Energy Transition in Yemen: A Path to Justice and Sustainable Development – Arab Reform Initiative

Report on Yemen’s Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Executive Summary

Yemen’s energy sector is in a state of severe crisis, directly impeding progress toward multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The lack of reliable electricity, a core component of SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), exacerbates the nation’s humanitarian crisis and undermines socio-economic recovery efforts central to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). This report outlines the critical need for a just and conflict-sensitive energy transition in Yemen. Such a transition is positioned as a foundational pathway to enhance energy access, advance decarbonization efforts under SDG 13 (Climate Action), and support peace-building initiatives aligned with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

The analysis identifies significant challenges, including fragmented governance, weak institutional capacity, and limited resources. However, it also highlights key opportunities for transformative action, particularly through decentralized, community-led projects in rural areas. These initiatives offer a viable strategy for advancing SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by building local resilience. A comprehensive, evidence-based framework is proposed, prioritizing equitable access, institutional capacity, and economic recovery. This framework mandates the meaningful participation of marginalized groups, including women and youth, to ensure progress on SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Achieving these objectives requires a multi-stakeholder partnership, as envisioned in SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), involving government, international partners, civil society, and the private sector.

2.0 Introduction: Global Context and the Imperative for a Just Transition

The international community has established a clear mandate for climate action and sustainable development. The 2015 Paris Agreement set global targets for limiting temperature rise, directly supporting SDG 13 (Climate Action). Subsequent climate conferences, including COP27 and COP28, have increasingly emphasized the principle of a “just transition,” ensuring that the shift to a low-carbon economy is equitable and inclusive, leaving no one behind. This principle is defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a process that ensures fairness for all people, sectors, and regions.

In fragile and conflict-affected states like Yemen, a just transition presents unique complexities. It demands an approach that integrates urgent humanitarian needs with long-term goals for sustainability and justice. This report proposes a framework for Yemen’s energy transition grounded in principles that directly support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

• Inclusive and Participatory Governance: Ensuring all stakeholders, especially marginalized groups, are involved in decision-making, which is fundamental to SDG 16.
• Equitable Distribution: Fairly sharing the benefits and burdens of the energy transition to advance SDG 10.
• Decentralized Renewable Energy: Empowering local communities and building resilience, contributing to SDG 7 and SDG 11.
• Conflict-Sensitive Policies: Designing interventions that contribute to peace and stability, a core target of SDG 16.

3.0 Analysis of Yemen’s Energy Sector

3.1 Current Landscape and Challenges

Yemen’s energy sector is characterized by profound dysfunction, which acts as a significant barrier to sustainable development. The primary challenges include:

1. Energy Poverty: Millions of Yemenis lack access to reliable electricity, hindering education, healthcare, and economic activity, thereby obstructing progress on nearly all SDGs.
2. Fragmented Governance: The ongoing conflict has resulted in multiple centers of power and a lack of coordinated governance, severely weakening institutional capacity and undermining the objectives of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
3. Deteriorating Infrastructure: Existing energy infrastructure is severely degraded, and resources for repair and expansion are extremely limited.

3.2 Opportunities for Sustainable Development

Despite these obstacles, significant opportunities exist for a bottom-up energy transition. Interventions at the local and community levels, particularly in rural areas, present a strategic entry point. Rural communities are often disconnected from national grids and are more conducive to piloting decentralized renewable energy projects. Success in these areas can build momentum for broader reforms and directly contribute to achieving SDG 7 and SDG 11 by providing clean, reliable power to underserved populations.

4.0 Recommendations for a Multi-Stakeholder Approach

Realizing a just energy transition in Yemen requires coordinated action from all sectors of society, embodying the spirit of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The following recommendations are directed at key stakeholders:

• Government:
  • Implement phased, socially sensitive reforms of energy subsidies.
  • Create policy incentives for decentralized, community-led renewable energy projects to accelerate progress on SDG 7.
• International and Regional Partners:
  • Adopt flexible, conflict-sensitive funding mechanisms for energy projects.
  • Promote energy as a tool for peace-building by supporting collaborative initiatives that bridge conflict divides, in line with SDG 16.
• Civil Society:
  • Facilitate community participation, ensuring the voices of women, youth, and rural populations are central to policy and implementation, supporting SDG 5 and SDG 10.
  • Raise public awareness on the links between energy, climate, and justice.
• Private Sector:
  • Engage in the development of technical standards for renewable energy systems.
  • Align business models with conflict-sensitive approaches that enhance equitable energy access, contributing to SDG 8 and SDG 7.

