The Roadmaps for Energy Access in Displacement Settings (READS) Programme, implemented by the GPA Coordination Unit at UNITAR and funded by the IKEA Foundation, aims to identify viable implementation opportunities to increase sustainable energy in displacement settings. Spanning ten countries, the programme will develop a “roadmap report” for each nation. This report will (a) concisely summarise the energy and displacement situation in each country, (b) identify gaps not currently met by the status quo and (c) put forward viable project opportunities to increase sustainable energy access in displacement settings.

The reports will be informed by workshops with in-country stakeholders to develop and refine the research. The Programme will engage a variety of actors working in both the private and public sector to benefit from their expertise including representatives of communities which have been affected by displacement, local energy companies, humanitarian organisations, and governmental authorities, among others.

Each roadmap report will be written in partnership with an organisation working in displacement contexts in the focus country. Researchers from displacement backgrounds will contribute to the production of the reports, leveraging their networks, expertise and lived experiences.

The READS Programme will focus on ten countries (subject to change) across three regions over the two-year programme duration:

  • Year 1: East Africa (Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya)
  • Year 2: Sub-Saharan Africa (Mali, Nigeria, Mauritania, Ethiopia) and Middle East (Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey)

Please get in touch for further information about how your organisation could be involved in the READS Programme.

The READS Programme hosted its first workshop in Kigali, Rwanda on 23 February 2023, supported by our local partners Practical Action. Community representatives, government agencies, private sector companies, and humanitarian and development actors from across the country met to discuss the key issues in Rwanda’s five refugee camps, as well as the barriers and opportunities for sustainable energy in displacement settings.

The READS Uganda workshop was held in Arua on 1 March 2023 with the support of Mercy Corps. Participants discussed how entrepreneurs can use electricity to grow their businesses, the need for clean cooking solutions to also protect the environment, and other opportunities for sustainable energy access in refugee settlements in the West Nile region and beyond.

Cookstove manufacturers, international solar companies, refugee mini-grid operators, development actors, UN agencies and government partners came together at the third READS workshop in Kakuma on 7 March 2023, supported by SNV. Exploring the key energy issues, they discussed how to improve access to sustainable energy in Kakuma and Dadaab.

The first READS roadmap reports are currently being drafted and will be made available for consultation and review via online engagement workshops. The READS reports will be publicly launched and disseminated through a series of online events.

For further information about the READS Programme, please contact Megan Taeuber.

Last updated: 27/03/2023