UK Minister for Development will announce a major
package to boost global access to clean forms of cooking that
avoid burning wood or coal.
Globally, around 2.1 billion people still have to cook on
firewood, charcoal or other polluting fuels, often worsening the
health of many women and girls in particular, and damaging
forests.
The funding of £74 million will extend clean cooking access to an
additional 10 million people in countries across Sub-Saharan
Africa, South Asia, and the Indo-Pacific.
Minister for Development said:
Britain is back with a voice on the world stage, and we are
leading on new initiatives to support health and the environment.
This package will support 10 million people across Sub-Saharan
Africa, South Asia, and the Indo-Pacific to leave coal and wood
cooking behind, helping the environment while also improving the
health of women and girls who are so often exposed to damaging
fumes from burning coal and wood.
Nothing could be more central to the UK's own national interest
than delivering progress on arresting rising temperatures. This
is our chance to achieve clean and secure energy, both globally
and at home, and, in doing so, drive growth for the UK.
The Minister for Development will make these pledges while
attending COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. With the Prime Minister,
Foreign Secretary, Energy Secretary and others also attending, UK
ministers are seeking to encourage ambitious emissions reductions
and agreements that take the needs of the Global South into
account while also growing the UK's economy and maximising
opportunities for Britain.
£44 million of the clean cooking package will come from a
five-year extension to the UK government's Modern Energy Cooking
Services (MECS) programme up to 2030. The remaining £30m will
come through the Ayrton Fund, which aims to accelerate the clean
energy transition in Global South countries.
Alongside this, the Minister will announce a $16m investment by
British International Investment (BII) into Africa Go Green, a
fund backing early stage businesses taking climate action in
Africa including accelerating access to clean cooking solutions.
The Minister for Development has also announced at COP29 a boost
to support the Weather and Climate Information Services (WISER)
programme in Africa.
WISER sees the UK Met Office partner with meteorological
organisations across Africa to increase countries' capacity to
forecast and plan for extreme weather events and climate change.
Additional funding of £30m from the UK will support farmers and
communities in adapting to a changing climate. This brings total
funding up to £47m.
This aligns with the modern approach to development outlined by
Minister Dodds at Chatham House in October, based on working in
partnership with the Global South.
This is additional to a £6m commitment to launch Jahez, a project
supporting climate vulnerable refugees in Jordan. This includes
through the restoration of water supplies and introducing climate
smart agriculture to generate growth that can withstand the
impacts of the climate crisis.
The UK will continue to prioritise the most vulnerable and
remains committed to spending £1.5bn in 2025 to support countries
with building resilience to the impacts of climate change,
tripling adaptation spend from 2019 levels. This is part of the
existing UK commitment to spend £11.6bn in International Climate
Finance between April 2021 and March 2026.
Minister Dodds also met with the Executive Director of the Green
Climate Fund (GCF). The UK has confirmed its commitment to the
GCF, helping millions of the world's poorest and most vulnerable
people deal with the impact of climate change, and help countries
build a cleaner, greener future. The £1.62 billion funding - the
UK's largest single International Climate Finance (ICF)
investment - shows the UK is playing a leading role in supporting
the fund, which is already delivering 286 projects in 133
countries.
