Our key takeaway: Leapfrogging to renewable energy is a must as governments seek to implement their Paris Agreement-related commitments. However, this energy transition is not without risks, and can create, or exacerbate, adverse human rights impacts. The Danish Institute for Human Rights has provided a head-start for companies conducting human rights due diligence in the energy sector in Ethiopia and Kenya by highlighting the full range of people who could be impacted, and how, to feed into due diligence and further stakeholder engagement. Companies can’t do it alone: governments and investors also need to step up.
The Danish Institute for Human Rights has released two scoping papers: ‘Human Rights and the Energy Transition in Ethiopia’ and ‘Human Rights and the Energy Transition in Kenya’: