Beyond2020 lights up world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Beyond2020, the UAE-driven humanitarian initiative has announced the deployment of critical solar energy lighting solutions at Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, lighting up the lives of 4,500 residents.

The deployment in Bangladesh, aiming to enhance security and create better conditions for social and community activities after dark, marks the second phase of ‘20by2020’, which recently rebranded to ‘Beyond2020’ to serve as a flagship platform for continuous global outreach.

Going ‘beyond generations’, ‘beyond borders’ and ‘beyond limits’, Beyond2020 offers critical, life-transforming solutions to a broader number of beneficiaries worldwide, providing tech for good and fostering development that is inclusive and sustainable, according to a statement.

Electricians Without Borders, a leading France-based non-profit organisation and the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020 winner under the ‘Energy’ category, was tasked with installing the technology on behalf of Beyond2020, at the world’s largest refugee camp.

The previous Prize winner leveraged its award-winning experience from the highly acclaimed ‘Light for the Rohingyas’ project that improved the lives of thousands of people through renewable energy and entrepreneurial mentoring.

Building on the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan by championing the humanitarian values of the UAE’s founding father, Beyond2020 donates sustainable technologies and solutions to vulnerable communities, with a total of nine countries reached, to date. |

Each solution or technology has already transformed other communities worldwide and has been recognised by the Zayed Sustainability Prize as a winner or finalist.

As part of the initiative’s first phase, a total of eight deployments have been rolled out to date, including energy, health, water and food-related solutions in Nepal, Tanzania, Uganda, Jordan, Egypt, Cambodia, Madagascar, and Indonesia. In addition to Bangladesh, another 11 countries have been identified for phase two.

Beyond2020 brings together a leading and growing roster of UAE-based and international partners which include Abu Dhabi Global Market, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Mubadala Petroleum, the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence, Masdar, and BNP Paribas.

— BERNAMA