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The UAE-led humanitarian initiative, 20by2020, continues to extendsustainable solutions to various parts of the world with the latest deployment in PulauLaut Selatan in South Kalimantan, Indonesia.  The objective of this deploymentis to provide 20,700 people from a large fishermen community with improved energy access through off-grid solar lighting.

PulauLaut Selatan islocated in the Kota Baru Regency (Borneo territory), where a quarter of the population still live in the dark, and the majority of households earn their living by fishing.As part of the effort, 3,600 solar lanterns and 1,000 mobile-charging solar lanterns will be distributed to fishermen living without access to electricity in order to assist them and their families with household lighting and income generation, enabling greater economic activities by fishing early in the morning and at night.

Additionally, thelanterns will improve health conditions by replacing kerosene lamps, a basic indoor power source for most households in unelectrified areas, along with candles and diesel generators that can adversely affect people’s safety, the environment, and levels of productivity.

This deployment in Indonesia represents a unique collaboration between two leading Zayed Sustainability Prize winners. D.lightisa 2013 Prize winner and aUS-basedglobal pioneer in delivering affordable solar-powered solutions for households and small businesses thathave been commissionedto provide the technology for 20by2020.Kopernik, is an Indonesian-based non-profitorganisationand the 2016 Zayed Sustainability Prize winner whichspecialises in sustainable energy, with a mandateto reduce poverty in last mile communities.  Kopernikwas in charge of implementing the project in the field.

H.E Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, UAE Minister of State and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), a founding partner of the 20by2020 initiative said: “The UAE and Indonesia are aligned with the UN 2030 agenda and share a common focus on building sustainable cities and communities and supporting vital growth sectors.”

H.E Al Sayegh added, “Over the years, both countries have embarked on several joint sustainability projects that are designed to build resilient societies and economies. The latest 20by2020 deployment of environmentally friendlysolar solutions in Indonesia’s South Kalimantan region aims to enhance the quality of life for local residentsand will also help to connect unelectrified populations to the grid.  We are glad to be part of this meaningful initiative and outreach. ”

H.E. Mr. Arifin Tasrif, Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, said: “We welcome and appreciate the support extended by the20by2020 initiativeand its partnersto the people of South Kalimantan. The leadership of theUnited Arab Emirates Government, showcased through the Zayed Sustainability Prize, complementsourMinistry’s programmes ofaccelerating the deployment of solar energysince 2017”.

“We strongly believe that this donation will effectively support the Indonesian Government to achieve our target of 23% new and renewable energy in the energy mix and help lead the country’s transition to a cleaner energy future. Wewould like to extend our appreciation to the United Arab Emirates and we hope that we can continue to work closely together in the field of new and renewable energy to achieve our shared vision of a sustainable future”, he added.

Established in December 2019, the 20by2020 initiative is a natural extension of the Zayed Sustainability Prize’s ongoing commitment to workwith its winners and finalists by continuing to support their goals and allowing their solutions toreach a much wider number of people around the globe.

20by2020 is led by the Zayed Sustainability Prize in partnership with Abu Dhabi Global Market, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Mubadala Petroleum, the UAE Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence, Masdar, and BNPP Paribas; the most recent partner to join the initiative and the first international private company. Majid Al Futtaim also joined the initiative in support of projects in Jordan and Egypt, earlier this year.

The initiative exemplifies the commitment of its partners to enable sustainable development at home in the UAE, and abroad, and is complemented by the inspiring work powered by some of these partnersin parallel on the ground. In the case of Indonesia,since 2015 Mubadala Petroleum has provided over 174 scholarships to students from fishing communities in Kotabaru, South Kalimantan to pursue higher education at the Kotabaru Polytechnic, while funding has also been provided for soft skills and safety training for the students.

The leading international company has also been engaging with local fishermen in West Sulawesi since 2014 to support the deployment of artificial fish aggregating devices (rumpon) in the Makassar Strait and fishing lighting technology opening new fishing grounds and additional income sources. In 2018, Mubadala Petroleum funded a skills empowerment training programmefor fishermen’s wives in this coastal area,in addition to implementing a Waste Management project which saw the introduction ofa waste bank and reuse-recycle waste activities. The project not only improved the village’s environment but also empoweredwomen in the community togenerate additional income by producing recycled products and marine-based goodsthat they could thensell at the local market.

Dr Bakheet Al Katheeri, CEO of Mubadala Petroleum,a founding partner of the initiative, commented: “As a partner in the 20by2020 initiative, we are proud of all the work to date to support disadvantaged communities around the world. This deployment in South Kalimantan in Indonesia will harness the power of innovative technologies to enable sustainable solutions for the local fishing community. Since 2014, we have been involved in empowering this community through a range of well-established projects designed to enhance education, environmental and development goals. Our involvement in the 20by2020 initiative complements these efforts and we look forward to seeing the real-world impact on local communities as these schemes progress.”

Eight deployments have been rolled out to date, including energy, health, water and food-related solutions in Cambodia, Madagascar,Egypt, Jordan, Nepal, Tanzania, and Uganda. Furthermore, 20by2020 will conclude its first phase with a sustainable project in Costa Rica and additional solutions will be deployed in another 10 countries as part of phase two.