OPEC funds renewables to reduce poverty in western Asia
VIENNA, Austria, 2004-11-17 Refocus Weekly
A project funded by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will integrate renewable energy resources into the life pattern of poor rural communities.
The OPEC Fund for International Development has signed a grant agreement with
the United Nations Economic & Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA)
to launch a project on ‘Dissemination of Renewable Energy Services to Rural
Areas in UNESCWA member countries.’ The OPEC Fund will extend US$100,000 to
the UN commission based in Washington.
The ESCWA region comprises Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman,
Palestine, Qatar, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, which contains
“significant but unutilized” resources of renewables, says OPEC. The grant
will co-finance awareness campaigns to support local efforts in widening access
to affordable energy services among rural communities.
The four-year project was initiated by ESCWA in 2002, in response to the World
Summit on Sustainable Development’s anti-poverty and sustainable development
Action Plan. By integrating renewables into poor rural communities, it will
enhance development opportunities and protect the environment, say background
documents.
The OPEC grant will also back activities to boost job creation in ESCWA member
countries, with investment from the private sector in manufacturing and
marketing activities. These would benefit rural women and help with the
maintenance of renewable energy equipment.
The OPEC Fund for International Development is a multilateral development
finance institution established in 1976 by member countries of OPEC. The aim of
the Fund is to promote cooperation between OPEC members and other developing
countries as an expression of south-south solidarity and to help the poorer,
low-income countries in pursuit of their social and economic advancement.
The Fund's resources consist of voluntary contributions made by OPEC countries,
which now total US$3.4 billion, with cumulative assistance at $7.2 billion. All
developing countries, with the exception of OPEC members, are eligible for
assistance, and 111 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the
Middle East and Europe have received financial assistance from the Fund.
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