# LongBench v2 / 66fcf2f2bb02136c067c9169

task_id: 3d6347f8-c6a7-5e10-bf21-757ad98e59aa
task_key: train--66fcf2f2bb02136c067c9169
task_revision_id: 2

{"choice_A":"African nations broadly benefit from carbon markets, particularly in addressing financing issues for clean cooking: Carbon credits can bridge the funding gap for clean cooking investments in Africa, while also enhancing the affordability of clean cookstoves and fuels.","choice_B":"In comparison to other regions of the world, the issue of outdated cooking methods in Africa is particularly severe: nearly four-fifths of the African population still rely on traditional stoves or open fires for cooking, a figure that stands at less than one half globally.","choice_C":"Achieving widespread adoption of clean cooking requires substantial capital expenditure, and governments must consider affordability issues: By 2030, an annual investment of $4 billion will be necessary to achieve universal access to clean cooking in Africa, while globaluniversal access would require $8 billion. This represents a significant financial outlay for governments.","choice_D":"Multiple public and private entities globally are committed to addressing the financing challenges of clean cooking projects in Africa: Europe and the Netherlands are planning to contribute 12 million euros and 5 million euros, respectively, towards the promotion of clean cooking in West Africa; Spark+ is poised to invest at least 64 million dollars to tackle the lack of access to clean cooking in Africa, with the United Kingdom offering 265 million pounds in support of this effort.","context":"Low-cost solutions can give billions access to modern cooking by 2030, but the world is failing to deliver\nNews\n26 July 2023\nWomen and children bear brunt of harm from lack of clean cooking, which can be solved with modest investment, bringing major benefits in terms of health,\ndevelopment, gender equality and climate\nNearly one in three people around the world still cook their meals over open fires or on basic stoves, resulting in significant damage to health, living standards and gender equality – and yet this\nchallenge can be overcome this decade through a relatively modest amount of investment, according to a new IEA report, produced in partnership with the African Development Bank Group.\nToday, 2.3 billion people rely on charcoal, firewood, coal, agricultural waste and animal dung as fuel to prepare meals, causing them to breathe in harmful smoke in the process. Air pollution\nfrom these rudimentary cooking methods causes 3.7 million premature deaths per year, ranking it the third largest cause of premature death globally. Women suffer the worst impacts from the\nlack of clean cooking. The burden of fuel collection and making meals typically falls on women and takes on average 5 hours a day. This prevents many women from pursuing education and\nemployment or from starting a business that could deliver financial independence.\nThe new report, A Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All, offers a practical guide to bring the tools and fuels needed for every household worldwide to have access to clean cooking by 2030.\n“Clean cooking is a topic that rarely hits the headlines or makes it onto the political agenda,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “And yet, it’s a cornerstone of global efforts to improve\nenergy access, gender equity, economic development and human dignity. This report shows universal clean cooking access could be reached worldwide by 2030 with annual investment of\nUSD 8 billion, which is just a tiny fraction of what the world spends on energy each year. Tackling this injustice is affordable and achievable.”\nBasic cooking methods that are widely used by populations that lack access to clean cooking also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. The collection of wood and charcoal for cooking\nresults in the loss of areas of forest the size of Ireland each year.\nIn the last decade, global progress on clean cooking has been slow, with progress restricted to a handful of countries. Since 2010, China, India and Indonesia all halved the number of their\ncitizens who lack clean cooking access. These efforts relied largely on providing free stoves and subsidised canisters of liquefied petroleum gas. However, during the same period, Africa’s\npopulation without clean cooking access continued to climb. Under today's policy settings, most African countries are not expected to reach full clean cooking access even in the 2050s.\n“The lack of access to clean cooking negatively impacts public health, perpetuates deforestation, and increases greenhouse gas emissions. Universal access to modern energy by 2030 is\nimperative and requires game-changing approaches,” said President Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank Group. “I am confident that the rich data and insights from this\nreport will inform and shape our collective approaches to this noble goal of universal access to clean cooking in Africa.”\nTo achieve the universal access target laid out in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7, nearly 300 million people need to gain access to clean cooking means each year between now and\n2030. People in sub-Saharan Africa represent half of this amount, highlighting where international efforts need to focus.\n\n\nThe benefits in terms of gender equality, health and time-savings from reaching universal access to clean cooking would be immense. The report finds, for example, that premature deaths from\npoor indoor air quality would drop by 2.5 million annually. The average household would save at least 1.5 hours of time a day, freeing up time for other pursuits such as education or work,\nespecially for women. The total time-savings globally would be equal to the annual working hours of a labour force the size of Japan’s. And the reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions\nwould reach 1.5 billion tonnes a year, equivalent to the current emissions from all ships and planes combined.\nAchieving universal access to clean cooking would require investment of USD 8 billion annually in stoves and infrastructure between now and 2030. This is less than 1% of what governments\nspent in 2022 globally on measures to keep energy affordable for their citizens. Public and private finance have a key role to play in advancing clean cooking, especially in regions without the\nfiscal space to drive the required investment through public funds. Concessional and climate financing will be needed to support projects in the poorest regions, notably in sub-Saharan Africa.\nConcessional finance would need to make up around half of the annual investment.\n“Solving access to clean cooking does not require a technological breakthrough,” Dr Birol said. “It comes down to political will from governments, development banks and other entities seeking\nto eradicate poverty and gender inequality. But today, we are failing women in some of the most vulnerable areas of the world.”\nA Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All\nExplore report\nThe Energy Mix\nGet updates on the IEA’s latest news, analysis, data and events delivered twice monthly.\nYour email\nSubscribe\nBrowse\nTopics\nCountries & regions\nEnergy system\nProgrammes\nExplore\nReports\nData & statistics\nFollow\nLearn\nAbout\nNews and commentaries\nEvents\nGlossary\nConnect\nContact\nPress\nView sample\nExplore our other newsletters\nJobs\nDelegates\n\n\nTerms\nPrivacy\n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n1 \nSummit on Clean Cooking in Africa \n14 May 2024 \n \nSummit Outcome Document and Action Plan  \nThis document reflects the outcomes and discussions from the Summit on Clean Cooking in \nAfrica, held in Paris on 14 May 2024. It provides: \nFirst, a summary of the key outcomes of the summit, as contained in the Chair Summary. \nSecond, it documents the key themes and actions discussed to advance the clean cooking \nagenda across each key pillar: Finance, Policy, and Partnerships. \nThird, it catalogues all the pledges, announcements, and commitments made at the Summit, \nproviding a comprehensive overview of the proceedings. \nChairs’ Summary of the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa \nA broad coalition of stakeholders on clean cooking1 met in Paris on 14 May, at the Summit on \nClean Cooking in Africa, co-chaired by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania \nH.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Prime Minister of Norway H.E. Jonas Gahr Støre, the \nPresident of the African Development Bank Group Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, and the Executive \nDirector of the International Energy Agency Dr. Fatih Birol. \nThe world is way behind on its goal to deliver affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern \nenergy for all as stipulated in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7. One area in particular \n– clean cooking – has seen a concerning lack of progress, particularly in Africa. According to \nthe IEA, nearly four in five people in Africa still cook their meals over open fires and traditional \nstoves using polluting fuels. The lack of clean cooking has dire consequences for health, \ngender equality and the climate, contributing to nearly half a million premature deaths of \nwomen and children annually in Africa alone.  \nWe know that the solutions are well known, and we affirm that our primary focus should be on \nensuring affordable access in a timely manner to cleaner and modern cooking solutions – \nwhich include biomass in high performance stoves, biogas, bioethanol, liquified petroleum gas \n(LPG), electric – all of which can deliver benefits in terms of health, productivity, gender \nequality, forest preservation, biodiversity, and emissions reductions. We affirm that the \nstrategies taken by countries to advance clean cooking will depend on local context, and that \neach country has sovereignty to shape this agenda in a manner consistent with people-centred \nenergy transitions. \nThe cost of solving this issue is relatively small, with the IEA estimating that USD 4 billion of \ncapital investments would be required annually to achieve clean cooking access for all African \n \n1 Clean cooking refers to a household that primarily relies on “clean” cooking solutions where “clean” is defined as those \ntechnologies and fuel combinations that meet the recommendations of WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: household fuel \ncombustion. Common fuels and technologies considered “clean” at point-of-use include electricity, natural gas, liquified petroleum \ngas, biogas, alcohol fuels, solar cookers, and low-emission biomass stoves meeting the multi-tier tracking framework Tier 3. \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n2 \npeople by 2030. Reaching universal access to clean cooking fuels and technologies will \ndepend on strong national and regional leadership, and programmes that are reinforced by \ninternational financial support, partnerships, and industry efforts.  \nThe Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa brought together over 1000 delegates, including \n55 government delegations, convening 4 Heads of Government in Paris, with 23 ministers in \nattendance, and several Heads of international organisation. The Summit was also attended \nby high-level representatives from industry, development partners, philanthropies, and civil \nsociety, making it the largest-ever gathering dedicated to the shared objective of advancing \nclean cooking access in Africa. Additionally, President Macron of France hosted a special \nsession at the Elysée on the occasion of the Summit. \nAt the Summit, USD 2.2 billion worth of financing and investments was mobilised from \ngovernment and private sector sources, with many announcing their intention to expand their \nsupport for clean cooking in Africa in the future. We welcome in particular several new \nproviders of finance and funding who have previously not been a major provider for clean \ncooking. These new announcements are in addition to the African Development Bank Group’s \ncommitment at COP28 to channel USD 2 billion for clean cooking over 10 years and will boost \nthe existing direct development assistance already available via other government and multi-\nlateral sources. We call upon others to reinforce these efforts and allocate additional financial \nresources to clean cooking in the coming years, through development finance, private sector \nengagement, and carbon credits. In particular, President Samia Suluhu Hassan called for a \ngenerous next replenishment of the African Development Fund, earmarking USD 12 billion for \nclean cooking, in her remarks. \nThere was also broad acknowledgement of the significant role that carbon credits and climate \nfinance have already played in scaling clean cooking efforts, recognising the potential for \nfurther expansion of this support, within the context of Article 6 and voluntary markets, provided \nthese are met with high-integrity credits used responsibly. To that end, at the Summit, over \nforty organisations decided to establish a Collaborative Task Force committed to the \ngeneration of and demand for high-integrity carbon credits from clean cooking activities based \non updated methodologies that address the concerns of carbon credit integrity, noting in \nparticularly the momentum building around the Clean Cooking Alliance-led Clean Cooking and \nClimate Consortium (4C) initiative. \nAt the Summit, nine African governments have publicly committed to making access to clean \ncooking a national priority and are taking necessary steps to implement proven policy \nmeasures in their countries to usher greater progress. We note with great appreciation the \nAfrican Heads of State and government leaders present at the Summit, noting with gratitude \nthe role of President of the United Republic of Tanzania H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan as a \nchampion of clean cooking on the continent for making clean cooking a pan African priority \nthrough the African Women Clean Cooking Support Programme – a gender responsive just \nenergy transition programme in Africa launched at COP28. We equally applaud Tanzania for \nthe launch of a 10-year National Clean Cooking Strategy for the country and call upon all \nAfrican governments to push clean cooking towards the top of their national agendas and \nimplement policy approaches that have proven successful in the past, including in India, Brazil, \nEgypt, India, and Indonesia.  \nAt the Summit, participants welcomed the recent commitment by the G7 Climate, Energy, and \nthe Environment Ministers to promote clean cooking, the announcement by the Brazil G20 \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n3 \nPresidency that clean cooking will feature prominently in its G20 agenda, and the recognition \nof clean cooking as one of the priority issues for Azerbaijan’s COP29 Presidency. This Summit \nalso carries forward the important development agenda laid out in the Paris Pact for People \nand the Planet and can be seen as a milestone under the umbrella of that broader agenda. \nWe will continue to advance the clean cooking agenda with a coalition of committed actors \nwithin the context of these initiatives, including at the Summit for the Future and the 2025 \nFinancing for Development Conference. At the Summit, participants also emphasised the \nimportance of building on existing partnerships and initiatives rather than creating new ones \nthat potentially duplicate existing efforts. \nThe Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa is a pivotal milestone in the collective journey towards \nuniversal access to clean cooking. Stakeholders at the Summit agreed to support further efforts \nto increase delivery capacity for clean cooking in Africa and many participants announced \nconcrete actions and commitments, representing important steps toward this end. We applaud \nthe 130 delegations who, at the Summit, joined us in a statement of commitment to advance \nclean cooking efforts in Africa, through their endorsement of the high-level Clean Cooking \nDeclaration. This group included 28 governments, as well as many international organisations, \ngovernments, and civil society. The declaration is a clear demonstration of our shared \ncommitment and resolve to collective action, and progressing this important agenda through \nvarious fora until this issue is finally solved. \nFollowing the Summit, attention must now turn to implementation of commitments and \noutcomes – a task that the Summit co-chairs commit to support. Many actors will take forward \npieces of the agenda identified at the Summit, including within the context of the African Clean \nCooking Consortium (ACCC) and the Africa Women Clean Cooking Support Programme \n(AWCCSP). Key follow-on actions include supporting policy implementation, mobilising more \nfinancial commitments and investments, convening stakeholders on clean cooking at future \nevents and Summits, a new task force committed to enhancing the generation of and demand \nfor carbon credit from clean cooking. We will ensure the continuing of IEA’s tracking of clean \ncooking progress, investment, and energy demand, which will be provided annually as a \nmeans of gauging progress against commitments made at the Summit and future events.  \nSummit Discussions and Action Plan \nAt the Summit, the major themes to advance the clean cooking agenda were discussed across \nthe three sessions of the Summit, namely: (i) scaling up Finance for Clean Cooking in Africa, \n(ii) Making Clean Cooking a Policy Priority, and (iii) Catalysing Multi-stakeholder Partnerships. \nThe discussions that took place and the key action items raised by stakeholders throughout \nthe Summit preparations are captured in the below sections, grouped accordingly. \nMobilising Public and Private Sector Financing for Clean Cooking  \nThe first part of the financing session addressed the need for additional investments in clean \ncooking, as well as the conditions that must exist for different financiers to increase their \ninvestments. Relevant conditions include political willingness to tackle the issue, the existence \nof national strategies and plans to do so, proper institutional frameworks and adequate market \nconditions - factors that are intertwined with policies, and therefore were also discussed in the \nPolicy track. The session also discussed the proposed measures that donors and development \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n4 \nfinance institutions (DFIs), private sector finance providers, philanthropies and civil society can \ntake to mobilise more direct financing for clean cooking. \nKey themes discussed \nSummit participants discussed the following themes in this session. It was recognised that: \n1. More financing is required to accelerate clean cooking across Africa, with both public and \nprivate sources playing a role. The IEA has estimated that for all Africans to gain access to \nclean cooking by 2030, a capital investment of USD 4 billion a year is required. Reaching \nUSD 4 billion per year requires a marked increase above today's levels of financing and \ninvestment in clean cooking on the continent. \n2. Increasing investment in clean cooking projects and infrastructure will rely on numerous \nsources of finance – concessional, commercial and philanthropic. In the context of sub-\nSaharan Africa, concessional support can play a particularly important role in delivering \nneeded technical assistance, addressing the affordability gap that many households in \nAfrica face, and reducing the high cost of capital faced by African energy companies. A \nlarge portion of this concessional support would need to come from international sources. \nHowever, it was also acknowledged that development finance is a limited pool that is \nfrequently called upon for other urgent priorities. There is therefore a crucial need to better \nleverage this capital to attract commercial investment via blended finance solutions – an \napproach which has a growing number of successful examples on the ground in Africa. \n3. The primary source of international development finance for clean cooking funding has \ncome from energy and climate initiatives. Clean cooking has impacts outside of these \nareas, most notably on health, gender equity, humanitarian needs and ecological \npreservation, which could present an opportunity to tap into additional pools of development \naid. Inclusion of displaced communities into national energy planning is urgently needed to \nbreak the humanitarian-development divide. \n4. To ensure speed of delivery, participants emphasised the importance of prioritising existing \nfinancing vehicles with a proven track record of delivery. Regular reviews and adjustments \nto these mechanisms should also be conducted as needed to improve effectiveness. \n5. The lack of bankable projects presents a serious challenge, with further efforts needed to \nsupport businesses in early-stage development. Local small and medium-sized enterprises \n(SMEs) represent a particularly important part of the clean cooking ecosystem. However, \nthey often struggle to access financing and can lack the business skills to put together \ninvestment proposals. \nWays forward discussed \nIn discussing potential ways to mobilise more direct financing for clean cooking, participants \nagreed on three key focus areas: (a) increasing the total funding available for clean cooking; \n(b) channelling funding through an effective suite of financial support; and (c) improving \ncoordination and the effectiveness of delivery. \n1. To increase the total funding available for clean cooking, measures discussed include: \ni. \nSetting clear targets for clean cooking allocations in existing energy access and \nclimate funds, particularly those supported by development finance that have a \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n5 \ntrack record of success. In some cases, this may require an effort to expand fund \nmandates.  \nii. \nIncluding clean cooking in the mandates of other development financing \ninstruments focused on areas such as health, gender and education. Options to \nimplement this include requiring that all relevant spheres consider clean cooking in \nproject proposals (mainstreaming), carving out a portion of relevant budgets \nexplicitly for clean cooking, or pooling funds. \niii. \nPrioritising financing mechanisms that crowd in more private capital, such as \nguarantees, first loss loans, price minimums, or concessions for clean cooking \noperators. New mechanisms that have proved successful in the electricity access \nspace, such as aggregation and securitisation, can also be piloted.  \niv. \nIncreasing the flow of financing specifically targeting clean cooking SMEs. This \nincludes support for local commercial banks such as capacity building and \nconcessional loans for on-lending. Private equity funds, primarily from impact \ninvestors, can provide early-stage seed capital when backed by de-risking support \nfrom donors, notably the provision of first-loss tranches. Concessional finance is \nalso likely necessary to provide business skill development at SMEs and other \nservices to facilitate investment.  \n2. To channel funding through an effective suite of financial support, measures discussed \nincluded: \ni. \nEnsuring funding is available to address affordability challenges faced by \nconsumers, in relation to both upfront costs and ongoing fuel costs, with a \nrecognition that broad-based consumer support helps address a number of \nupstream risks faced by the private sector. Financing solutions that can support \naffordability include results-based financing, carbon credits to reduce costs, grants, \nand cash transfers to country funds. Affordability support should be technology \nneutral but designed to encourage higher-tiers of clean cooking solutions. Where \nconsumer subsidies are included, it is vital to design these to ensure that they \nbenefit the poorest consumers first and that they will ultimately serve to cultivate a \npaying consumer base to ensure access is sustainable. \nii. \nIncreasing the provision of technical assistance that directly supports deployment, \nincluding on project preparation, direct support for African ministries, and the \ndevelopment of benchmarking data and performance testing. This is in addition to \nthe assistance provided to governments to support with policy development and \ninstitutional reforms. \niii. \nIncreasing the availability of equity and equity-like instruments for local clean \ncooking companies, including the provision of de-risking support from DFIs and \ndonors to specialised intermediary funds. Equity capital should be included \nalongside institutional support for these companies, such as accelerators, \nincubators, networks to share best practices. \n \n \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n6 \n3. To improve coordination and the effectiveness of delivery, measures discussed included: \ni. \nImproving transparency on projects that have proved successful. This could include \nthe creation of a financing database for successful projects to develop benchmarks, \nsuch as for lending rates and strike prices for carbon credit deals.  \nii. \nCreating a forum to ensuring ongoing coordination among funders across the value \nchain of clean cooking funding support. The platform should also facilitate the \nsharing of knowledge and best practices. \niii. \nSetting incentives or specific targets that ensure a higher share of financing \nprovided goes to African-based entities, and that local entities have direct input into \nthe decision-making process of allocations. \nScaling up Finance for Clean Cooking in Africa: Unlocking Carbon \nFinance for Clean Cooking \nThe second part of the Financing session addressed the role carbon credit markets can play \nin filling the financing gap for capital investments in clean cooking in Africa, and in closing the \naffordability gap for accessing clean cookstoves and fuels.  \nKey themes discussed \nSummit participants discussed the following themes in the Carbon Credit session. It was \ngenerally recognised that: \n1. Carbon credit markets (hereinafter “carbon markets”) can play a role in filling the financing \ngap for capital investments in clean cooking in Africa, and in closing the affordability gap \nfor accessing clean cookstoves and fuels. Participants also acknowledged the existence of \na capacity gap for host governments and local actors to access carbon markets at scale. \nCarbon credits can represent an important source of revenues to accelerate the \ndevelopment of clean cooking activities in Africa. However, the carbon credit community \nneeds to overcome some challenges to enable finance at greater scale to flow towards \nclean cooking projects in Africa through carbon credits. \n2. Carbon markets have successfully channelled pay-for-performance finance for clean \ncooking expansion through private and public emission reduction purchase agreements, \nwith nearly 70% of global clean cooking carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market \noriginating from African activities. However, more needs to be done to address the full scale \nof the challenge. Participants noted with concern that African countries have not yet \nbenefitted at scale from carbon markets. IEA analysis has shown that all African countries \ncombined account for only 3% of the credits issued globally in the more than 20 years the \nUN Clean Development Mechanism has existed, and that carbon finance could fill over \n20% of the clean energy investment gap in Africa by 2030.  \n3. Carbon finance on its own is not sufficient to achieve the long-term scale and financial \nsustainability required to provide clean and improved cooking solutions to the billions of \n \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n7 \npeople who lack access to electricity. Participants recognised that revenues from carbon \ncredits need to be complemented by other types of financing instruments from traditional \nbanking and capital markets.  \n4. Several critical issues have hindered greater financing flows to clean cooking activities in \nAfrica through carbon credits. However, in most cases, solutions to these issues are within \nreach. The success of channelling finance through carbon markets hinges on demand for \ncredits and the reputation, transparency and quality of the carbon credits offered. If either \nis compromised, the perceived risks outweigh the benefits and investors lose confidence \nand trust in these markets.  \nWays forward discussed \nIn discussing potential ways forward, it was acknowledged that there is no simple, solution to \nthese issues, and that a multi-stakeholder approach is needed. Participants also recognised \nthat the current landscape of carbon markets for clean cooking in Africa is very fragmented \nand that a lack of a comprehensive map of stakeholders and initiatives hinders efficient co-\noperation. Participants also recognised with appreciation that various stakeholders have put in \nplace several initiatives to address many of these issues. Participants generally agreed to \nprioritise two key areas: (a) ensuring a sustained high quality and impact of carbon credits from \nclean cooking; and (b) building up confidence and demand for high-quality carbon credits from \nclean cooking.  \n1. To ensure a sustained high quality and impact of carbon credits from clean cooking, \nsuggestions from stakeholders included: \ni. \nStrengthening and harmonising carbon credit methodological approaches for clean \ncooking activities to provide clarity to purchasers, ensure accurate estimates of \nemission \nreductions \nand \nreduce \nrisks \nof \nover-crediting. \nStakeholders \nacknowledged efforts to enhance clean cooking carbon credit methodologies, such \nas new and revised methodologies introduced by Gold Standard to maintain \nintegrity and enable the use of technology for monitoring. Stakeholders also \nwelcomed ongoing work on the Clean Cooking and Climate Consortium (4C) \nmethodology, led by the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA), which aims to incentivise \nbest practices and increase consistency across standards bodies and the wider \necosystem, as well as the draft Verra-led improved cookstove methodology that \nenhances usability and integrity for project design, monitoring, and quantifying \nemission reductions. Methodological alignment with the Integrity Council for the \nVoluntary Carbon Market’s Core Carbon Principles and potential methodologies \nthat will be developed under the Article 6.4 mechanism is also important. \nii. \nPromoting improved, robust, accessible and more transparent monitoring, reporting \nand verification (MRV) practices, to improve estimations of project performance, \nsuch as the further development and widespread use of digital MRV, including in-\nbuilt metering of usage and, where applicable and relevant, accompanied by \nrepresentative sampling backed by robust and frequent site visit plans. \niii. \nDeveloping and mainstreaming approaches to (i) link sustainable development \nbenefits to clean cooking carbon credit value, recognising that for many buyers the \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n8 \npositive impacts on health, gender, environment and development represent an \nimportant value add; and (ii) harmonise quantified revenue benefit sharing. To that \nend, participants acknowledged ongoing efforts to improve the quantification of the \nSDG benefits of clean cooking projects and the shared value that they create, such \nthe Sustainable Development Goal tool established by Gold Standard. \niv. \nImproving the quality and availability of the data used to calculate baselines, \nincluding through national and regionally co-ordinated and peer-reviewed research \nefforts aimed at improving and enabling the use of primary data sources that are \ncrucial to the calculation of carbon credits, such as those parameters critical to the \ndetermination of the fraction of non-renewable biomass and other parameters \nrelevant for key calculations. \n2. To create greater, sustained demand for high-quality carbon credits from clean cooking, \nstakeholders suggested   potential ways forward that include: \ni. \nCultivating demand from sovereign, corporate and compliance buyers for high-quality \ncarbon credits from clean cooking activities, including by instilling confidence in the \ncredibility of clean cooking credits through the actions set forth above, by addressing \nthe lack of consensus on the use case by corporates to use carbon credits to support \nnet zero strategies, which is being debated by the community, and through dedicated \ninitiatives and forums that work to bring more of these actors into the market. For \ninstance, (i) governments could establish further Article 6.2 co-operative approaches \nand African host-country partnerships; (ii) corporate buyers could put forward advance \npurchase commitments to augment their participation in such activities; and (iii) airlines \nand aircraft leasing companies could pledge to purchase high-impact, high-quality \ncarbon credits from clean cookstoves activities for compliance under CORSIA. These \nactions would also promote the enhanced predictability of clean cooking carbon credit \nprices and the transparency of price discovery, helping to foster long-term demand, \nallow for better planning for project developers and local stakeholders, and reduce risks \nthat can lower costs and increase investors’ confidence. \nii. \nAddressing the surplus of legacy carbon credits in the carbon market, especially of \ncredits from clean cookstoves which could contribute to below-cost pricing for credits \nthat do not reflect the real costs of implementing projects and the wider value delivered \n- and do not allow for the high-quality monitoring, reporting and verification needed to \nensure the accuracy of emissions reductions estimates. This could include programmes \nto purchase legacy credits from clean cookstoves by governments, DFIs and other \nactors including project developers, who in parallel could also consider voluntarily \ncancelling them without making a mitigation claim. This may help address questions \nthat some have raised regarding the integrity of some legacy credits. \niii. \nDeveloping standardised risk mitigation tools, both for project developers and \npurchasers to de-risk entry into the market. This could include measures such as (i) \ncontract clauses to cover the risk of non-issuance; (ii) guarantees and insurance \nproducts to cover risks such as political risks, non- and under-deliverance risks, the risk \nof withdrawal of a letter of authorisation, and risks of changes in national legislation; (iii) \nthe identification of trusted intermediaries of high-quality cookstove credits, which would \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n9 \nhelp interested buyers and sellers to connect; and (iv) the capitalisation of \nexisting facilities to provide guarantee price minimums. \niv. \nCo-operating with key stakeholders to empower host country governments and local \nactors to more easily access and capitalise on carbon market opportunities and \nestablish positive enabling environments. This includes (i) targeted in-country and \nregional capacity building programmes; (ii) technical assistance to host country \ngovernments for regulatory frameworks; and (iii) convening forums among African \ngovernments to share best practices to participate in Article 6 co-operation.  \nv. \nAdopting principles for the responsible use of carbon credits, such as efforts from CCA’s \nPrinciples for Responsible Carbon Finance in Clean Cooking, which are aimed at \nimproving norms, instilling confidence, and incentivising investment in clean cooking \ncarbon markets; or IETA’s Guidelines for the High Integrity Use of Carbon Credits, \naimed at promoting the use of carbon markets to accelerate net zero delivery with high \nintegrity.  \nMaking Clean Cooking a Policy Priority  \nIn this session, participants acknowledged the various ongoing policy and programme \ninitiatives at the country and continent level aimed at advancing clean cooking. The \ndiscussions emphasized the importance of African countries continuing to establish the \nnecessary and conducive conditions to enhance access to clean cooking, along with the \nappropriate policies.  \nKey themes discussed \nSummit participants explored various themes in the Policies session. It was generally \nrecognised that: \n1. Laying down foundational policies contributes significantly to unlocking additional financial \nflows into the clean cooking sector.  \n2. Two clear priorities to create an enabling environment for advancing clean cooking access \ninclude: \ni. \nThe need for African countries to make clean cooking a national, sub-regional, regional \nand continental priority issue and to work with the African Union (AU), other pan-African \ninstitutions, and across African countries to take concrete actions to accelerate clean \ncooking access. \nii. \nThe imperative to create the necessary, appropriate, and enabling policies and \nconditions to advance clean cooking access. This can be done by adopting - where \nnecessary - and implementing a suite of policies and regulations adapted to national \ncircumstances, which support scaling up clean cooking and attracting new innovations, \ntechnologies, institutions, firms, and investments. \nWays forward discussed \nIn discussing potential ways forward, participants identified concrete priority actions in two \nkey areas: (a) ensuring the efficient implementation of clean cooking programmes as part of \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n10 \na national priority programme; and (b) creating a conducive policy environment to support \nadvancing clean cooking access. The policies and regulations need to be adapted to national \ncircumstances and can include: \n1. To ensure efficient adoption and implementation of clean cooking programmes as part of a \nnational priority programme: \ni. \nIn countries where they are not yet established, encourage the appointment of a clean \ncooking champion and / or focal point and the setting up of a  dedicated clean cooking \ndelivery unit  on national clean cooking initiatives at the highest or strategic levels of \ngovernment to ensure effective coordination and implementation across departments, \nsectors, and financing partners. \nii. \nDevelop a clean cooking strategy, or enhance clean cooking in existing strategies, \nclearly identifying the solutions included in the official national strategy and the \nevolution of the mix of cooking solutions over time to provide long-term visibility to \nenterprises and investors on welcome investment areas. \niii. \nIntegrate clean cooking directly and consistently into other national planning and budget \nexercises across sectors (e.g. energy, climate, health, infrastructure, education, digital \ninfrastructure, etc.). \niv. \nIntegrate clean cooking into energy access programmes and projects on a holistic and \nsystematic basis, encouraging local inputs. \nv. \nCreate a funded national implementation programme or support existing delivery \nprogrammes, with the objective of allocating an increasing share of national energy \ninvestment support toward clean cooking related activities. \nvi. \nInclude clean cooking explicitly in funding requests to development partners, \nmultilateral development banks, climate funds, as well as other multilateral \nEnvironmental Agreements Funds for implementing SDGs relevant for clean cooking. \nSpecifically consider allocating portions of MDB development finance for clean cooking \nprogrammes. \n2. To create a conducive policy environment to support advancing clean cooking access: \ni. \nConsider tax and import duty reductions or exemptions on eligible clean cooking \ntechnologies and fuels, for a fixed, multi-year period that helps jump start clean cooking \nprogress that could encourage companies to set up local manufacturing supply chains. \nii. \nSupport actors across the clean cooking value chain, including 1) incentivizing \nmanufacturers, retailers and fuelling station to facilitate the promotion of manufacturing, \nassembly and sale of clean cooking equipment, 2) supporting local joint ventures and \nstart-ups, 3) enhancing the capacity of research and development institutions to \ndevelop tailor-made clean cooking solutions, 4) implementing and supporting clean \ncooking awareness programmes starting from the grassroots level, including primary \nschools, and 5) incentivise the expansion of supply chains to reach last-mile customers \nwith stable and consistent energy supply. \niii. \nDevelop targeted and carefully-designed affordability support, including by drawing \nupon successful practices observed in already established markets and similar projects \nin closely related sectors. \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n11 \niv. \nDevelop skilling programmes to train the personnel needed to transport, refill, connect, \ninstall, manufacture, assemble, maintain, and repair new clean cooking technologies \nand fuels in conjunction with relevant industries, thereby strengthening local expertise \nand Research and Development (R&D) capacity. \nv. \nPut in place and enforce standards on clean cooking technologies, including safety and \nperformance and quality testing, and consider linking incentives / tax exemptions to \nmeeting these standards. \nvi. \nRequire that all public institutions, such as schools, prisons, and government facilities, \nand state-owned enterprises use clean fuels and technologies in their meal \npreparations. Incentivise private owned institutions to switch to clean cooking fuels and \nencourage all new commercial and residential buildings to incorporate provisions for \nthe installation of clean cooking facilities. \nvii. \nDesign policies to facilitate the transition from illegal/informal charcoal markets, \nincentivizing operators to become part of the clean fuel/cooking market ecosystem.  \nviii. \nEncourage specific clean cooking and related measures in updated Nationally \nDetermined Contributions (NDC’s) under the Energy Mitigation and Adaptation areas \nincluding a clarification on the eligibility of carbon credits from clean cooking projects \nfor internationally traded mitigation outcomes.  \nix. \nInclude specific clean cooking and related measures in National Adaptation Plans \n(NAPs) and Adaptation Communications to facilitate the creation of adaptation benefits \nthat may be monetised via non-market approaches. \nx. \nEnable the development of carbon financing, encourage the inclusion of clean cooking \nas one of the areas of focus by national relevant carbon credit authorities and \nimplement legislation that enables African countries to be host countries for high quality \nclean cooking carbon projects. \nxi. \nContinue the ongoing efforts to implement broader governance reform, which have \nbeen recognised as a significant factor influencing investments levels across various \nsectors, including clean cooking.  \nxii. \nEstablish, and support where such efforts already exist, a mechanism to produce \nstatistics and a database on access to clean cooking across African countries and \ninstitute annual review to make routine updates and revisions to clean cooking \nprogrammes, policies, and regulations.  \nxiii. \nLeverage regional collaboration and free trade agreements to build stronger markets \nacross the continent, benefitting from scale and knowledge exchanges. \nCatalysing Multi-stakeholder Partnerships  \nIn this session, the need to enhance collaboration in the clean cooking sector was discussed. \nThe discussion focused on partnerships among key stakeholders that are needed to accelerate \nand strengthen progress on clean cooking and can advance the Summit’s key outcomes. \nThese partnerships span all stakeholders, including industry, international and regional \norganisations, governments, local institutions, civil society, and research institutions.  \n \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n12 \nKey themes discussed \nIn the discussion around catalysing multi-stakeholder partnerships, several key themes \nemerged that can make a lasting impact on accelerating clean cooking access. These include \nthe importance of: \n1. Working within the context of the African Union, G7, G20, COP Presidencies, and other \ninternational and regional fora to ensure clean cooking is included in their agendas, ideally \nwith a multi-year focus.   \n2. Cultivating increased collaboration among industry partners, governments, local \nchampions, financing institutions and civil society.   \n3. Enhancing awareness and coordination among various actors in the clean cooking \necosystem and adjacent spaces to reduce duplication or conflicting efforts and to build on \nsynergies and existing initiatives where possible.  \n4. Facilitating the dissemination and exchange of lessons learned and best practices \nregarding policies, financing tools and business models, as well as data, tools and research \namong all relevant international and local stakeholders. \nWays forward discussed \nIn discussing potential ways forward, participants identified the following priority actions: \n1. Connect clean cooking to a broader agenda and build alliances with adjacent initiatives \nsuch as developing energy infrastructures; expanding electricity access; promoting health; \nadvancing gender equality fighting climate change; expanding financial services, advancing \nforest and biodiversity conservation; restoring landscapes; conducting crisis management; \nimproving conditions in displacement settlements, building resilient cities; improving food \nsecurity; and fostering inclusive youth engagement.  \n2. Foster greater collaboration with industry partners, including through efforts to:   \ni. \nImprove international and local companies' ability to develop operational partnerships \nto more effectively source fuels and identify manufacturers, dealers, and distributors, \nas well as share investments. \nii. \nDeepen industry-led vertical collaboration across the whole supply chain within each \nand across all clean cooking technologies. \niii. \nDevelop joint-ventures and public-private partnerships.  \niv. \nAlign on standards and regulations that create an even playing field and allow \nconsumer choice and healthy competition. \nv. \nEnable arrangements for collaborative investment to mitigate financial risks and build \non synergies in shared ownership projects. \n3. Promote knowledge-sharing among countries, companies, and other stakeholders to learn \nfrom observed policy, legal, and regulatory successes, as well as the most effective \ntechnologies and business models. This includes efforts to also engage sub-national \nactors, with a focus on cities and smaller communities.  \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n13 \n4. Advance and coordinate analysis and research initiatives aimed at providing foundations \nwhich are beneficial to the whole clean cooking ecosystem. This can include developing \nclean cooking access planning tools, as well as new data and analysis - including research \non specific impact factors (e.g., fraction of non-renewable biomass and emission factors) \nusers’ needs and common barriers, such as cooking behaviours and affordability. Other \nsuggested activities include local market assessments, stove testing labs, research on \ninnovative technologies, policies and business models (including monitoring, reporting and \nverification), and integrating clean cooking planning into education and capacity-building \nprograms. \n5. Increase collaboration, partnerships and data and information sharing between \nstakeholders. This includes periodic coordination, possibly on the sidelines of other major \ninternational events related to clean cooking, and should engage the private and public \nsector, civil society, and international organizations. \nEnsuring Continued Momentum for Clean Cooking \nWe acknowledge the significance of several major global events leading up to COP 30, where \nclean cooking will feature prominently on the agenda. These events serve as crucial \nmilestones to propel the agenda forward, unveil new commitments, assess progress, and \nreunite stakeholders following the Summit, ensuring the continued momentum of our collective \nefforts. \n• \nJune 2024: Africa Energy Forum, Spain \n• \nJuly 2024: UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, USA \n• \nSeptember 2024: SEforALL Global Forum, Barbados \n• \nSeptember 2024: UNSG Summit, USA \n• \nSeptember 2024: Summit for the Future, USA \n• \nOctober 2024: United Nations Biodiversity COP16, Colombia \n• \nNovember 2024: G20 Summit, Brazil \n• \nNovember 2024: COP29, Azerbaijan \n• \nNovember 2024: WLGA LPG Week, South Africa \n• \nDecember 2024: AfDB’s 2024 Africa Investment Forum Market Days, Morocco \n• \nJanuary 2025: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Switzerland \n• \nMarch 2025: WHO’s 2nd Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health \n• \nJune/July 2025: Financing for Development Conference, Spain  \n• \nFall 2025: G20, South Africa \n• \nNovember 2025: COP30, Brazil  \n \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n14 \nClean Cooking Announcements \nMany Summit participants made announcements associated with the various themes and \nways forward discussed in the different sessions. New announcements for financing dedicated \nspecifically to advancing clean cooking in Africa were included in the overall aggregate of \nUSD 2.2 billion in financial announcements.  Additionally, numerous participants presented \nimportant targets and goals, and re-affirmed previous commitments. These were not included \nin the total mentioned during the Summit, but represent in their own way increasing ambition, \nif not yet fulfilled, or prior commitments which still have on offer resources for countries, \ncompanies, and civil society actors looking to advance the clean cooking agenda. All the below \ncommitments and pledges are exact statements provided by the organisation making the \nannouncement, to reflect these statements for posterity. \n(The announcements detailed below are accurate and comprehensive as of 15 May 2024 and \ndo not include pledges pending from other countries and organisations) \nHigh Level Declaration \nThe following 130 countries, organisations and companies explicitly endorsed the High Level \nDeclaration on Making Clean Cooking a Priority. The declaration is a clear demonstration of \nshared commitments and resolve that reaffirms the leader’s dedication to collective action and \nco-operation in addressing the lack of clean cooking access:  \nCountries and International Organisations \nBelgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Ghana, Greece, \nHungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, The Netherlands, Norway, \nPortugal, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, United Kingdom, \nUnited States, African Development Bank Group (AfDB), ECOWAS Center for Renewable \nEnergy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), SEforAll, UNFCCC, UNHCR, UNIDO. \nCivil society, Organisations and Companies \n4R Digital, ACMI, ACT Commodities Group, Africa50, Africa-Europe Foundation (AEF), Africa \nFinance Corporation, Africa Grant Advisors, African Clean Energy, African Wildlife Foundation, \nAfrican Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA), Amtrol-Alfa, Arancha Gonzalez (Dean \nof the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po, former Minister of Foreign Affairs \nSpain), ASAS Group, ATEC Global, AVSI Foundation, BGN, Bidhaa Sasa, C-Quest Capital, \nCEEW, Circle Gas, CITAC Africa, CLASP, Cleancook, Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA), Clean \nCooking Technologies Srl, Climate Impact Partners, CO2 balance UK Ltd, CRDB Bank, Daniel \nM Kammen  Lau (Distinguished Professor of Sustainability, University of California, Berkeley \nUSA, Former Science Envoy, Obama Administration), Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD), \nEcoAct, EKI Energy Services Ltd, Emerging Cooking Solutions (SupaMoto), Energia \nInternational Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy, Energy and Climate Change \nDivision at the University of Southampton, Engineers Without Borders Canada, Engie Energy \nAccess, ENI, Envirofit International, Fair Climate Fund, Fenem Mali, GET.invest, Geocene Inc, \nGlobal LPG Partnership (GLPG), Gold Standard, GPA Coordination Unit at UNITAR, Hakika \nGroup, Homebiogas Ltd, Husk Power Systems, IEC Global Impact Fund, Imperative, IXO, KTH \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n15 \nRoyal Institute of Technology, Leading Light Initiative, Mercuria, Mercy Corps, Mimi Moto, \nMizuho Financial Group, Inc., Mo Ibrahim (Founder and Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, \nco-Founder and co-Chair of the Africa-Europe foundation), Modern Energy Cooking Services \n(MECS), Mrs Samira R Bawumia (2nd lady of Ghana, Global Ambassador for CCA and Chair \nof the Africa Women and Children Conference), Nithio, Nordic Environment Finance \nCorporation (Nefco), OPEC Fund for International Development, ORI Partners, Paygas, \nPetredec, Philip Lee LLP, Pivot Clean Energy Co, PowerUp, Practical Action, Project \nDeveloper Forum, Puma Energy, Reign Consultancy Limited, Removall Carbon, RES4Africa \nFoundation, Rungas Group, Simoshi, SNV, Sistema.bio, Solar Cookers Internation al, Spark+, \nStakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), Stanbic Bank Tanzania, Taifa Group, TaTEDO - \nSustainable Energy Services Organization, TASC, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, UpEnergy, \nVerra, Vital Strategies, WLGA, Wonderbag, World Bioenergy Association, World Biogas \nAssociation, World Central Kitchen \nAnnouncements associated with mobilising public and private \nsector financing for clean cooking  \nAfrica50 will mobilize up to USD 500 million in blended finance, project development funding, \nequity and debt investments to support LPG infrastructure and value chain expansion in \nseveral African countries. \nLeveraging its role in Africa’s largest Renewable Energy platform, the Africa Finance \nCorporation (AFC) commits to driving the development of clean cooking solutions through its \nRenewables and LPG investment activities across Africa in order to help develop the clean \nenergy sources that are needed to substitute woodfuel and reduce related deforestation on the \ncontinent. AFC also acknowledge the role of the Africa Finance Corporation’s positioning paper \n[“How African Can Unlock World’s Most Promising Net-Zero Solution”], released at COP28, in \ncentering clean cooking as fundamental to preserving Africa’s forests as the world’s most \npromising Net-Zero solution. \nThe African Development Bank commits to channel USD 2 billion for clean cooking over the \nnext decade, an average of USD 200 million annually. The Bank will create a dedicated Africa \nClean Cooking Programme through the Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) to \nprovide blended finance for clean cooking projects with an initial envisaged capitalization of \nUSD 50 million. The African Development Bank in collaboration with the International Energy \nAgency, the Clean Cooking Alliance, and the African Women's Clean Cooking Support \nProgramme, among others, will support the operationalization and tracking of the outcomes of \nthe Clean Cooking Summit through the Africa Clean Cooking Consortium. \nAgence Française de Développement (AFD) commits to implement the roadmap dedicated \nto clean cooking that was developed as a deliverable of the Summit in order to mainstream \nand scale up Clean Cooking in its operations. \nBIX commit to channel USD 10 million annually for clean cooking support within existing \nfacilities. BIX also commit to mainstream clean cooking in its gender related funding stream \nsuch that all projects applying for funding need to consider clean cooking. Additionally, BIX \ncommits to build expertise with local financing institutions to build familiarity with providing \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n16 \nloans and other financial products to clean cooking companies and projects. Research the \npotential for aggregation and securitisation solutions to enable a wider range of private finance \nproviders to invest in small scale clean cooking projects. \nThe Clean Cooking Alliance's Catalytic Finance Accelerator aims to secure at least \nUSD 100 million in new commitments by 2026 and USD 500 million by 2030 through smarter \npolicies, actionable information, capable project developers and capital providers, and \ntransformative innovative solutions. Together, its targeted projects, including a new Financing \nPartnership Platform, in partnership with the Africa Guarantee Fund and the UN Capital \nDvelopment Fund, seek to increase the willingness and ability of funders to invest in clean \ncooking companies and projects.  \nDenmark will provide at least DKK 500 million (Danish kroner; USD 70-75 million) over the \ncoming years, starting with USD 20 million new funding for the World Bank Clean Cooking \nFund. \nThe EU/Team Europe is currently implementing under AEGEI, the Africa Europe Green \nEnergy Initiative, actions on clean cooking amounting up to more than EUR 400 million, with \nan EU contribution of EUR 150 million. The EU/Team Europe will soon launch a new initiative, \nthe Regional Clean Cooking Action for West Africa – RECCAWA, with an EU contribution of \nEUR 12 million, co-financed by the Netherlands with EUR 5 million. \nFrance pledges to invest EUR 100 million over five years in clean cooking methods and will \nmobilize even more through the Paris Pact for People and the Planet and Finance in Common. \nGET.invest - as part of the European multi-donor platform GET.pro, and with funding from the \nEU, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Austria, implemented by GIZ – stands \nready to support companies in the clean cooking and clean fuels space to become investment \nready as well as to raise funding from investors or other sources of capital.   \nThe International Energy Agency (IEA) commit to develop analysis on expenditure \nrequirements categorised by technology and by finance type to support concessional finance \nproviders in pinpointing the most catalytic investment areas.  \nIreland disbursed EUR 750 000 to Clean Cooking Alliance for the Delivery Units Network in \nAfrica. The Delivery Units will be located within the President’s offices – first countries to \nestablish Units include Sierra Leone, Kenya and Rwanda. With Ireland’s funding, CCA plans \nto provide a range of network services to the Clean Cooking Delivery Units Network, through \nthe CCA Delivery Units Network Secretariat. These services include: technical assistance to \nnational governments; resource mobilization support; catalytic funding for special projects; \nleadership training and professional development for Delivery Unit staff; and a peer-to-peer \naction network to accelerate knowledge transfer and regional coalition-building. Ireland is \ncurrently the sole funder. \nLiechtenstein Bankers Association as part of the Youth Green Finance Initiative \nLiechtenstein together with the University of Liechtenstein commits to working with private \nbanks and financial institutions and international organisations, to promote private capital \ninvestments into Clean Cooking, through the Liechtenstein Finance Centre. \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n17 \nThe Netherlands will dedicate EUR 5 million to RECCAWA – a new initiative with the \nEuropean Commission, AECID, SIDA and RVO focused on supporting CC in W-Africa \nNorway has committed to provide about USD 50 million in support for clean cooking. \nSpark+ commit to channelling the USD 64 million in the current fund, Spark+ Africa Fund, as \nwell as further funding we may raise in partnership with either our current or future investors, \nfor the benefit of addressing the lack of access to clean cooking in Africa. \nThe United Kingdom (UK) announced the delivery of GBP 8.5 million on Modern Energy \nCooking Services (MECS) programme from 2024 – 2026 in two African countries. \nThe United Kingdom is committed to expanding accelerator programmes; our demonstrators \nin Uganda and Tanzania which we announced at this Summit are doing just this, and the United \nKingdom will continue to drive this agenda forward. Since 2016 our Transforming Energy \nAccess programme has been delivering GBP 265 million of UK support through effective \npartnerships and collaboration with country institutions, academics, and small businesses to \nsupport incubation, acceleration, and scaling of innovative solutions to long term financing \nchallenges. \nThe United States announced it is increasing its ambitions in the field of clean cooking through \npolicy or programmatic support totaling some USD 40 million, which will encompass \ncomplementary and wide-ranging activities across the White House, EPA, USAID, DOE, NIH, \nAgriculture, and other agencies. The United States announced that the Clean Cooking and \nClimate Consortium, which it helped launch and support, will release their draft Cooking and \nCarbon methodology for public comment this summer. This methodology is designed to cover \nall cooking transition scenarios, incentivize best practices, and incorporates latest science on \nkey parameters. The methodology will set a level playing field for project developers and \nstandards bodies and will build certainty, confidence, consistency, and transparency in the \ncooking and carbon market, which the United States believes will attract more investment to \nthe clean cooking sector and result in proper credit for each ton of carbon offset.  \nAnnouncements associated with unlocking carbon finance for \nclean cooking \nThe following 41 organisations decided to establish a collaborative Task Force committed to \nmobilising public and private finance through supporting the generation of high-integrity carbon \ncredits from clean cooking activities: the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI), Africa \nFinance Corporation (AFC), African Development Bank Group (AfDB), ATEC Global, AVSI \nFoundation, Bidhaa Sasa, BIX Capital, BURN, Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA), Climate Impact \nPartners, C-Quest Capital, DelAgua Group, EcoAct, EcoSafi, EKI Energy Services Limited, \nEnergy Commission of Ghana, Envirofit International, GET.invest, The Global Green Growth \nInstitute (GGGI), Energising Development (EnDev), Gold Standard, Hestian Innovation \nLimited, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Emissions Trading \nAssociation (IETA), IXO, Macquarie Bank Limited, Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), \nNordic Environment Finance Corporation (Nefco), ORI Partners, Perspectives Climate Group, \nSNV Netherlands Development Organisation, South Pole, TASC, TotalEnergies, UNFCCC, \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n18 \nUNICEF -Youth Agency Market Place Yoma, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Verra, \nVerst Carbon Limited, World Bank (IBRD), World Bioenergy Association. \nThe Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) commits to launching the AFC Fellowship to bring \ntogether emerging leaders from the Global North and South to come up with mutually beneficial \nsolutions that bridge the gap between these regions on issues relating to nature-based carbon \ncredits and clean cooking, inspired by AFC’s paper “How Africa Can Unlock the World’s Most \nPromising Net-Zero Solution”. \nWe [Bidhaa Sasa] endorse the development of the new clean cooking carbon project \nmethodology, currently being developed by the CCA-led Clean Cooking & Climate Consortium \n(4C), for all cooking projects under Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, as well \nas the Voluntary Carbon Market. We commit to working towards a widespread application of \ndigital MRV and improvement of data from clean cooking activities. We commit to working \ntowards creating approaches to value sustainable development co-benefits. \nBIX commits to engage in further dialogues to advance on these challenges, for instance at \nthe 24th IEA-IETA-EPRI GHG Emissions Trading Workshop on 1-3 October in Paris and at \nother dedicated fora. BIX also endorse[s] the development of the new clean cooking carbon \nproject methodology, currently being developed by the CCA-led Clean Cooking & Climate \nConsortium (4C), for all cooking projects under Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris \nAgreement, as well as the Voluntary Carbon Market. This methodology aims to incorporate the \nlatest science, increasing the requirements for substantiating realistic input parameters; \nconservative default values and flagged upper bounds incentivise direct measurements. As a \nresult, it is likely to generate the most realistic emission reductions to date, reduce integrity \nrisks, incentivise best practices, and increase consistency across standard bodies and \nthroughout the ecosystem. BIX also commits to working towards a widespread application of \ndigital MRV and improvement of data from clean cooking activities. BIX also commits to \nworking towards creating approaches to value sustainable development co-benefits. BIX also \nannounces to work towards creating a “coalition of the willing” to purchase high-quality carbon \ncredits from clean cookstoves activities through advance purchase commitments. BIX \nendorse[s] the Principles for Responsible Carbon Finance in clean cooking. \nBURN would like to commit to engage in further dialogues to advance on these challenges, \nfor instance at the 24th IEA-IETA-EPRI GHG Emissions Trading Workshop on 1-3 October in \nParis and at other dedicated fora. BURN would like to commit to endorse the development of \nthe new clean cooking carbon project methodology, currently being developed by the CCA-led \nClean Cooking & Climate Consortium (4C), for all cooking projects under Article 6.2 and \nArticle 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, as well as the Voluntary Carbon Market. This methodology \naims to incorporate the latest science, increasing the requirements for substantiating realistic \ninput parameters; conservative default values and flagged upper bounds incentivise direct \nmeasurements. As a result, it is likely to generate the most realistic emission reductions to \ndate, reduce integrity risks, incentivise best practices, and increase consistency across \nstandard bodies and throughout the ecosystem. BURN would like to commit to working \ntowards a widespread application of digital MRV and improvement of data from clean cooking \nactivities. BURN would like to commit to working towards creating approaches to value \nsustainable development co-benefits. BURN would like to commit to announce to work towards \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n19 \ncreating a “coalition of the willing” to purchase high-quality carbon credits from clean \ncookstoves activities through advance purchase commitments. BURN would like to commit to \nendorse the Principles for Responsible Carbon Finance in clean cooking. \nWe [C-Quest Capital] endorse the following commitments: commit to engage in further \ndialogues to advance on these challenges, for instance at the 24th IEA-IETA-EPRI GHG \nEmissions Trading Workshop on 1-3 October in Paris and at other dedicated fora;  endorse \nthe development of the new clean cooking carbon project methodology, currently being \ndeveloped by the CCA-led Clean Cooking & Climate Consortium (4C), for all cooking projects \nunder Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, as well as the Voluntary Carbon \nMarket. This methodology aims to incorporate the latest science, increasing the requirements \nfor substantiating realistic input parameters; conservative default values and flagged upper \nbounds incentivise direct measurements. As a result, it is likely to generate the most realistic \nemission reductions to date, reduce integrity risks, incentivise best practices, and increase \nconsistency across standard bodies and throughout the ecosystem; commit to working towards \ncreating approaches to value sustainable development co-benefits; endorse the Principles for \nResponsible Carbon Finance in clean cooking; commit to providing funding (quantum to be \nconfirmed) to fund activities to support the work of the Collaborative Task Force , and the CCA. \nThrough the Principles for Responsible Carbon Finance in Clean Cooking, the Clean Cooking \nAlliance is increasing the confidence of buyers, governments, and households in clean \ncooking carbon projects by driving actions to improve integrity, transparency, fairness and \nsustainability. The Principles are backed by a high-level Advisory Council drawn from across \nthe clean cooking carbon market ecosystem, including leading registries, project developers, \ninvestors, development partners, and market facilitators. The final Principles were publicly \nlaunched at the Summit, having already gained the endorsement of more than 100 \norganisations working in the clean cooking and carbon ecosystems. \nThrough the Clean Cooking & Climate Consortium (4C), the Clean Cooking Alliance is \nleading the development of the first ever carbon methodology designed to cover all cooking \ntransition scenarios, eliminating the need for multiple methodologies for clean cooking carbon \nprojects. This methodology is intended to become the standard for all cooking projects under \nArticle 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, as well as the Voluntary Carbon Market. It \nincorporates the latest science, increasing the requirements for substantiating realistic input \nparameters; conservative default values and flagged upper bounds incentivize direct \nmeasurements. As a result, it will generate the most realistic emission reductions to date, \nreduce integrity risks, incentivize best practices, and increase consistency across standard \nbodies and throughout the ecosystem. \nEcoAct commits to engage in further dialogues to advance on these challenges, for instance \nat the 24th IEA-IETA-EPRI GHG Emissions Trading Workshop on 1-3 October in Paris and at \nother dedicated fora. EcoAct endorses the development of the new clean cooking carbon \nproject methodology, currently being developed by the CCA-led Clean Cooking & Climate \nConsortium (4C), for all cooking projects under Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris \nAgreement, as well as the Voluntary Carbon Market. This methodology aims to incorporate the \nlatest science, increasing the requirements for substantiating realistic input parameters; \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n20 \nconservative default values and flagged upper bounds incentivise direct measurements. As a \nresult, it is likely to generate the most realistic emission reductions to date, reduce integrity \nrisks, incentivise best practices, and increase consistency across standard bodies and \nthroughout the ecosystem. EcoAct commits to working towards a widespread application of \ndigital MRV and improvement of data from clean cooking activities. EcoAct commits to working \ntowards creating approaches to value sustainable development co-benefits. EcoAct endorses \nthe Principles for Responsible Carbon Finance in clean cooking. EcoAct commits to working \ntowards the development of standardised risk mitigation tools, such as guarantees and \ninsurance products. \nEcoSafi commits to being a champion for integrity in carbon markets, and to leading by \nexample in its pursuit of the most robustly accurate carbon credits possible. It commits to \ngenerating best-in-class carbon within the cooking sector, utilizing the strictest methodology \nand metrics available that incorporate the latest and best science (including and especially for \nfNRB and for baselines) and that calculate ERs using digital MRV systems and based on fuel \nsales and/or use. The company will submit each of its projects to evaluation by an independent \nratings agency (aiming to earn the highest rating tier available), and seek to align with IC-\nVCM’s Core Carbon Principles. EcoSafi will further seek to secure host country authorizations \nfor all its credits (once regulations and procedures are available), to ensure that no double \ncounting occurs. \nEKI Energy Services Limited commits to engage in further dialogues to advance on these \nchallenges, for instance at the 24th IEA-IETA-EPRI GHG Emissions Trading Workshop on 1-\n3 October in Paris and at other dedicated fora. EKI Energy Services Limited endorses the \ndevelopment of the new clean cooking carbon project methodology, currently being developed \nby the CCA-led Clean Cooking & Climate Consortium (4C), for all cooking projects under \nArticle 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, as well as the Voluntary Carbon Market. \nThis methodology aims to incorporate the latest science, increasing the requirements for \nsubstantiating realistic input parameters; conservative default values and flagged upper \nbounds incentivise direct measurements. As a result, it is likely to generate the most realistic \nemission reductions to date, reduce integrity risks, incentivise best practices, and increase \nconsistency across standard bodies and throughout the ecosystem. EKI Energy Services \nLimited commits to working towards a widespread application of digital MRV and improvement \nof data from clean cooking activities. EKI Energy Services Limited announces to work towards \ncreating a “coalition of the willing” to purchase high-quality carbon credits from clean \ncookstoves activities through advance purchase commitments. EKI Energy Services Limited \nendorses the Principles for Responsible Carbon Finance in clean cooking. EKI Energy \nServices Limited commits to working towards the development of standardised risk mitigation \ntools, such as guarantees and insurance products. EKI Energy Services Limited wishes to \ncommit: 1) To reach a target distribution of 1 million (from existing 300 000 in Ghana, Kenya, \nMalawi & Nigeria) improved cook stoves across at least 6 different African countries in next 2 \nyears. 