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Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Cluster System and Energy
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) established the Humanitarian Cluster System in 2005 to strengthen coordination across UN and non-UN partners engaged in non-refugee humanitarian emergencies.[1] It includes 11 global clusters, each led by designated UN agencies in collaboration with NGOs and national authorities.[2] In emergencies that include refugees, UNHCR applies the Refugee Coordination Model (RCM), which calls for the establishment of inter-sectoral working groups that closely mirror the cluster system.[3]
Energy is not a standalone need and is instead a cross-cutting enabler that is essential to the work and smooth functioning of all clusters in the system.[4] However, the lack of a designated cluster for energy has meant that its coordination within the humanitarian response is often fragmented and deprioritized. This leads to siloed procurement and implementation of energy solutions, hinders the uptake of solar and other renewable and low-carbon energy technologies by humanitarian actors, and limits the ability of these actors to provide reliable energy access to communities in protracted situations of fragility and displacement.
In contrast, improved coordination of energy in the humanitarian response has a number of benefits for organizations, including cost savings and enhanced security of operational energy supply for all cluster partners. Greater coordination is also essential for accelerating the humanitarian sector’s progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and particularly SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy for All and SDG 13: Climate Action.
Evolving Coordination Efforts
Efforts to strengthen energy coordination in the Cluster System began with the establishment of the Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) in Humanitarian Settings working group in 2007 to improve coordination, knowledge sharing, and research on fuel and energy needs for conflict-affected populations.[5] The Moving Energy Initiative (MEI), which ran from 2014 to 2018, was established to produce research and raise awareness about the importance of humanitarian energy policy and practice.[6]
In 2018, the Global Platform for Action (GPA) on Sustainable Development in Displacement Settings was established as the inter-agency platform to ensure energy access for displaced and host communities affected by conflict and crisis, contributing to wider Leave No One Behind efforts to achieving SDG 7.[7] The GPA Secretariat and its partners drive collaboration across humanitarian, development, government and private sector actors to scale energy access solutions for clean cooking and electricity access as well as transition the humanitarian response to more sustainable energy solutions.
At the field level, coordination of energy in humanitarian emergency and displacement settings today often occurs through Energy and Environment Technical Working Groups (EETWGs), which have been introduced in countries such as Uganda, Ethiopia, Venezuela. These groups support training, knowledge sharing, and joint planning among clusters activated in the humanitarian response. The Humanitarian Energy Exchange Network (HEEN) also serves a coordination space for experienced energy and humanitarian practitioners operating globally to exchange knowledge and coordinate activities.
Individual humanitarian energy projects have also been implemented in several countries. Examples include the Humanitarian Engineering and Energy for Displacement (HEED) project in Rwanda and Nepal, the Alianza Shire projects in Ethiopia, Renewable Energy for Refugees (RE4R) in Rwanda and Jordan, and the Energy Solutions for Displacement Settings (ESDS) project in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.
Energy as an Enabler for Each Cluster
While energy is not a standalone cluster in the IASC Cluster System, it is essential for achieving the objectives of all clusters. Clean, reliable and affordable energy access enhances service delivery, reduces risks and supports sustainability across humanitarian operations. Below is an overview of how energy enables each cluster’s work, along with the lead agencies responsible for coordination.
- ↑ United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “We Coordinate.” UNOCHA. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://www.unocha.org/we-coordinate.
- ↑ UNHCR. “Cluster Approach.” UNHCR Emergency Handbook. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://emergency.unhcr.org/coordination-and-communication/cluster-system/cluster-approach.
- ↑ UNHCR. “Refugee Coordination Model (RCM).” UNHCR Emergency Handbook. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://emergency.unhcr.org/coordination-and-communication/refugee-coordination-model/refugee-coordination-model-rcm.
- ↑ Thomas, Patrick J.M., Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, and Abigail Jenks. “Moving Beyond Informal Action: Sustainable Energy and the Humanitarian Response System.” Journal of International Humanitarian Action 6, no. 1 (2021): 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-021-00102-x.
- ↑ Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) Task Force: Terms of Reference. February 2016. https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/sites/default/files/migrated/2016-02/safe_working_group_tor_2016.pdf.
- ↑ Chatham House. “Moving Energy Initiative: Sustainable Energy for Displacement Settings.” Chatham House. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-departments/environment-and-society-centre/moving-energy-initiative-sustainable-energy.
- ↑ Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings (GPA). Strategic Framework for Action: Delivering Sustainable Energy in Humanitarian Settings. 2018. https://www.humanitarianenergy.org/assets/uploads/gpa_framework_final-compressed.pdf.
