countries with the highest Powering Peace Index Scores. Transitioning to renewable energy in these five UN peace operations, which each represent a significant share of national energy production and consumption, presents a unique opportunity to reduce climate impact, diminish drivers of conflict and expand access to electricity.
Understanding the scale of the problem is an important first step. The Powering Peace Index was developed to illustrate the combined level of risk each country faces under all three of these factors: climate sensitivity, access to electricity, and insecurity.
In some cases, slight adjustments were made to the underlying source data to facilitate more meaningful assessments. More information on the sources and methods used to develop the Powering Peace Dashboard and Index Score can be found on the project’s methodology page.
The challenge posed by the confluence of these three factors is on stark display in countries hosting UN peacekeeping operations. These are places where the international community has a vested and committed interest in maintaining stability and mitigating conflict.
It’s important to understand the relationship between the three factors, as displayed in this graph below.