2) That, through its association with Jospong Group (one of the largest business \nconglomerates of Western Africa) in Ghana, EKI shall distribute another 300 000 cook stoves \nin next 1 year. 3) That, through its association with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL, \nranked 94th on Fortune 500 Global list), EKI Shall endeavor to reach out to at least 4 countries \nin next 2 years with the IOCL developed \"Surya Nutan\" solar cook stove \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n21 \n(https://iocl.com/pages/SuryaNutan). All the above activities shall also bring livelihood to more \nthan 10 000 local community members since most of the activities (from inception to \nmanufacturing to distribution to monitoring) shall be done by local skilled manpower. The scale \nshall also help in contributing to associated SDGs. These activities shall generate carbon \nrevenue in excess of USD 600 million over the lifetime of the project apart from the usual \nbenefits to the community and environment. EKI shall also endeavor to set up a factory in West \nAfrica for the manufacturing of cook stoves. EKI also takes this opportunity to formally launch \nthe woody Biomass cookstove \"GHG OORJA\" in Africa, our latest cook stove boasting an \nefficiency of 46.18%. EKI Energy Services Limited wishes to commit to providing EUR 10 000 \nto fund activities to support the work of the Collaborative Task Force. \nEnvirofit is committed to supporting the Chair’s Summary outcomes on carbon markets to the \nfullest extent possible. \nGold Standard  is willing to be part of the following pledges: to engage in further dialogues to \nadvance on these challenges, for instance at the 24th IEA-IETA-EPRI GHG Emissions Trading \nWorkshop on 1-3 October in Paris and at other dedicated fora;  to working towards a \nwidespread application of digital MRV and improvement of data from clean cooking activities; \nto working towards creating approaches to value sustainable development co-benefits. \nIXO offers to provide an open standards-based digital public goods infrastructure that can be \nfreely used to create decentralised registries of projects, cookstove devices, and carbon \ncredits. \nThe Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (Nefco) in its capacity as the fund manager \nof the Modern Cooking Facility for Africa is wholly supportive of the aspirations and objectives \nof the Carbon Markets track of the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa.Nefco would be happy \nto engage in further dialogues to advance on these challenges. In particular, Nefco commits \nto endorse the development of the new clean cooking carbon project methodology, currently \nbeing developed by the CCA-led Clean Cooking & Climate Consortium (4C), for all cooking \nprojects under Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, as well as the Voluntary \nCarbon Market. This methodology aims to incorporate the latest science, increasing the \nrequirements for substantiating realistic input parameters; conservative default values and \nflagged upper bounds incentivise direct measurements. As a result, it is likely to generate the \nmost realistic emission reductions to date, reduce integrity risks, incentivise best practices, and \nincrease consistency across standard bodies and throughout the ecosystem. Nefco commits \nto working towards a widespread application of digital MRV and improvement of data from \nclean cooking activities – actively pursued by many of our MCFA investees. Nefco commits to \nendorse the Principles for Responsible Carbon Finance in clean cooking. \nORI Partners, pledge to work towards creating approaches with the Collaborative Task Force \nin a view to develop innovative approaches maximizing sustainable development co-benefits \nand standardized risk mitigation tools like guarantees and insurance. We prioritize \nsustainability, delivering substantial benefits while effectively managing risk, driving progress \ntowards a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable future. \nTASC commits to leading initiatives enhancing the quality of carbon credits from clean and \nefficient cooking. We commit to endorse the development of the new clean cooking carbon \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n22 \nproject methodology and to engage in further dialogues to advance on these challenges, for \ninstance at the 24th IEA-IETA-EPRI GHG Emissions Trading Workshop. \nVerst Carbon pledges to enhance global clean cooking practices by developing and \ndisseminating state-of-the-art digital Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) \nsystems. We are dedicated to fostering transparency across all clean cooking projects by \ncontributing to the International Energy Agency's working groups and formulating robust \ncarbon methodologies. Verst Carbon commits to equipping projects in the global south with \nnecessary dMRV expertise and infrastructure, bridging the gap in access to carbon market \nparticipation. \nAnnouncements associated with making clean cooking a policy \npriority  \nGhana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and \nZambia endorsed the policy pledge and commit to adopt and implement a suite of policies and \nregulations adapted to national circumstances, which support scaling up clean cooking and \nattracting new innovations, technologies, institutions, firms, and investments. \nMay 2024 marks the eighth year of India’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana program, which has \nprovided clean cooking access of LPG to over 103 million deprived households predominantly \nfrom rural areas, safeguarding both women’s health and the environment. Recognising the \ncrucial role of effective and proven policies in advancing access to clean cooking, and the \nsignificance of exchanging experiences, the Government of India intends to share the \nsuccessful elements of PMUY and collaborating with African governments on the design and \nimplementation of policy measures aimed at addressing clean cooking challenges in sub-\nSaharan Africa. \nThe Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) is supporting countries to establish national clean cooking \nDelivery Units, a dedicated team of experts at the highest level of government, to accelerate \naccess to clean cooking. Sierra Leone, Kenya and Rwanda have pledged to join Africa’s first \nDelivery Units Network on clean cooking, a new platform established and administered by the \nClean Cooking Alliance to support each government’s Delivery Unit. An additional 14 countries \nacross Africa have requested to join the Delivery Units Network and CCA has the ambition to \nestablish at least 10 Delivery Units across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2027. \nAnnouncements associated with private sector investments and \ncatalysing multi-stakeholder partnerships \nPrivate sector actions and investments are critical to advance clean cooking. \nCompanies announced the following commitments at the Summit: \nATEC Global has agreed terms for a USD 3.75 million investment round with Schneider \nElectric, Spark+, DRW, SCGV and others to expand access for distributors and carbon \npartners to ATEC's IoT induction stoves across Sub-Saharan Africa. \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n23 \nBioLite commits to expanding our distribution partnerships and carbon credits program in an \neffort to deliver clean cookstoves to an additional three million households in sub-Saharan \nAfrica by 2030.  BioLite plans to deploy USD 60 million to deliver this scale of energy access. \nCircle Gas Limited has launched MGas Resources in Tanzania and will be investing \nUSD 75 million to expand its total customer base in East Africa from current 350 000 to \n750 000 by the end of 2025, in both Kenya and Tanzania. By doing so, Circle Gas \ninvestments in Clean Cooking will increase to over USD 230 million. Circle Gas Limited has \nlaunched their latest generation LPG Pay As you Go smart meter the “PX”, which is being \nmanufactured in Italy by their subsidiary Circle Manufacturing Italia Srl. The production of the \nnew generation PX meter has enabled improved durability, prolonged battery life and \nsubstantial enhanced user interface. \nEni voluntarily launched its Clean Cooking Program in 2018 and has already involved about \n500 thousand beneficiaries located in Côte d'Ivoire, Mozambique, Rwanda, Angola and the \nRepublic of Congo. Our plan is to provide access to clean cooking to more than 10 million \nbeneficiaries in Sub – Saharan Africa by 2027. Fostering the shift from improved to clean \ncooking solutions, Eni’s ambition is to reach 20 million beneficiaries by 2030, associated to an \nestimated spending of USD 300 million, and even more in the following years. \nAs the owner and operator of the world's largest fleet of renewable energy minigrids, Husk \nPower Systems (\"Husk\") supplies reliable, quality, modern and clean power to off-grid and \nweak grid communities in rural and peri-urban Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. But Husk is also \ncommitted to providing unserved communities with the ability to use that electricity to improve \ntheir lives. To mark the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, Husk pledges to launch in 2024 \nthe first-ever rural e-commerce platform dedicated to the distribution, sales and financing of \nenergy efficient appliances. This will include making clean cooking products available to \nconsumers across the continent. Husk looks forward to working closely with the IEA and other \npartners to scale this new platform.   \nKey Carbon has provided USD 36.5 million of financing to date for the manufacture and \ndistribution of clean cookstoves. Key Carbon has an ultimate goal of providing USD 1 billion of \ncarbon finance to support the global transition to clean cooking. \nKOKO Networks is the global leader in bioethanol cooking fuel, now serving 5 million people \nin Kenya and Rwanda. By partnering with global corporate and government buyers of energy-\ntransition carbon, and fuel infrastructure operators, it has now invested USD 200 million in the \nexpansion of its cooking fuel utility and has plans to increase this by 10x. We are encouraged \nby the IEA's projections that bioethanol and biogas could grow to serve 100 million people by \n2030, and 500 million people by 2040. KOKO stands committed to working with its partners, \ncurrent and future, to help make this a reality.  \nSince 2015, Oryx Energies has invested approximately USD 100 million, in Tanzanian LPG \nmarket, through its local affiliate Oryx Gas Tanzania Ltd “OGTL”. OGTL, pioneer of Clean \nCooking in Tanzania, is committed to convert further 6 million Tanzanian households from \n \n \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n24 \ncharcoal and firewood to LPG by the year 2032. Such pledge implies OGTL to continue to \ninvest in the necessary infrastructure to reach this goal at an approximate value of \nUSD 50 million by 2030.  \nShell recognises the importance of closing energy access gaps.  Shell is pleased to share \ntoday at the Summit hosted by IEA, AFDB, Tanzania and Norway governments that it has \npledged USD 200 million as part of a broader initiative to help people get access to energy in \nthe near and medium terms. The initiative will focus on several regions including sub-Saharan \nAfrica, and aims to help millions of people in underserved communities get access to electricity \nand improved cooking conditions (as defined by the World Bank Multi-Tier Framework). The \nenergy access challenge requires collaboration between private sector, governments, civil \nsociety and international organisations.  The IEA plays an important role in providing analysis \nand convening discussions with key players in the ecosystem.  \nSistema.bio is proud to announce it has launched a program to provide renewable energy \ncooking solutions through biogas to more than 1 million people in 200 000 households. This \ncreates health, gender, climate and agriculture outcomes across 10 countries in Sub-Saharan \nAfrica. Sistema.bio will bring over USD 20 million in outside financing to discount the \ninvestment by family farmers in rural areas. Sistema.bio will provide unprecedented \ntransparency and integrity in reporting through a fully digital measurement, reporting and \nverification (MRV) structure for its carbon credits. \nTo increase clean cooking access, TotalEnergies announced at the Summit on Clean \nCooking hosted by IEA, AFDB and the governments of Tanzania and Norway, its ambition to \nimpact 100 million people by investing over USD 400 million in LPG for Clean Cooking in Africa \nand in India, focused on investing in additional assets (storage, filling, bottles). In addition, the \nCompany will partner to develop pay-as-you-cook technologies in order to increase access to \nclean cooking.  \nVitol, and its daughter company, Vivo Energy, announced today at the Summit hosted by the \nIEA, AFDB and governments of Tanzania and Norway, their intention to invest USD 550+ \nmillion by 2030 in the infrastructure required to facilitate cleaner cooking solutions in  \n \n \nAfrica.  This pan-African investment comprises both LPG infrastructure, from marine terminals \nto the high-quality cylinders required for the safe distribution of LPG, and investment in clean \ncooking carbon projects. \nMultilateral partners and Stakeholders announced new strategic partnerships at \nthe Summit: \nAgence Française de Développement (AFD) commits to implement the roadmap dedicated \nto clean cooking that was developed as a deliverable of the Summit in order to mainstream \n \n \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n25 \nand scale up Clean Cooking in its operations. AFD commits to mobilize existing IDFC and \nFICS relevant coalitions in order to mainstream clean cooking financing within the activities of \nthe networks members.  \nThe African Energy Commission (AFREC) a body of the African Union (AU) together with \nits partners commits to establish an African Clean Cooking Programme to support African \nUnion Member States in the transition to clean cooking fuels and technologies through \nadvocacy and public awareness, policy and regulatory interventions, capacity development for \nmanufacturing and maintenance of clean cooking technologies, mobilization of financial \nresources and establishment of clean cooking facility for supporting African Member States. \nAFREC also announces the launch of the joint publication with MECS and ESMAP: \n“Sustainable Scaling: Meeting the Cooking Challenge in Africa” and the African Clean Cooking \nProgramme and its Facility during the African Union Summit in July 2024. \nAfrican Refiners & Distributors Association (ARDA) announces the first ARDA LPG Forum \nto be held in October 2024 in Abidjan to align on critical areas of collaboration and \nimplementation. ARDA also announces the first ARDA Investment Forum held in Cape Town \nin April 2024 with the key objective of building a consolidated register of investable energy \ninfrastructure projects in Africa. \nAVSI Foundation and the Dept. of Management of the University of Verona commit to \ndisseminate a study on households’ cooking behaviour realized in 8 African countries to \nidentify context-specific barriers and enablers towards the adoption of cleaner cooking \nsolutions. \nThe Clean Cooking Alliance is establishing a cutting-edge User-Insights Lab to drive demand \nand catalyse a transformational shift in the market by surfacing insights into clean cooking end-\nusers’ needs, behaviours, and preferences, and embedding these insights into the design and \nimplementation of clean cooking products, programs, and policies. It does so through \nmultidisciplinary action-research, bringing together ideas and tools from fields such as \nbehavioural economics, data science, product and user experience design, consumer insights, \nand diffusion of innovation. \nThe Clean Cooking Alliance and BIX will work together to develop a strategy and \nimplementation plan for transitioning schools in Sierra Leone to clean cooking technologies by \nleveraging carbon finance. \nThe Clean Cooking Alliance and World Resources Institute (WRI) are initiating a strategic \npartnership to further embed clean cooking into a broad range of sustainable development \ninitiatives across Africa and Asia. This builds on a successful collaboration incorporating clean \ncooking data from Nepal into the Energy Access Explorer, a geospatial energy planning \nplatform. This partnership will bolster WRI’s work in Africa and Nepal and spotlight the \ninterconnections of cooking, forest conservation, restoring landscapes, building resilient cities, \nimproving food security, planning for energy futures, and fostering inclusive youth \nengagement. Together with local stakeholders and governments, we can advance and \naccelerate clean cooking transitions. \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n26 \nThe Clean Cooking Alliance, African Wildlife Foundation and African Development \nBank are leading the African Conservation and Clean Cooking Collective to accelerate \nlandscape-scale clean cooking transition programs to safeguard and enhance nature-based \nconservation and restoration across the continent.  \nThe Clean Energy Ministerial Biofuture Campaign, Pivot Clean Energy, and World \nBioenergy Association announce their support for Bio-based Clean Cooking to be a \nprominent part of the agenda of the 2024 G20 Energy Transition Working Group \nMinisters’ Meeting in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil on 1-4 October as an important opportunity to \nfurther the Clean Cooking agenda, announce new commitments, take stock of progress, and \nreconvene stakeholders from the IEA Summit. \nThe multi-donor partnership Energising Development (EnDev), funded by German Federal \nMinistry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Netherlands Ministry of \nForeign Affairs (DGIS), the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Agency \nfor Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the Swiss Agency for Development and \nCooperation (SDC), contributes to SDG 7 by providing access to electrification and clean \ncooking. The \"Promotion of Climate-Friendly Cooking: Kenya and Senegal\" is financed by the \nGerman Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Green \nClimate Fund (GCF). It is contributing to reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and \nimproving people’s – and especially women’s – living conditions by transforming the improved \ncookstoves (ICS) markets in both countries, to achieve a sustainable long-term market growth. \nThereby also contributing to reaching the NDC targets in the energy sector of both countries. \nIt commits to supporting access to clean and improved cooking solutions for 11.2 million \npeople by 2025 and has reached more than 7.76 million people already by end 2023 \n(3.9 million of which were women). EnDev is committed to supporting access to modern \ncooking energy services for 28.3 million people by 2025. EnDev enhances market \ndevelopment, by strengthening clean cooking companies, creating demand and supporting an \nenabling environment and has provided access to 24.2 million people in more than 20 \ncountries worldwide by 2023. \nThe Global eCooking Accelerator (GeCA), an implementation instrument under GeCCo, is \ncommitted to reach 5 million people with access to electric cooking in the coming 5 years. \nEnDev provides the foundation for GeCA with a first commitment of EUR 10 million aiming at \nproviding 500 000 people with access to eCooking until 2025. GeCA seeks additional funding \nof at least EUR 50 million. \nThe Global Electric Cooking Coalition (GeCCo), founded by SEforALL, MECS, EnDev and \nGEAPP, confirm the COP28 pledge to support a transition into electric cooking for a significant \n(>10%) proportion of households and institutions in at least 10 countries by 2030. As of \nApril 2024, Readiness Assessments have been initiated in Uganda, Kenya, India, Malawi, \nNigeria, Sierra Leone, Laos and Nepal, and additionally the governments of Laos, Nigeria and \nSomalia have submitted Letters of Intent in support of the coalition.  \nThe Global LPG Partnership (GLPGP) and African Refiners & Distributors Association \n(ARDA) announce their intention to raise a USD 1 billion fund to enable clean cooking with \nLPG.  \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n27 \nThe Global Platform for Action (GPA)2 partner organisations commit to advocate locally and \ninternationally to integrate clean cooking solutions for displaced people into national \ndevelopment and energy policies and associated funding strategies, with a goal of inclusive \npolicies developed in 10 countries by 2030. The GPA partner organisations affirms its \ncommitments to deliver collective actions on clean cooking solutions in displacement settings \nand hosting communities by providing supporting services to mainstream sustainable, \naffordable, and reliable energy access for crisis affected and hosting communities, aiming to \nmeet the clean cooking needs of 25 million people by 2030. The GPA partner organisations \naim to collectively mobilise financing of USD 650 million by 2030 for improved and modern \ncooking solutions in displacement settings and hosting communities through an increase in \nintegrated humanitarian-development partnerships, enhanced engagement with the private \nsector and collective resource mobilisation efforts. \nKTH Royal Institute of Technology announces the establishment of an inclusive and open \ncoalition of universities and research-focused institutions, including the AVSI Foundation, the \nKenya Medical Research Institute, the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme, \nSustainable Energy for All, the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, the University of Liverpool, \nthe University of Strathmore, and the World Resources Institute, with the ambition of reinforcing \nand reinvigorating global efforts in clean cooking research and innovation research efforts on \nclean cooking. This coalition will facilitate joint research projects and the sharing of analysis, \ndata, and other materials. The group will initiate the effort by releasing a white paper outlining \na roadmap for research activities to support progress in clean cooking initiatives. \nModern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) announces that the COP28 pledge of additional \nfunding from the UK’s FCDO is already being implemented, initially in the form of country \ndemonstrators in Tanzania and Uganda.  \nMercy Corps announces the commitment to facilitate Africa-led partnerships in at least five of \nthe most crises-affected countries in the continent, to bridge public and private initiatives to \nsupport the market penetration of reliable, reputable, and certified clean cooking products in \nhumanitarian, rural, and urban settings. These partnerships include local governments, \ninclusive representations of the end-users, private sector actors, UN agencies, research \nbodies, and financial institutions. The first commitment is to lead the Solar-Electric Cooking \nPartnership (SOLCO) in Uganda to facilitate the acquisition of e-cooking devices for 150 000 \nfamilies in displacement settlements by 2027. To this end, Mercy Corps is excited to announce \nthat we are exploring two potential cornerstone partnerships with the Embassy of the \nNetherlands in Uganda and with the World Bank/UECCC to support this initiative.  \nPivot Clean Energy, Biofutures Campaign, KOKO Networks announce the formation of an \nindustry working group to support the growth of bioethanol fuel for the cooking sector, \npromoting sustainable production and affordable clean fuel distribution. \n \n2 Please note that the above targets are developed to advance the collective advocacy campaign of the GPA and humanitarian \nenergy community. Therefore, such commitments may differ from the individual organisational targets of the members of the \nGPA. These are not binding for individual organizations of the GPA and does not show a formal commitment of the \norganizations. Organisations beyond the GPA community have showed interest in joining this advocacy campaign as mentioned \nin the following page. \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n28 \nSEforAll and the IEA join forces in a collaboration to monitor and analyse financial investments \ndirected towards clean cooking projects. This strategic partnership aims to enhance the \ntransparency and efficacy of funding allocation. SEforALL announces the Sustainable Energy \nfor All Global Forum to take stock of the Summit actions and enticing new announcements in \nsupport of clean cooking. SEforALL and partners announce the upcoming launch of a new \nround of call for proposals under the Energy Access Booster, including on electric cooking in \ninstitutional settings. \nThe Solar-Electric Cooking Partnership (SOLCO), a multi-stakeholder platform, pledges to \ntransition 250 000 households to solar-electric cooking across refugee-hosting communities in \nAfrica by 2027, raising USD 20 million in funding and USD 80 million in financing. SOLCO \npartners, whom each fulfil a sub-component towards the global commitment of SOLCO, to \ndate include the following: Government of Uganda; Government of Zambia; Government of \nNigeria; GeCCo – the Global Electric Cooking Coalition; WFP; UNEP; GPA; IKEA Foundation; \nMercy Corps; Instiglio; Kiva; Mission East; Pesitho; Ecoca East Africa; ATEC-Global; Burn \nManufacturing; Village Infrastructure Angels; African Youth Action Network; CECI Uganda; \nLive in Green; Vision Fund Uganda; Finnish Church Aid; HCBL; Last Mile Climate. \nUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is supporting regional, country, and \ncommunity level-action to expand solar electric cooking technology markets, and to build \nnational capacity on clean cooking. The Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution and Climate \nChange for Sustainable Development in Africa produced by UNEP, the Climate and Clean Air \nCoalition (CCAC), and the African Union Commission (AUC) identified clean cooking and \nefficient household appliances for refrigeration and air conditioning as vital to meeting \nAgenda 2063: The Africa We Want, and recommended the development of an Africa Clean Air \nProgramme to address indoor and ambient air pollution. This programme is now being \ndeveloped by UNEP, the CCAC, and AUC, additionally advancing implementation of the \nUNEA 6 resolution on regional air quality. The UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air \nCoalition (CCAC) is additionally providing support through the CCAC Household Energy Hub \nto developing country partners to scale clean cooking, lighting, and heating solutions to reduce \nshort-lived climate pollutants, including through the development of innovative finance \nmechanisms, especially to promote renewable energy e-cooking solutions, and support for \nhousehold energy NDC commitments. The UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (CCC) is \ncollaborating with the WHO and the MECS research team to support a group of countries that \nsigned up to the GeCCo initiative launched at COP28, specifically to convene climate and \nhealth sector stakeholders and investors to articulate investment strategies in support of e-\ncooking technology targets in the revised NDCs. \nThe U.S. Grains Council (USGC) represents the US corn industry that stands ready to support \nclean cooking with sustainable supplies of bioethanol, which can supplement local production \nas needed. Promoting clean cooking fuelled by bioethanol aligns with USGC’s mission to \ndevelop markets, enable trade, and improve lives. USGC anticipates dedicating \nUSD 1.75 million to advance clean cooking globally over a period of five years. We anticipate \napproximately 50% will be allocated to Sub-Saharan Africa. We intend to collaborate with \nregional, national, and local stakeholders in Sub-Saharan Africa to champion clean cooking \nwith bioethanol through policy reform and infrastructure development.  \n\n\n      \n     \n     \n \n \n \n \n \n29 \nWest and Central Africa Alliance for Biodigester (WCA/AB), as strategic partner, commits \nto build an enabling environment for broad dissemination of biodigesters in his region as tool \nof rural development in align with socio economic priorities. Every two years, the West and \nCentral African Alliance for Biodigesters (WCA/AB) organizes the International Biodigester \nTechnology Conference. This event provides an opportunity for member states of this \norganization and for African countries in general to share their experiences and advance the \nissue of clean cooking, while calling for greater commitment from states and increased \ninvestment in the sector from partners. \nThe World Bioenergy Association commits to support the dissemination of clean cooking \nwith pellets from agricultural residues by providing a comprehensive platform of information \nand support for project developers and operators of pelleting operations. \nSchool meal programmes can advance environmental objectives by incorporating planet-\nfriendly actions such as clean cooking solutions in schools. Schools are an ideal entry point \nfor cross cutting SDG action to reach further into communities diffusing clean cooking \nknowledge through examples and education. Recognizing the importance of taking swift \naction, World Food Programme (WFP) has entered into a framework agreement with \nSustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). This collaboration underscores our commitment to \nadvancing sustainable energy initiatives in schools. In collaboration with SEforAll, the UK-\nfunded MECS programme, and the Government of Tanzania, a first joint institutional eCooking \nprogram is set to commence in Tanzania, targeting 50 schools. The initiative has the potential \nto expand to over 5 000 grid-connected schools. To scale implementation, WFP and partners \naim to reach 10 000 schools and 5 million children globally in the next 3 years, calling for an \ninvestment of about USD 100 million combined with carbon credit to achieve this. Furthermore, \nleveraging its six decades of school meals expertise, WFP will advocate to governments and \nother stakeholders on the need to scale the ambition for clean cooking in schools – an issue \narea in the clean cooking space that has the potential to accelerate change for policy and \ndecision-makers. \nThe World Liquid Gas Association (WLGA) the global industry body representing the LPG \nsector, announces the establishment of the Cooking For Life Africa Task Force (CFLA), an \nindustry-wide initiative dedicated to promoting and coordinating actions for affordable and \nsustainable LPG use for cooking across Africa. This effort includes developing an Africa LPG \nroadmap, which will be launched at COP29, and a commitment to gather and share market \ndata and other key safety and operational and good practices information that pertains to the \nLPG business. The Task Force currently comprises 6 permanent members (Equinor, Petredec, \nOryx Energies, NNPC, S&P Global, TotalEnergies). In addition, the Task Force will engage \nwith other stakeholders such as ARDA and GLPGP. Regular progress assessments and \nperiodic working groups will be convened to ensure effective implementation of commitments.  \nThe Yoma Youth Opportunity Market, initiated by UNICEF and its Consortium Partners, \ncommits to mobilizing a youth workforce for clean cooking and as a way to generate green \njobs for youth in Africa.  \n \n\n\nChairs' summary for the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa\nNews\n14 May 2024\nA broad coalition of stakeholders on clean cooking met in Paris on 14 May, at the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, co-chaired by the\nPresident of the United Republic of Tanzania H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Prime Minister of Norway H.E. Jonas Gahr Støre, the President of\nthe African Development Bank Group Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, and the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Dr. Fatih Birol.\nThe world is way behind on its goal to deliver affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all as stipulated in Sustainable\nDevelopment Goal (SDG) 7. One area in particular – clean cooking – has seen a concerning lack of progress, particularly in Africa. According\nto the IEA, nearly four in five people in Africa still cook their meals over open fires and traditional stoves using polluting fuels. The lack of\nclean cooking has dire consequences for health, gender equality and the climate, contributing to nearly half a million premature deaths of\nwomen and children annually in Africa alone.\nWe know that the solutions are well known, and we affirm that our primary focus should be on ensuring affordable access in a timely manner\nto cleaner and modern cooking solutions – which include biomass in high performance stoves, biogas, bioethanol, liquified petroleum gas\n(LPG), electric – all of which can deliver benefits in terms of health, productivity, gender equality, forest preservation, biodiversity, and\nemissions reductions. We affirm that the strategies taken by countries to advance clean cooking will depend on local context, and that each\ncountry has sovereignty to shape this agenda in a manner consistent with people-centred energy transitions.\nThe cost of solving this issue is relatively small, with the IEA estimating that USD 4 billion of capital investments would be required annually\nto achieve clean cooking access for all African people by 2030. Reaching universal access to clean cooking fuels and technologies will\ndepend on strong national and regional leadership, and programmes that are reinforced by international financial support, partnerships, and\nindustry efforts.\n\n\nThe Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa brought together over 1000 delegates, including 55 government delegations, convening 4 Heads of\nGovernment in Paris, with 23 ministers in attendance, and several Heads of international organisations. The Summit was also attended by\nhigh-level representatives from industry, development partners, philanthropies, and civil society, making it the largest-ever gathering\ndedicated to the shared objective of advancing clean cooking access in Africa. Additionally, President Macron of France hosted a special\nsession at the Elysée on the occasion of the Summit.\nAt the Summit, USD 2.2 billion worth of financing and investments was mobilised from government and private sector sources, with many\nannouncing their intention to expand their support for clean cooking in Africa in the future. We welcome, in particular, several new providers\nof finance and funding who have previously not been a major provider for clean cooking. These new announcements are in addition to the\nAfrican Development Bank Group’s commitment at COP28 to channel USD 2 billion for clean cooking over 10 years and will boost the\nexisting direct development assistance already available via other government and multi-lateral sources. We call upon others to reinforce\nthese efforts and allocate additional financial resources to clean cooking in the coming years, through development finance, private sector\nengagement, and carbon credits. In particular, President Samia Suluhu Hassan called for a generous next replenishment of the African\nDevelopment Fund, earmarking USD 12 billion for clean cooking, in her remarks.\nThere was also broad acknowledgement of the significant role that carbon credits and climate finance have already played in scaling clean\ncooking efforts, recognising the potential for further expansion of this support, within the context of Article 6 and voluntary markets,\nprovided these are met with high-integrity credits used responsibly. To that end, at the Summit, over forty organisations decided to establish\na Collaborative Task Force committed to the generation of and demand for high-integrity carbon credits from clean cooking activities based\non updated methodologies that address the concerns of carbon credit integrity, noting in particularly the momentum building around the\nClean Cooking Alliance-led Clean Cooking and Climate Consortium (4C) initiative.\nAt the Summit, nine African governments have publicly committed to making access to clean cooking a national priority and are taking\nnecessary steps to implement proven policy measures in their countries to usher greater progress. We note with great appreciation the\nAfrican Heads of State and government leaders present at the Summit, noting with gratitude the role of President of the United Republic of\nTanzania H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan as a champion of clean cooking on the continent for making clean cooking a pan African priority through\nthe African Women Clean Cooking Support Programme – a gender responsive just energy transition programme in Africa launched at\nCOP28. We equally applaud Tanzania for the launch of a 10-year National Clean Cooking Strategy for the country and call upon all African\ngovernments to push clean cooking towards the top of their national agendas and implement policy approaches that have proven successful\nin the past, including in India, Brazil, Egypt, India, and Indonesia.\nAt the Summit, participants welcomed the recent commitment by the G7 Climate, Energy, and the Environment Ministers to promote clean\ncooking, the announcement by the Brazil G20 Presidency that clean cooking will feature prominently in its G20 agenda, and the recognition\n\n\nof clean cooking as one of the priority issues for Azerbaijan’s COP29 Presidency. This Summit also carries forward the important\ndevelopment agenda laid out in the Paris Pact for People and the Planet and can be seen as a milestone under the umbrella of that broader\nagenda. We will continue to advance the clean cooking agenda with a coalition of committed actors within the context of these initiatives,\nincluding at the Summit for the Future and the 2025 Financing for Development Conference. At the Summit, participants also emphasised\nthe importance of building on existing partnerships and initiatives rather than creating new ones that potentially duplicate existing efforts.\nThe Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa is a pivotal milestone in the collective journey towards universal access to clean cooking.\nStakeholders at the Summit agreed to support further efforts to increase delivery capacity for clean cooking in Africa and many participants\nannounced concrete actions and commitments, representing important steps toward this end. A separate Summit Outcome Document and\nAction Plan catalogues all the pledges, announcements, and commitments made. It also documents the key actions discussed amongst\nparticipants to advance the clean cooking agenda across three key pillars: (i) scaling up Finance for Clean Cooking in Africa, (ii) Making\nClean Cooking a Policy Priority, and (iii) Catalysing Multi-stakeholder Partnerships.\nFollowing the Summit, attention must now turn to implementation of commitments and outcomes – a task that the Summit co-chairs commit\nto support. Many actors will take forward pieces of the agenda identified at the Summit, including within the context of the African Clean\nCooking Consortium (ACCC) and the Africa Women Clean Cooking Support Programme (AWCCSP). Key follow-on actions include supporting\npolicy implementation, mobilising more financial commitments and investments, convening stakeholders on clean cooking at future events\nand Summits, a new task force committed to enhancing the generation of and demand for carbon credit from clean cooking. We will ensure\nthe continuing of IEA’s tracking of clean cooking progress, investment, and energy demand, which will be provided annually as a means of\ngauging progress against commitments made at the Summit and future events.\nFinally, we applaud the 130 delegations who, at the Summit, joined us in a statement of commitment to advance clean cooking efforts in\nAfrica, through their endorsement of the high-level Clean Cooking Declaration. This group included 28 governments, as well as many\ninternational organisations, governments, and civil society. The declaration is a clear demonstration of our shared commitment and resolve\nto collective action, and progressing this important agenda through various fora until this issue is finally solved.\n\n\nDownload the Summit Outcome Document and Action Plan\nLearn more\nRead the press release\nThe Energy Mix\nGet updates on the IEA’s latest news, analysis, data and events delivered twice monthly.\nYour email\nSubscribe\nBrowse\nTopics\nCountries & regions\nEnergy system\nProgrammes\nExplore\nReports\nFollow\nLearn\nAbout\nNews and commentaries\nEvents\nGlossary\nConnect\nContact\nPress\nView sample\nExplore our other newsletters\nJobs\nDelegates\n\n\nData & statistics\nTerms\nPrivacy","difficulty":"easy","domain":"Multi-Document QA","length":"short","question":"Based on the information provided in these news articles, which of the following conclusions regarding African clean cooking is the most reliable?","sub_domain":"Multi-news"}

Source: https://huggingface.co/datasets/zai-org/LongBench-v2

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