Clean Energy for Health Care Conference

The United Nations Foundation, together with our partners, is hosting a conference on Clean Energy for Health Care in Nairobi, Kenya from April 24-25, 2019 that will bring together key energy and health sector stakeholders, including policymakers, development partners, practitioners, funders, and NGOs to promote the role of clean energy in creating stronger and more resilient health systems in Africa.

It is estimated that one in four health facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa lacks access to electricity, and three in four facilities lack reliable power. This absence of adequate power impedes the delivery of quality health care. It leads to vaccine spoilage, interruptions in the use of essential medical and diagnostic devices, and lack of even the most basic lighting and communications for maternal delivery and emergency procedures. It also limits the hours of operation and retention of rural health workers and undermines the provision of adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene. Simply put, the capacity of Africa’s health systems – from community clinics to urban hospitals – to deliver adequate care is hugely hampered by the continent’s lack of access to electricity.

The conference will bring together partners to:

• Raise awareness among policymakers to the importance of and the opportunity that renewable energy and energy efficiency play in creating stronger, more resilient health systems in Africa and to why additional attention to and resources for this issue are urgently needed.
• Exchange knowledge and practical experiences in delivering energy services to health facilities in resource-constrained environments. Emphasis will be placed on how to improve upon the “business-as-usual” approach to powering health facilities, through innovations and best practices in fields such as decentralized renewable energy, energy-efficient medical devices, and financing/delivery models.
• Build a coalition in support of global action on clean energy and health care.

Please note that this is a by-invitation-only event and attendees must have received an invitation from the United Nations Foundation team to attend the conference. If you would like to request an invitation or transfer your ticket to a colleague, please contact info@poweringhc.org.