Renewable Energy & UN Peacekeeping: Untapped Potential in the DRC

This study of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the first in a series of reports commissioned and led by the Powering Peace initiative that examines the electricity practices of United Nations (UN) operations and the impact of accelerated renewable energy transitions in fragile contexts. It considers the role of electricity generation and consumption in the DRC’s political and conflict dynamics, with a particular focus on the United Nations and its peacekeeping mission, the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO). The report’s goal is to identify opportunities for and obstacles to renewable energy use and to explore ways in which UN field missions could transition to greater use of renewable energy sources; the report proposes that this transition will save the United Nations money and benefit the planet, as well as potentially boost local economies and contribute to peacebuilding. This country-based study builds on a 2018 report that tackles these ideas in South Sudan.