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
5 Conclusion 8th Report - Empowering Development: En… Deferred

Establish a working group by 2026 to embed energy access across FCDO policies and create incentives.

The FCDO must embed energy access across development, climate and humanitarian policies. A departmental working group should be set up by the end of 2026 to coordinate delivery. The FCDO should also create 32 targeted funding and measurable incentives for programmes that integrate energy access with other sectors, including health, …

Government response. The government's response appears to be misaligned with the recommendation provided. It refers to reviewing accountability frameworks within the next six months (a specific action, but for another recommendation), and mentions past activities such as a webinar and a report …
16 Conclusion 8th Report - Empowering Development: En… Deferred

Conventional value-for-money frameworks undervalue inclusive community-led energy approaches

Conventional value-for-money frameworks overlook long-term social benefits, which undervalues inclusive, community-led approaches. The Government’s efforts to advance inclusivity are further constrained by the limited availability of disaggregated data on how energy systems affect women, people with disabilities, or other marginalised groups. (Conclusion, Paragraph 57)

Government response. The government partially agrees, but its response primarily discusses ODA budget predictability, stability, and risk management, as well as insights from ICAI reviews, without directly addressing how conventional value-for-money frameworks overlook social benefits or the limited availability of disaggregated data.
17 Recommendation 8th Report - Empowering Development: En… Deferred

Adopt a multi-dimensional evaluation framework for community energy projects, accounting for equity and accessibility

The FCDO should adopt a multi-dimensional evaluation framework for community-led energy projects, that accounts for long-term equity, accessibility, and system legitimacy, by June 2026. To do so, it should support the collection of broader impact metrics through appropriate incentives. This should be the case irrespective of who is delivering the …

Government response. The government partially agrees, noting it already uses disaggregated data and will improve climate finance reporting via an upcoming MEL contract. However, it is unable to commit to adopting a multi-dimensional evaluation framework for community-led energy projects by June 2026, …
18 Recommendation 8th Report - Empowering Development: En… Deferred

Trade-offs between poverty alleviation and climate objectives are not openly acknowledged

The Government should not hide behind the complexities of the global clean energy transition. Aid must advance poverty alleviation while also contributing to climate mitigation and adaptation. While these objectives can sometimes pull in different directions, trade-offs should be openly acknowledged, publicly debated, and addressed through deliberate and transparent policy …

Government response. The government partially agrees, but its response does not address the recommendation to openly acknowledge and debate trade-offs in aid policy. Instead, it focuses on deepening collaboration with DESNZ, embedding lessons learnt, and commissioning a study on UK secondary benefits …

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 ↗