Year 2015 had defined the future agenda of renewable energy (RE) for the coming decades. As regards, the UN General Assembly adopted “Affordable and Clean Energy” as a sustainable development goal. Later, historic Paris Agreement suggested to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050 which is impossible without large-scale RE production. The year 2016 also witnessed record level of RE investment and capacity addition indicating a strong business case in future. Even though, RE has been termed vital to achieve sustainable development goals, some challenges still persist, especially in developing counties, including Pakistan. Third in a series – this policy paper not only discusses the barriers hampering wind power growth in Pakistan but also provides various policy and capacity building tools to overcome problems in areas such as: a) effective management of renewable energy integration; b) better understanding for RE costs and tariff determination; and c) financial modelling techniques for better financial close.
In terms of having water resources, Afghanistan has a considerable advantage in comparison to its neighbors. However, war and other various factors have limited the country’s ability to make use of these resources. Water infrastructure—including dams, water storage tanks, irrigation and water supply networks, hydrometric stations and metrology systems, and sewage and sanitation systems—is limited and inefficient.
In recent years, the role and position of civil society organizations in dealing with local and regional crises are seen considering a new approach that requires finding common grounds, exchange of ideas and cooperation among civil society organizations functional in that specific region. Afghanistan and Pakistan have had complex and at times fragile political and security relations and in the meanwhile the two countries are tied in an unavoidable and undeniable trade and economic interdependency.
