Select Committee · International Development Committee

Aid for community-led energy

Status: Closed Opened: 8 Apr 2025 Closed: 22 Jan 2026 16 recommendations 16 conclusions 1 report

Energy lies at the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Yet, the international community remains largely off track in meeting these commitments. According to the International Energy Agency, around 750 million people lack access to electricity, and more than 2 billion people lack access to …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
8th Report - Empowering Development: Energy Access for Comm… HC 849 14 Nov 2025 32 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
1 Conclusion 8th Report - Empowering Development: En… Acknowledged

Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 on energy access requires renewed international commitment.

Despite notable global progress in expanding energy access, Sustainable Development Goal 7 on affordable and clean energy will not be met without renewed international commitment and targeted interventions. The UK is well placed to convene and coordinate with other donors, multilateral institutions, and private sector partners to drive progress at …

Government response. The government partially agrees, highlighting its existing International Climate Finance (ICF) commitment and intent to continue energy access work, but noting ODA budget constraints. It commits to publishing HMG’s response in January 2026 to an independent review that proposed a …
12 Conclusion 8th Report - Empowering Development: En… Acknowledged

Document and analyse community-led energy project successes and failures to inform future programmes

The FCDO should systematically document and analyse successes and failures of community-led energy projects, including technical, social, and financial aspects, through annual learning reviews and case studies. Findings should be shared internally and with external partners to inform the design, governance, and scaling of future programmes. (Recommendation, Paragraph 47)

Government response. The government partially agrees, stating it supports research networks and tracks progress through joint monitoring frameworks. It is developing tools, including a CRM system, to join up assessments and decisions and has convened a Venture Facility Steering Group to improve …
15 Conclusion 8th Report - Empowering Development: En… Acknowledged

Require active involvement of disabled people in energy projects, providing accessible support and reporting outcomes

The FCDO should require community energy projects to actively involve people with disabilities in project design and governance, provide accessible technical and capacity-building support, and report on disability-disaggregated outcomes. (Recommendation, Paragraph 54)

Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation and is committed to co-designing solutions and fostering local leadership through existing programmes like TEA. However, it does not detail how it will specifically require community energy projects to involve people with disabilities, provide …
21 Conclusion 8th Report - Empowering Development: En… Acknowledged

Government fails to recognise synergies between energy access and climate adaptation

The Government has not always fully recognised the synergies between energy access and climate adaptation, leading to siloed programming, despite the central role of resilient energy systems in supporting adaptation efforts. (Conclusion, Paragraph 69)

Government response. The government partially agrees with the observation, stating it understands the interconnectedness and already supports related research and coordination. It agrees better integration is possible and will explore upgrading governance and coordination across its climate finance portfolio, committing to bear …

Oral evidence sessions

3 sessions
Date Witnesses
16 Sep 2025 Chris Taylor · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Steven Hunt · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, The Rt Hon. the Baroness Chapman of Darlington · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office View ↗
24 Jun 2025 Dr Kate Steel · Nithio, Dr Melita Lazell · University of Portsmouth, Juliette Keeley · Shell Foundation, Mr David Nicholson · Mercy Corps, Ms Emilie Carmichael · Energy Saving Trust, Professor Ed Brown · Loughborough University View ↗
10 Jun 2025 Dr Alycia Leonard · University of Oxford, Nedjip Tozun · D.light, Sarah Roberts · Practical Action, William Kamkwamba · Moving Windmills Project View ↗