5.0 Report Methodology

The findings in this report are based on a multi-method qualitative research approach. The analysis integrates primary data from key informant interviews and focus group discussions with secondary data from official policy documents, conflict datasets, and energy sector statistics from sources including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and United Nations reports.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
   • The article’s central theme is Yemen’s energy crisis, focusing on the lack of “reliable electricity,” “energy poverty,” and the need for a transition to “sustainable energy systems,” including “decentralized renewable energy.” This directly aligns with the goal of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
2. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • The article frames the energy transition within the context of global climate agreements like the “Paris Agreement” and COPs. It mentions Yemen’s commitment to “Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)” and the goal of “reducing global carbon emissions” by transitioning “away from fossil fuels,” which are core components of climate action.
3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • The brief emphasizes the need for a “conflict-sensitive energy transition” that supports “peace building.” It highlights challenges like “weak institutional capacity,” “fragmentation,” and the lack of “coordinated governance structures.” It calls for “inclusive and participatory governance” and strengthening institutions, which are central to SDG 16.
4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The concept of a “just transition” is a recurring theme, defined as ensuring “no people… are left behind.” The article calls for “equitable access to energy,” “equitable distribution of both the benefits and burdens,” and specific attention to “underserved and remote communities,” directly addressing the goal of reducing inequality.
5. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article explicitly calls for ensuring “meaningful participation from marginalized groups, particularly women and youth, in both policy and implementation processes.” This highlights the need to empower women and include them in decision-making, which is a key aspect of SDG 5.
6. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The energy transition is linked to “socio-economic recovery” and addressing “economic instability.” The brief suggests that a new energy framework should prioritize “economic recovery,” implying that sustainable energy development can create economic opportunities and contribute to overall development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy):
   • Target 7.1: By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services. This is directly addressed by the article’s focus on the “daily struggle” for “accessing reliable electricity” for “millions of Yemenis” and the need to enhance “energy access,” especially for “rural areas… largely disconnected from public energy networks.”
   • Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. The article advocates for a transition to “decentralized renewable energy systems” as a key opportunity for transformative action.
2. Under SDG 13 (Climate Action):
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. The article discusses Yemen’s endorsement of the “Paris Agreement” and its “Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs),” and calls for the development of a “comprehensive, evidence-based framework” for the energy transition, which aligns with integrating climate action into national planning.
3. Under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions):
   • Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. This is reflected in the call for “inclusive and participatory governance” and “meaningful participation from marginalized groups, particularly women and youth, in both policy and implementation processes.”
4. Under SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities):
   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. The principle of a “just transition” and the focus on “equitable access for underserved and remote communities” directly support this target.
5. Under SDG 5 (Gender Equality):
   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. The article’s specific demand for “meaningful participation from marginalized groups, particularly women,” in energy policy and implementation directly relates to this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For Target 7.1 (Universal energy access):
   • The article implies the indicator of the proportion of the population with access to electricity. It states that “millions of Yemenis” lack access and that “rural areas are… largely disconnected from public energy networks,” suggesting that measuring the percentage of connected households, especially in rural areas, is a key metric.
2. For Target 7.2 (Increase renewable energy share):
   • The promotion of “decentralized renewable energy systems” implies the need to measure the renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption. Progress would be tracked by the growth of these systems and their contribution to Yemen’s overall energy mix.
3. For Target 16.7 (Inclusive decision-making):
   • The call for “meaningful participation from marginalized groups, particularly women and youth” implies an indicator related to the proportion of positions held by women and youth in institutions related to energy governance and policy-making. Measuring their involvement in community-led projects and national forums would be a way to track progress.
4. For Target 13.2 (Integrate climate measures into policies):
   • The article mentions Yemen’s “Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)” and the need for a “comprehensive framework for Yemen’s energy transition.” This points to an indicator such as the number of established or operationalized integrated policies and strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation, specifically the development and implementation of the proposed energy transition framework.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: arab-reform.net