01 | THE HIGHLIGHTS – KNOWLEDGE
As a second pillar, the Knowledge Series also comprises a specialized annual publication dedicated to a highly topical issue with relevance for the devel- opment community. The OPEC Fund chose to launch the program with a Clean Cooking Report, presented at the UN Conference to Combat Deserti- fication (COP16) in December 2024. This report builds on work by the OPEC Fund and its partners under the Climate Finance and Energy Innovation Hub launched in 2022, as well as of the clean cooking workshop and panel discus- sions held during the Climate Solutions Week in April 2024. These initiatives aimed to share knowledge and best practices to advance universal access to clean cooking. More than two billion people worldwide rely for their daily cooking on tradi- tional, yet polluting, fuels such as kerosene, wood and charcoal. Traditional cooking methods contribute to some 3.7 million premature deaths annually, with women and children affected the most. Meanwhile, the use of biomass for cooking is a major driver of deforestation and environmental degradation. Alternatives such as electric, liquefied petroleum gas and biogas cookstoves exist. Yet they face several barriers to succeed in the market as the report shows. Foremost among them are affordability, sociocultural factors and fuel stacking, whereby households retain traditional methods alongside newer clean cooking solutions. The OPEC Fund is complementing the findings with practical solutions on the ground. A landmark US$35 million loan will support the SMART Clean Cooking Project in Madagascar, where today just 1.6 percent of the population has access to non-polluting fuels. Similar projects in Africa and Asia are under preparation and will be submitted to the Governing Board throughout 2025.
US$ 35 MN A landmark loan will support the SMART Clean Cooking Project in Madagascar
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