76 DEVELOPMENT
OFID’S ENERGY POVERTY ALLEVIATION
PROGRAMS AND THE SDGS
No country has developed
without access to reliable and
affordable energy. Energy
directly affects people,
communities and countries
in terms of economic growth,
health, security, food and
education. It also affects
ecosystems and is directly
linked to climate change.
OFID/Rana Wintersteiner
Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, Director-
General of OFID (OPEC Fund for
International Development)
alexmisu/shutterstock.com
Countless examples have shown that
once modern energy is available, families
and businesses benefit enormously from
light, power and heat and the associated
opportunities for job creation and income
generation. The World Health Organization
estimates that if half of the global
households that still use traditional fuels
and stoves switched to cleaner cooking
sources, over a ten year period, families
would save US$34bn per year and generate
an economic return of US$105bn per year.
At the household level, energy provides
electrification, heating and cooking
solutions. Energy use for productive
engagements increases income,
productivity, and employment. The transition
towards environmental sustainability begins
as poverty drops because poverty is the
prime adversary of the environment.
Energy in the SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
that were officially launched in September
2015 recognize the crucial role of energy
in development, unlike the previous
development agenda, the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). SDG7 centers
on ensuring “universal access to affordable,
reliable, sustainable and modern energy”
for all in developing countries, particularly
least developed countries and small island
developing states. The year 2030 marks the
deadline.
In addition to energy, water and food have
also been identified as priority areas for the