SAFE Reference Group Furthers MDG 8 Through Global Partnership for Energy Access
The Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) Reference Group exemplifies Millennium Development Goal 8, “Develop a Global Partnership for Development.” Momentum and attention on the urgent need for safe access to fuel and energy for refugees, IDPs, and other crisis-affected populations has reached a critical tipping point due to the close partnership and collaboration of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, FAO, International Lifeline Fund, Mercy Corps, ProAct, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, and Women’s Refugee Commission, among other agencies.
Together, the SAFE Reference Group envisions a world in which all crisis-affected populations are able to satisfy their fuel and energy needs for cooking, heating, lighting, and powering in a safe and sustainable manner, without fear or risk to their health, well-being, and personal security.
The mission of the SAFE Reference Group consortium is to facilitate a more coordinated, predictable, timely, and effective response to the fuel and energy needs of crisis-affected populations. Within this mission, the six pillars of strategic engagement for the SAFE Reference Group include:
Pillar 1: Coordinate the sector and share information
Pillar 2: Provide technical support, tools, and guidance for implementation
Pillar 3: Build human resource capacity
Pillar 4: Advocate for the sector
Pillar 5: Mobilize resources
Pillar 6: Commission research and build evidence
Each agency in the SAFE Reference Group contributes specific expertise critical to addressing the energy needs for the world's most vulnerable populations, and the group is committed to ensuring that relevant stakeholders at all levels take action for SAFE implementation to achieve large-scale impact and long-lasting sustainable outcomes. Hence, the Reference Group supports not only a holistic approach to programming; it also fosters interagency collaboration including joint assessments, evaluations, strategic planning, program design, and project implementation. The Group also serves as a resource to governments, non-governmental organizations, inter-governmental organizations, multi-lateral institutions, and practitioners that are advocating for SAFE to become part of humanitarian response and implementing SAFE projects in humanitarian, transition, and post-conflict settings.
The Reference Group works to leverage and integrate SAFE best practices into existing and planned SAFE projects, as well as to provide implementation assistance by supporting field operations, building knowledge and capacity, and advocating for increased action and attention to SAFE projects and issues.
Key inter-agency SAFE tools include:
- SAFE Matrix on Agency Roles and Responsibilities – The Matrix is a framework for addressing cooking fuel needs in emergency and protracted response settings. It sets out who (which agency and/or cluster) is responsible for what (which fuel-related activities), and when (emergency preparedness and contingency planning; acute emergency; and protracted crises, transition and durable solutions).
- SAFE Decision Tree Diagram – The Decision Tree outlines factors affecting the choice of fuel strategy in humanitarian settings to help determine which cooking fuel options will be most appropriate in diverse response settings.
- SAFE Monitoring & Evaluation Framework – The M&E Framework was developed collaboratively between UN agencies, NGO partners and donors as a tool to assist implementers in assessing their SAFE programs across key humanitarian response sectors. The M&E Framework includes comprehensive objectives, indicators, and measures for SAFE projects.
The Reference Group members convene monthly to discuss and coordinate SAFE development and activities. Membership to the group is open to organizations and agencies that conduct and support SAFE-related activities.
Feel free to contact info@safefuelandenergy.org for more information about the SAFE Reference Group and its role in promoting safe access to fuel and energy for crisis-affected populations.