Geneva, SANA -The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for enhanced international cooperation to expand financial support for renewable energy in developing countries. Despite electricity reaching approximately 92% of the global population, more than 666 million people remain without access.

In a report published on its website, the UN agency noted that although basic energy access has improved since 2022, the current pace is insufficient to achieve universal access by 2030—one of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The report highlighted the role of cost-effective, distributed renewable energy—such as small-scale on-grid and off-grid solar systems—in accelerating access, particularly for populations in remote, low-income, and vulnerable areas that remain disconnected from national power grids.

Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, stated: “Despite progress in some parts of the world, the expansion of access to electricity and clean cooking remains disappointingly slow, especially in Africa,” where 85% of the world’s electricity-deprived population resides.

The WHO also reported that regional disparities persist, with an estimated 1.5 billion people in rural areas lacking access to clean cooking solutions. Over 2 billion people still rely on polluting and hazardous fuels such as firewood and coal to meet their cooking needs.

The organization emphasized that insufficient and unaffordable financing is a key factor behind these disparities and the slow progress. While international public financial flows to developing countries for clean energy have increased since 2022, they were significantly lower in 2023 compared to 2016.

Nawal/Manar Salameh