Energy–Development Nexus: Towards a People-Centered Approach

Since its establishment in 2012, the UNESCO Chair in Energy for Sustainable Development has committed to higher education and capacity building, research for local development, and science diplomacy in which the Chair has achieved relevant impact within Italy and internationally with a particular focus on the Global South. The relevance of the mandate of the Chair was further boasted in 2015 when the United Nations officially dedicated a goal to energy within the 17 Sustainable Development Goals enshrined in the 2030 Agenda. Within its work on higher education and capacity building, the Chair developed and taught cross-disciplinary M.Sc. and Ph.D. courses including MOOCs on the nexus between access to energy and sustainable development, for both students of Polimi and lecturers affiliated with external partners. The Chair has also engaged in diverse research project for local development including the EU-funded PRE-LEAP-RE Horizon 2020 project and the resultant LEAP-RE which is ongoing. In addition to generating knowledge through research, the Chair has also organized and contributed to the organization of conferences and workshops for scientific communication, knowledge sharing, and networking among researchers in European and African countries. These initiatives among others such as engagement with policymakers, and regional and multilateral organizations are also part of the activities of the chair on science diplomacy. In consolidation of its multidimensional contributions towards a people-centered approach, in 2021 the Chair organized a webinar with the theme Energy–Development Nexus: Towards a People-Centered Approach, which hosted speakers from academia, multilateral organizations, and business organizations. Perspectives shared at the webinar further emphasized the need to enforce capacity building, gender equity, and consumer education.