Clean Energy

Energy for All Initiative

Providing Energy Access to the Poor

There are still about 1 billion people in Asia and the Pacific region without access to electricity.

Access to energy has been widely recognized as a key element for meeting all the Millennium Development Goals. Without access to modern energy services, poor people will be deprived of opportunities for economic and social development, and to improve their living standard.

Through the Energy for All Initiative, [ PDF ] ADB’s regional departments are working to mainstream the implementation of new strategies to help scale-up replicable access to modern and sustainable forms of energy. The initiative is developing a more systematic approach of mainstreaming access to energy for ADB’s operations departments. This entails finding the appropriate methodologies and duplicating these in order to provide sustainable energy access for the poor.

ADB is also working to develop activities and structure a framework for a regional collaboration aimed at scaling-up energy access for the poor in the Asia Pacific region. The regional programs will involve local financial institutions and ensure greater private sector participation.

The successful implementation of a regional partnership will facilitate and ensure a better, more systematic process of providing sustainable energy access and improving the lives of the poor.