Oxfam in Cambodia was a proud sponsor of the very first Clean Energy Week, organized by Energy Lab from 1-8 November 2018 with an objective to raise awareness of the renewable energy possibilities in the Kingdom by engaging young people and bringing together key players.
“We, as ambassadors, want students to be conscious of the basic need for clean energy in Cambodia, and worldwide. We want students to know the importance of understanding clean energy. I am sure that they somehow hear about it at school, yet not many show interest in the topic. Perhaps they think it is not as important as other fields.”, said Ms Srey Pov Ying, leading a team of 12 ambassadors reaching out to Universities.
Over 1,250 people attending 26 clean energy events!
The week was designed to maximize the engagement of a variety of actors to engage and promote clean energy in Cambodia for sustainable development, economic productivity and innovation. From a high level conference center on the future of energy entitled “Inspire Asean” where many of the top players in the renewable energy sector in Southeast Asia gathered in Phnom Penh to events across universities engaging over 600 students to raise public awareness of the need for clean energy in the near future, the first clean energy week in Cambodia was an inspiring melting-pot of events that attracted lots of interest.
Other public engagement events were organized such as site visits and open days so that people could see existing initiatives in Cambodia around biogas, solar power and even a sustainable charcoal factory!
The closing event of the Clean Energy Week took place at The Factory Phnom Penh where participants massively called out for a second edition. An enthusiast concluded: “This week really created a momentum! It was great! I am sure next year event will be even more powerful and impactful!”