Unlocking progress: cross-sectoral
coordination to support REDD+ and
sustainable energy access
Emily Brickell, Senior Research Officer
Improving energy access through climate finance: picking the winners
University of Twente, 26th March 2013
Overview
• Focus on case study on Uganda and drawing on
previous ODI research on REDD+ and energy
• Relationship between forests and energy in Uganda
– Trade-offs and synergies
• Cross-sectoral coordination
– Challenges
– Potential influence of REDD+
• Implications for the conference questions
2
Unlocking progress on REDD+:
sector coordination in Uganda
• Sector coordination in Uganda
– Cross-sectoral
– Vertical
• Political economy analysis
• Challenges to sector
coordination
• Paper is framed from a ‘REDD+
perspective’
• Here, consider implications for
both REDD+ and energy
3
Forests and energy
in Uganda
• >90% households rely on
woodfuel for energy
• 2% deforestation per year
• RPP lists woodfuel as the
main driver of deforestation
in northern and eastern
Uganda
• Deforestation is increasing
poverty
– e.g. higher woodfuel
costs
Trade-offs and synergies
•
Potential trade-offs
– If woodfuel continues to drive deforestation, will hamper
REDD+ efforts
– If REDD+ restricts access to forests or target woodfuel use
without addressing energy need, will affect energy access
•
Opportunities for synergies
– Deforestation affecting both REDD+ and energy access
 Certain policies and measures could contribute to both
secure energy access and REDD+
− sustainable management of woodfuel resources
− improving energy efficiency
− establish plantations
− alternative energy sources
•
5
Promoting synergies relies on cross-sectoral coordination
Cross-sectoral coordination in Uganda
Efforts made but, to date,
not fully effective
Challenges to cross-sectoral coordination
• Policy conflicts and gaps exist
– Regulation of woodfuel and charcoal is “inadequate
and unclear”
• Multiple institutions regulating the same
resource
– Confusing and prone to abuse by both producers
and government officials
• Various coordination mechanisms but challenges
remain
– Formal responsibility but lack resources or power to
exercise
7
Underlying challenge: low priority
•
Competing interests in the national government
– Government policy promotes fast economic growth and rural
transformation
•
Forests and environment are low priority
– Few perceived interests
– Inadequate funding for forests and environment sector
– Undervalue contributing of forests to development and economy
• Often in the informal and non-cash economy
• FAO study
– Fuelwood accounts for 40% of the local economy
– Non-cash component 3 times the value of the cash component
•
Infrastructure development, including energy, is a key area in 2012/13 national
budget
– Main focus on oil and hydro, often for export (informally)

Few incentives to
− Strengthen cross-sector coordination
− Address deforestation and implications for energy access and REDD+
8
How might REDD+ influence crosssectoral coordination?
• RPP recognises the need to address cross-sectoral
coordination
• Establishes coordination structures including energy
ministry
– Too early to assess effectiveness
– Risk of further complicating policy space?
• Potential for policy conflicts highlighted
– But RPP does not review energy policies
• Identify potential measures relating to energy
– e.g. regulating charcoal production and trade,
enforcement, energy efficiency, woodfuel production
• A potential opportunity for ring-fenced budgets?
– To help address capacity gap
9
Further research areas
• Analyse informal rules and incentives affecting crosssectoral coordination
• Role of non-state actors in influencing incentives
• Better understanding of the role of forests for energy
(and other development priorities)
• Explore policy options that result in trade-offs and
synergies
10
Implications for the questions
–
–
Are REDD+ programmes likely to lead to increases in energy access?
Will restrictions on forest use simply make access to sources of
traditional energy and other ecosystem services more difficult?
•
In the case of Uganda, potential trade-offs and synergies
– Depends on policies and measures implemented
• REDD+ could provide a potential incentive to support energy access
• Will need to contribute to energy access priorities
– Needs to be an explicit effort to balance objectives and minimise trade-offs
• REDD+ needs to not just be in the hands of environment and forests
ministries
•
Strengthen cross-sectoral coordination
– Need to overcome political and technical barriers
– Balance different objectives, interests and cultures
– Political and financial support and incentives offered by REDD+ provide a
potential opportunity
•
A forgotten issue?
– Low priority could undermine both objectives
11
Thank you
Emily Brickell
e.brickell@odi.org.uk
Overseas Development Institute
203 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ
T: +44 207 9220 300
www.odi.org.uk