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About the Book Touted as an innovative form of international cooperation to tackle climate change, Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) are supposed to channel financial and technical support from donors for a shift to clean energy systems in developing countries. Such support is, however, often tied to a policy agenda driven by donor developed countries and financial institutions – an agenda which narrowly prioritizes emission reductions over broader development needs. Furthermore, the financing is heavily reliant on loans and private capital mobilization, deepening indebtedness and limiting fiscal autonomy in the recipient countries. Uncovering the fundamental flaws in the current JETP model, this paper stresses the imperative of undertaking energy transitions in a “just, orderly and equitable” manner, in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC) enshrined in the United Nations climate regime. To be genuinely just, the transition framework must be backed by grant-based public finance and ensure affordable transfer of renewable energy technologies. It should also involve workers, communities and other transition-affected sectors in decision-making, and be aligned with national development goals of energy access, job creation and economic diversification. VICENTE PAOLO B. YU III is a Senior Legal Adviser of the Third World Network, Associate Fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, and Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Warwick. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Conceptual Foundations: Just Transitions, Equity, and CBDR-RC 3. Overview of Just Energy Transition Partnerships 4. Paragraph 28(d) of Decision 1/CMA.5: Interpretation and Implications 5. Development and Equity Challenges of Just Energy Transitions in the Global South 6. Proposals for Alternative Frameworks and Approaches for Equitable Just Energy Transitions i. Rebalancing the Financing Architecture: From Debt Dependence to Grants, Concessionality and Redistribution ii. Strengthening National Ownership and Democratic Governance iii. Integrating Just Energy Transition Within Broader Development Strategies iv. Moving from Conditionality to Cooperation: Operationalizing CBDR-RC v. Ensuring Policy Space and Trade-Climate Coherence vi. Charting a Sovereign Path for Just Transitions 7. Recommendations for Future Just Energy Transition Frameworks i. Multilateral Level: Shaping Global Norms and Frameworks ii. National Level: Advancing Country-Driven, Developmental Just Transitions iii. South-Led Alternatives: Reframing the Model through Solidarity and Cooperation iv. Messaging and Coalition-Building: Positioning the Global South as Rule-Shapers 8. Conclusion Endnotes
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