600+ Stakeholders, 57 countries: A wrap-up of the Clean Cooking Forum 2017
The Clean Cooking Forum 2017 wrapped up in Delhi, India after three exciting days of plenary and panel sessions, as well as remarks from UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, Infosys founder and Alliance India Leadership Council Chair Narayana Murthy, India Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, SEforAll CEO Rachel Kyte, CEO of the National Institution for Transforming India Amitabh Kant, UNICEF India Representative Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, Ghana Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Alima Mahama, and Alliance CEO Radha Muthiah, among many others.
Over 600 stakeholders from 57 countries attended the Forum. Topics of discussion ranged from innovative solutions to challenges in the sector, market growth and development, investment and finance opportunities for clean cooking enterprises, and critical discussions on women’s empowerment, clean cooking’s impact on climate and the environment, and transitioning the sector to cleaner fuels. The three days of plenary and panel sessions were followed by a day of site visits to households and communities using solar, LPG, and biomass for their cooking needs.
Looking back at the Forum
- Day 1: Speakers in the opening plenary session highlighted how far the sector has come since 2010 as well as the obstacles that must still be overcome. The second plenary session featured ideas and solutions to create demand and scale the sector, while additional sessions highlighted the role of clean cooking in air quality management and critical lessons learned from women CEOs in the sector as well as the Clean Cookstoves and Fuels Exhibition.
- Day 2: India Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan shared the goals and successes of Prime Minister Modi’s PMUY program for India, while Rachel Kyte issued an electrifying global call to action on the urgent need to address the sector's significant funding gap and ensure energy access to the poorest of the poor.
- Day 3: Representatives from India, Rwanda, Ghana, Nepal, and Uganda offered insight on the role governments play in creating and expanding national clean cooking markets, and clean cooking champions discussed how they can use their influence to drive the market forward towards universal adoption.