The ACCESS coalition consists of a range of civil society organisations (CSOs), both international and national. We aim to strengthen the visibility and presence of CSOs working to deliver universal energy access, particularly within Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll), Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) implementation and other global energy initiatives. We advocate at national and regional levels for transparent and inclusive multi-stakeholder participation at all stages of energy processes. We work with donors and investors to build their understanding of the energy needs of poor groups. We support capacity building of civil society actors and share best practice across our networks.

Achieving SDG7 on universal access to energy will require going beyond a business-as-usual approach that has largely focussed on large power infrastructure, and mobilizing new, inclusive coalitions of stakeholders. CSOs’ energy access and development expertise can be leveraged in a more effective way to deliver this. In summary, CSOs can:

• Improve other stakeholders’ understanding of poor groups’ energy needs, including governments, businesses and donors;
• Raise awareness of, and stimulate demand for, energy services and products among poor groups;
• Build public understanding and political support for inclusive energy markets and the enabling environment reforms needed to support them;
• Design and deliver energy solutions with long-term development impact, working with other stakeholders such as government, private sector, donors and other development partners.

Energy services have been shown to have greatest poverty reduction impact when integrated with wider initiatives on food security, health, education and livelihoods. This approach will also maximize delivery across the SDGs.