Wind, solar and other energy sources is a natural right for all citizens and communities in the world – Read the declaration from the successful World Community Power Conference that closed in Bamako last Friday

“We, the participants of the 2nd World Community Power Conference in Bamako WCPC2018, that gathered more than 400 people from more than 30 countries in Bamako, Mali, on 8th and 9th November 2018, agreed to and decided to issue this Declaration:

After two days of very fruitful discussions of all relevant aspects regarding community power and energy access, and building on the outcomes of previous events, including the Fukushima Community Power Declaration and the Community Power for All Resolution, we conclude:

We re-confirm that availability of energy is the precondition for human life and for prosperity and that it must be top priority to serve those hundreds of millions around the world without access to modern energy services.

Renewable energy is available everywhere in abundance and can in principle be used by everyone.

Solar lighting

Accordingly, we underline that the free use of wind, solar and all other renewable energy sources for self-supply should be recognized as a true and natural right of all citizens and communities.

We underline that in particular local and community ownership of renewable energy projects do multiply the benefits of energy availability, strengthen socioeconomic prosperity, resilience to climate change and participation and further democratic structures.

We re-confirm that community power, whether grid-connected or off-grid, is understood as a community-driven, local commitment to renewable energy production infrastructure, which are built and operated by local citizens, communities and municipalities on their own responsibility and whose economic and social benefits, in turn, benefit the local community, i.e. investments oriented towards the common good, ensuring democratic participation.

In order to accelerate access rates and to minimize environmental hazards such as greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, we call on decision-makers around the world to recognize the basic right to harvest sustainably and use renewable energy for self-supply of individual persons as well as of communities.

This basic right should be provided by:

Avoiding, respectively removing, all kind of actual and bureaucratic barriers to the use of renewable energy

Enabling and supporting citizens and communities to develop and operate renewable energy technologies

Making renewable energy technologies available to all human beings

Develop and promote business models that allow and emphasize the productive use of renewable energy

Support local, community based investors, by making use of innovative financial instruments that help to close the equity gap.

We welcome all government initiatives – including the upcoming NDC review process, monitoring the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goal 7 and enhancing climate finance e.g. through the Green Climate Fund – that support community power, be it in the developing or in the developed world.

We encourage all governments and all international organisations to set up additional

Solar panel cooker

frameworks that allow communities and citizens to become owners of renewable energy projects.

We thank all governments, international organisations and individuals who contributed to this conference, in particular the Government of Mali, the German Federal Ministry for Environment, the World Food Programme, GIZ, ISEP Japan, and all those who contributed to making the WCPC2018 a success.

We welcome the creation of the African Community Power and Rural Electrification Platform and encourage all African community power stakeholders to join and to actively contribute for the benefit of the people in Africa.

We invite all delegates and community power stakeholders around the world to join the 3rd World Community Power Conference 2020 whose host country will be announced in spring 2019.

Bamako, 8 November 2018

Group picture of participants in front of Hotel L’Amitié, Bamako. Click on picture to enlarge

Signed by the representatives of the three hosting organisations on behalf of all the participants

Dr. Ibrahim Togola, Chairman, Mali Folkecenter Nyetaa
Stefan Gsänger, Secretary General, WWEA
Dr. Tetsunari Iida, Director, ISEP Japan

NDC = National Determined Contributions: Read more about NDC

Sustainable Development Goal 7 : « Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all »

Top photo: Signatories to the Bamako Declaration Dr. Tetsunari Iida, Director, ISEP Japan,
Stefan Gsänger, Secretary General, WWEA, and Dr. Ibrahim Togola, Chairman, Mali Folkecenter Nyetaa