Dartmouth Workshop, May 2023

The workshop took a multi- disciplinary look at how to accelerate the transition of UN peacekeeping missions to renewable energy. Drawing on the knowledge of UN leaders, energy and entrepreneurial experts, diplomatic and policy leaders, and the financial sectors, we focused on moving from good intentions to practical plans to meet the UN’s climate change goals, as well as the aims of host nations, UN missions, and the needs of the populations they serve.

Click here for biographies of participating panelists.

The Powering Peace workshop was made possible through generous support from The Leila and Melville Straus 1960 Family Symposium Fund at Dartmouth College.

Day One

Core Questions, Challenges & Opportunities for Renewable Energy in Fragile States with Peace Operations

Welcome, Opening Remarks and Introductions

Tori Holt, Dickey Center, Dartmouth

Panel I: Fragile States, Transitions and Energy Access – How UN Missions Can Help Meet the Challenge

Even as today’s UN missions remain reliant on diesel fuel, multiple efforts are strengthening those operations and accelerating their shift to renewable energy. What is working? This session will lay the broad groundwork with perspectives on how the UN Environmental Strategy is progressing; the role of UN transitions and partnerships with international financial institutions; the experience of senior leadership leading UN missions; research findings; and the perspective of a renewable energy entrepreneur working in the DRC. Each speaker will share their insights.

Moderator: Tori Holt, Director, John Sloan Dickey Center, and co-founder, Powering Peace initiative
Jo Harvey, Chief Environment Section, Office of the Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Department of Operational Support
Madalene O’Donnell, Senior UN-IFI Partnership Advisor, Peacebuilding Support Office, UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Amb. James Swan, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General, UN Assistance Mission in Somalia, and Magro Family Distinguished Visitor in International Affairs, Dartmouth
Dave Mozersky, President, Energy Peace Partners
Washikala Malango, Co-Founder & CEO, Altech Group, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Panel II: Making a Development, Climate & Philanthropy Case for Renewable Energy Access

Ambitions to accelerate access to energy in war-affected countries parallels efforts to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for access to clean energy through development and philanthropy in countries emerging from conflict. Efforts to support climate mitigation and reduced emissions also aim to accelerate renewable energy access and goals. How do these efforts intersect? Do they work across the COP process, development aims and philanthropy? Where does that stand in countries where UN missions operate?

Moderator: Andrew Hyde, Director and Senior Fellow, Powering Peace Initiative, Stimson Center
Minoru Takada, Team Leader (Sustainable Energy), Division for Sustainable Development Goals, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)
Professor Tracy Bach, Professor, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth
Hans Olav Ibbrek, Senior Climate Envoy, Norway Climate Lead, Norway
Ali Al Saffar, Director, Power & Climate, Rockefeller Foundation

Panel III: The Business Case: How to Make Renewable Energy Available & Sustainable?

For a transition to renewable energy to work, the private and public sectors must be involved. What are those roles, how does it work, and are current enterprises commercially viable and replicable? What needs to be in place for a business case to be made – and sustained?

Moderator: Sherwin Das, Managing Director, Energy Peace Partners

Private Companies
Mads Uhlin Hansen, CEO, Kube Energy
Olusegun Odunaiya, Managing Director, Havenhill Synergy Limited
Ieva Indriunaite, Policy and Partnerships Manager, CAMCO

Public Multilateral Institutions
Marcus Williams, Global Head and Sector Manager – Energy & Extractive Industries, MIGA, World Bank
Stafan Rajaonarivo, Transaction Advisory Team, International Finance Corp (IFC)
Zafar Samadov, Program Officer, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Panel IV: Do the Parts Add Up? A System Review

This working session will consider what we can learn from models and data, engaging with Dartmouth faculty who can help understand and communicate potential impacts to policy, processes, decision making, and risk factors. What will be needed to make energy access accessible in conflict-affected countries? How do systems thinkers engage stakeholders in their work? And how do they frame complex problems to be able to model outcomes of potential solutions, as well as look at immediate and longer term impact predictions?

Moderator: Tori Holt, Director, John Sloan Dickey Center, and co-founder, Powering Peace initiative
Professor Vikrant Vaze, Stata Family Career Development Associate Professor of Engineering; Program Area Lead: Mechanical, Operations & Systems Engineering, Dartmouth
Professor Erin Mayfield, Hodgson Family Assistant Professor of Engineering, Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth
Professor Steve Peterson, Senior Lecturer, Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth

Day Two

Synthesizing & Next Steps

Panel V: The Big Idea. Building the (Business) Case

Given the discussion on the range of interested actors, from UN missions, international finance institutions, and philanthropy, supporting climate, peacebuilding and economic development aims, what is needed to make it add up? Will the private sector be enabled and be able to offer energy as a service in a sustainable, longer-term way to conflict-affected communities and sustain peace?

Moderator: April Salas, Irving Institute
Anant Sundaram, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth
Richard Smith, Environmental Management Advisor, UN Rapid Environmental and Climate Technical Assistance Facility, UN Department of Operational Support
Zafar Samadov, Program Officer, International Renewable Energy Agency
Ieva Indriunaite, Policy and Partnerships Manager, CAMCO

Panel VI: Stock-Taking: Where do we go from here?

What is the future agenda, from the UN Compacts to the next COP meeting? What are the other opportunities? Speakers will kick off the discussion.