CCA Calls on Leaders at Clean Cooking Summit to Take Action
Over 1,000 people from nearly 60 countries convened in Paris, France on May 15, 2024 for the first-ever Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, hosted by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and co-chaired by the leaders of the governments of Tanzania and Norway, the African Development Bank, and the IEA.
The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) brought an important message to the Summit: Action on clean cooking cannot wait.
“This is not a time for half-measures or incremental progress,” CCA CEO Dymphna van der Lans told the audience. “We need bold, transformative action that puts clean cooking at the center of our global agenda. Together, we can unleash the immense potential of clean cooking to improve lives, empower communities, and safeguard our planet for future generations. Let us seize this moment and commit ourselves to nothing less than a clean cooking revolution — one that leaves no one behind.”
Just a few of the Summit’s many highlights include:
Governments and the private sector pledged US $2.2 billion in financial support to clean cooking efforts.
Fatih Birol, Executive Director, IEA: “Going forwards, we will rigorously track the commitments announced today to make sure they’re met on time and in full — and continue to do our utmost to bring greater resources and attention to this critical issue.”
The importance of collaboration was repeatedly emphasized, including at the Plenary Session on Multi-stakeholder Partnerships chaired by CCA CEO Dymphna van der Lans.
Dymphna van der Lans, CEO, CCA: “We are here at this Summit not just to discuss another energy issue, but to drive a movement — one that transforms the pace and scale of progress on the most underinvested climate, health, and development challenge we face. ”
CCA and partners launched the Principles for Responsible Carbon Finance for Clean Cooking during a pre-Summit technical session on carbon finance, co-hosted by CCA and IEA. Focusing on integrity, transparency, fairness, and sustainability, the Principles serve to guide responsible conduct and enhance the confidence that buyers, investors, households, and governments have in clean cooking carbon markets. The Principles were recognized in the IEA’s Declaration on Clean Cooking and were endorsed by over 100 organizations.
Hanaan Marwah, Chief Investment and Strategy Officer, KOKO Networks: “These Principles provide much-needed guidance to actors in clean cooking carbon markets. This includes the commitment to continuously improving methodologies, while codifying other best practices around financial transparency and use of funds. Carbon financing is a unique and vital tool for scaling access to modern clean cooking energy, and I hope these Principles will enable them to be used ambitiously.”
CCA and the World Resources Institute (WRI) announced a new strategic partnership to further embed clean cooking into a broad range of sustainable development initiatives.
Wanjira Mathai, Managing Director for Africa and Global Partnerships, WRI: “This partnership with CCA enables us to work collaboratively to tackle one of the biggest development challenges ever. We are thrilled to combine efforts with CCA to embed clean cooking solutions into our work across energy, cities, vital landscapes, and food at WRI.”
CCA engaged heavily with the media, with interviews and stories appearing in The World from PRX, Le Monde, Radio France, France 24, Quantum Commodity Intelligence, Climate Home News, and many other prominent outlets.
Jillene Conners Belopolsky, Chief of Staff and External Affairs, CCA: “Clean cooking has been the most under-invested global health and environmental solution, but the commitments made at the Summit represent a promising turning point. Our task now is to hold these commitments to account, ensuring they turn into real funding for concrete programs and projects on the ground.”
