08th May 2019 Achieving affordable, sustainable and modern energy for all requires access to adequate data to monitor progress, change course if needed and develop better policies, concluded a stakeholder consultation workshop jointly organized today in Tongatapu, Tonga by the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communication (MEIDECCC) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
MEIDECC and ESCAP collaborate on the Development Account-funded project “Evidence-based policies for the sustainable use of energy resources in Asia and the Pacific.” The project aims to increase capacity to assess, forecast and track energy development trends, inform policymaking and monitor progress on energy goals, notably Sustainable Development Goal 7: Clean and Affordable Energy.
“The key elements for energy information are accuracy, availability, consistency and reliability,” said Dr. Tevita Tukunga, Director Energy Policy of MEIDECC. To localize global energy mandates, the Project aims to improve decision-making and is crucial for the revision of the Tonga Energy Roadmap and the crafting of future policy. “The revision of policy based on better evidence will strengthen the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7,” echoed Dr. Fabian Kreuzer, Economic Affairs Officer of ESCAP on behalf of the Director of ESCAP’s Energy Division.
In an initial phase, the Project in Tonga analyzed the current system of energy data collection, information management, and analysis. Based on the findings, recommendations were conveyed to the Government to improve the current system. The second phase of the Project supported by the stakeholder consultation will focus on looking into the future and the trajectory of Tonga’s energy sector.
More information on this project can be found at: https://www.unescap.org/our-work/energy/energy-sustainable-development/evidence-based-policies
ENDS
Issued by the Department of Energy (MEIDECC)
