Major Group: NGOs
Intervention from Gunnar Boye Olesen, International Network for Sustainable Energy on
behalf of NGOs, 5/5-06, session 10-1 on ?Enhancing means of implementation through subregional,
regional, and international cooperation.?
We agree with the panellists about the need for international cooperation on a number of topics. We
also recognise that there are many good examples of existing international cooperation, that can be
expanded.
I think, however, that this is the right time to point out that not all international cooperation is
helpful for the development on the ground. When IAEA is assisting a small development country
with an energy strategy and come up with a proposal for nuclear power plant, this is not helpful for
the country, nor for the world.
Also recommendations from international institutions can be over-simplistic, as we have seen with
the many recommendations for privatisation of energy sector infrastructure. Too often the resulting
privatisations have neither lead to better access to energy for the poor, nor to sustainable
development.
Furthermore we are concerned with the many unsustainable projects that have received international
support in the fields of large hydropower, fossil fuels, and nuclear power. We hope that these
projects will be something of the past, and that we can continue from here without more of these
unsustainable activities as part of international cooperation.
Having said this, I would like to stress that we welcome increased international cooperation on
energy efficiency, renewable energy, and increased access to energy in sustainable ways. There are
many good examples that can lead the way, beacons showing how people that lack access to energy
can get this access in a sustainable way.
We need to scale up the good examples to give many more access to energy. That will only be
possible with international cooperation, where many countries contribute in meaningful ways. We
recognise that partnerships can play important roles, but the international cooperation has to include
regular multilateral cooperation, also on this issue.
behalf of NGOs, 5/5-06, session 10-1 on ?Enhancing means of implementation through subregional,
regional, and international cooperation.?
We agree with the panellists about the need for international cooperation on a number of topics. We
also recognise that there are many good examples of existing international cooperation, that can be
expanded.
I think, however, that this is the right time to point out that not all international cooperation is
helpful for the development on the ground. When IAEA is assisting a small development country
with an energy strategy and come up with a proposal for nuclear power plant, this is not helpful for
the country, nor for the world.
Also recommendations from international institutions can be over-simplistic, as we have seen with
the many recommendations for privatisation of energy sector infrastructure. Too often the resulting
privatisations have neither lead to better access to energy for the poor, nor to sustainable
development.
Furthermore we are concerned with the many unsustainable projects that have received international
support in the fields of large hydropower, fossil fuels, and nuclear power. We hope that these
projects will be something of the past, and that we can continue from here without more of these
unsustainable activities as part of international cooperation.
Having said this, I would like to stress that we welcome increased international cooperation on
energy efficiency, renewable energy, and increased access to energy in sustainable ways. There are
many good examples that can lead the way, beacons showing how people that lack access to energy
can get this access in a sustainable way.
We need to scale up the good examples to give many more access to energy. That will only be
possible with international cooperation, where many countries contribute in meaningful ways. We
recognise that partnerships can play important roles, but the international cooperation has to include
regular multilateral cooperation, also on this issue.