Image Credits - China Daily
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is intensifying its collaboration with China to harness the potential of affordable, mobile solar products for assisting forcibly displaced populations. This commitment was highlighted by Andrew Harper, the agency’s special adviser on climate action, during an interview at the ongoing COP29 UN climate change conference.
With vulnerable communities increasingly facing the impacts of the climate crisis, Harper emphasized China’s crucial global role and the importance of partnering with its government and private sector. LONGi Green Energy Technology Co Ltd, a key partner, is central to this effort. Earlier this year, UNHCR and LONGi launched a joint project to reduce carbon emissions at the agency’s emergency stockpiles worldwide, starting with a 700kW solar photovoltaic installation at a logistics hub in Uzbekistan.
Solar photovoltaic products, Harper noted, offer vital electricity access for refugees, enabling energy supply without extensive infrastructure. The UNHCR’s efforts include equipping health centres, schools, and refugee communities with renewable energy solutions.
“The needs are huge,” Harper remarked, urging for expanded partnerships to meet growing demands, especially as around 700,000 Sudanese refugees have recently fled to Chad, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Harper underscored China’s potential as a key partner, noting its industrial capacity to provide affordable solutions globally.
A report released at COP29 further underscored the plight of the forcibly displaced, with three-quarters of the over 120 million affected living in climate-impacted regions and half in areas beset by conflict and severe climate hazards.