The United Kingdom of Great Britain has announced a significant financial package to boost global access to clean forms of cooking that avoid burning wood or coal.
The £74 million ($94 million) funding package will support 10 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Indo-Pacific with access to clean cooking solutions.
UK Minister for Development Anneliese Dodds announced the commitment at the ongoing 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly known as COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
In a press release on Friday, November 15, the UK government said the initiative aims to help people in beneficiary countries improve their health and protect the environment by avoiding reliance on harmful fuels such as wood and charcoal for cooking.
Globally, around 2.1 billion people still do not have access to clean cooking solutions, relying on firewood, charcoal or other polluting fuels to cook, often worsening the health of many women and girls in particular, and damaging forests.
“Britain is back with a voice on the world stage, and we are leading on new initiatives to support health and the environment”, the UK government statement quoted Minister Dodds.
“This package will support 10 million people across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Indo-Pacific to leave coal and wood cooking behind, helping the environment while also improving the health of women and girls who are so often exposed to damaging fumes from burning coal and wood”, the statement further quotes the UK Minister for Development.
She emphasized that: “Nothing could be more central to the UK’s own national interest than delivering progress on arresting rising temperatures. This is our chance to achieve clean and secure energy, both globally and at home, and, in doing so, drive growth for the UK.”
The financial package will be circulated through two channels with £44 million from a five-year extension to the UK government’s Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) program up to 2030. The remaining £30m will come through the Ayrton Fund, which aims to accelerate the clean energy transition in Global South countries.
Other commitments
In addition to the clean cooking access package, Minister Anneliese Dodds also announced a $16 million investment by British International Investment (BII) into Africa Go Green, a fund backing early stage businesses taking climate action in Africa including accelerating access to clean cooking solutions.
She also declared the UK’s readiness to help countries in Africa predict and prepare for extreme weather events announcing a boost to support the Weather and Climate Information Services (WISER) program in Africa.
WISER sees the UK Met Office partner with meteorological organizations across Africa to increase countries’ capacity to forecast and plan for extreme weather events and climate change. Additional funding of £30 million from the UK will support farmers and communities in adapting to a changing climate, bringing total funding up to £47 million.
According to the UK government, this aligns with the modern approach to development outlined by Minister Dodds at Chatham House in October, based on working in partnership with the Global South.
